Czech documentary ‘If Pigeons Turned into Gold’ selected as Oscar candidate

The Czech Film and Television Academy has selected Pepa Lubojacki’s documentary, ‘If Pigeons Turned into Gold’ (Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato), as the Czech Republic’s official entry for the Academy Awards. This marks the second consecutive year a Czech documentary has been submitted for Oscar consideration.

Filmed over a five-year period, the documentary follows Lubojacki’s relationship with her brother and cousins as they struggle with severe alcohol addiction. Moving away from traditional observational documentary styles, Lubojacki incorporates her own perspective and personal involvement to explore themes of family trauma, inherited patterns, and the emotional toll addiction takes on loved ones. The film examines the tension between the desire to help and the reality of addiction, while addressing societal attitudes toward substance abuse.