Czech director Jiri Menzel, who helmed the Oscar-winning feature Closely Watched Trains, died on Saturday after a long battle with an undisclosed illness. He was 82.
His wife, Olga confirmed his death on Instagram and Facebook. “It was our utmost honor and privilege that we could be with you on your last pilgrimage to eternity,” she wrote, translated to English. “Your love for me, and for our girls was the kind of love that never lays down conditions.”
She added, “I am also grateful to you for the last three years, as hard as they were. You kept always helping me with your courage, with your appetite and your will to live, and with your humor. I wish for you “a pretty little cloud” as you often used to say… Death cannot end anything. I believe we will meet again, in whatever way. It simply must be so because I feel it cannot be otherwise. I caress you. We love you, from the bottom of our hearts, and forever.”
Menzel was a member of the Czech New Wave movement and he was put into the spotlight with his first feature Closely Watched Trains in 1967 which immediately gained acclaim and accolades, winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1969, his film Larks on a String was banned by the Czechoslovakian government and when it finally debuted in 1990 at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival, it won the Golden Bear.
In 1987, Menzel’s dark comedy My Sweet Village was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. He was also a member of the jury at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival as well as a jury member of the the 16th and 19th Moscow International Film Festival. On top of that, in 2013, he also earned an IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award.
In addition to directing, he had over 80 film and TV acting credits including Martin Sulik’s The Interpreter and the Jan Hrebejk’s 2000 film Divided We Fall, which was nominated for an Oscar.
Menzel is survived by his wife and daughters, Anna Karolina and Eva Maria.
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