THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Czech film director Jiri Menzel has been selected for the lifetime achievement award of International Film Festival of Kerala-2016.Menzel, an active representative of new wave cinema in Czech Republic , has won several awards, including the Oscar.
In 1966, he won the academy award for his film ‘Closely Watched Trains’ in the best foreign film category. Incidentally, it was his maiden film, made when he was 29. His controversial film ‘Larks on a String’ was filmed in 1969 but was initially banned by the Czechoslovakian government.
It was finally released in 1990 after the fall of the Communist regime. The film won the Golden Bear at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival. His other films include ‘My Sweet Little Village’ (1985) and ‘I Served the King of England’ (2006).