The story of The Compatriot takes place on the New Year's Eve in 1944. Two men meet in the middle of a snowstorm in a cottage cut off from civilization – a widower, Petr Bernat, and an SS officer, Konrad Neumann. The only thing the two men have in common is their Sudeten origins. At first, their conversation revolves around mundane topics, but as midnight approaches, they begin to address more pressing issues. A tragic past is revealed and it becomes clear that tonight will be a fateful night for Bernat and Neumann.

The main roles are played by Jiří Štěpnička and Pavel Batěk, who plays an SS officer. The supporting character of the driver was portrayed by Martin Hlubocký. The film was produced by Miloň Terč from the The Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček in Písek (FAMO). It premiered at the Dlabačov cinema in Prague earlier this year. The Compatriot is the second joint directional effort by Pavel Sýkora and Viktor Horák, both FAMO students.

Historically, The Compatriot is only the fourth Czech student film awarded with the Student Academy Award—the previous ones being an intimate puppet animation Daughter by Daria Kashcheeva in 2019, a fungus-filled imaginarium Who’s Who in Mycology by Marie Dvořáková in 2017, and a humorous mockumentary Oil Gobblers by Jan Svěrák in 1989.

However, several Czech and Czechoslovak student films were also nominated for the student Oscar in the past: The Fever of a Weekday (dir. Miloš Zábranský) in 1982, Bloodthirsty Hugo, an Eastern (dir. Aurel Klimt) in 1997, The Test (dir. Václav Švankmajer) in 2000, and Peacock (dir. Ondřej Hudeček) in 2016.

To add a little bit more context—this year, the Student Academy Awards competition received staggering 2,683 entries from 738 colleges and universities worldwide. All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for 2024 Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, or Documentary Short Film category.