“VLNY” (Waves): New Film Highlights Radio Prague’s Role During the 1968 Invasion

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who writes:

Hello Thomas,

I’d like to draw your attention to the release of the Czech film “VLNY” (It means “Waves”) about the role of Radio Prague during the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops on August 21, 1968.

The film will be released in France on March 19 with subtitles. An English subtitled version is also available:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/541017031588320

Trailer with subtitles in English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxSeWimkAOI

I’ve prepared a short synopsis to introduce the film:

This text introduces the film by Jirì Màdl, which depicts the Prague Spring of 1968 through the lens of Czechoslovak state radio. The story follows Milan Weiner, an experienced journalist, and his team engaged in a fierce battle to inform the public despite the regime’s propaganda. The plot centers around Thomas Havlik, a technician recruited unknowingly by the secret police to spy on the newsroom, but who becomes entangled in the emancipatory fervor of the movement.

With meticulous reconstruction and intelligent use of archival footage, the film combines documentary accuracy and suspense, illustrating the clash between the freedom of the press and the oppression of an authoritarian regime. The story also highlights the geopolitical context of the time: a Czechoslovakia seeking liberalization under the influence of Alexander Dubcek, before being brutally crushed by the Soviet invasion of August 21, 1968.

In short, this film serves as both a historical testimony and a political thriller, immersing the viewer in one of the most significant moments of the Cold War.

There are many articles on the Radio Prague International website:

https://english.radio.cz/search?fulltext=vlny