Matej Mináč

Matej Mináč (born 1 April 1961) is a Slovak film director. Mináč has directed three films about Sir Nicholas Winton, a Briton who organized the rescue of 669 Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II in an operation later known as the Czech Kindertransport: the drama All My Loved Ones(1999) (the role of Winton was played by Rupert Graves), the documentary The Power of Good: Nicholas Winton (2002), which won an Emmy Award, the documentary with feature reenactments Nicky's Family (2011) and Children Saved from the Nazis: The Story of Sir Nicholas Winton (2016).

Mináč also made a full-length documentary with feature reenactments Through the Eyes of the Photographer (2015) on the popular Slovak photographer Zuzana Minacova, his mother. His brother is mathematician Ján Mináč.

Awards

 * International EMMY AWARD for Best Documentary in 2002 (awarded by the International Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences - New York 2002)
 * Nominated for the 2006 News and Documentary EMMY AWARD for HBO
 * 2006 Christopher AWARD - New York for an extraordinary humanistic message
 * 2009 CFTA AWARD within the Czech Lion for the best documentary from 1993 - 2007
 * Wallenberg Medal - together with Patrik Pašš, award for the extraordinarily sensitively processed story of Sir Winton, thanks to which his message inspires people all over the world
 * Best Documentary Award - Montreal World Film Festival 2011
 * Audience Rights Award - Karlovy Vary IFF 2011
 * Audio-Visual Memory Preservation Forum Award - Jerusalem Film Festival 2011
 * SIGNIS Award World Catholic Association for Communication, uniting 140 countries, for the promotion and dissemination of human values - 64th PRIX ITALIA - Turin
 * FIAT / IFTA (Achievement Award) for the best use of archives - British Film Institute, London 2012
 * Grand Prix to director Matej Mináč for the discovering and human-deep theme of the film Nicky's Family - 52nd IFF of Films for Children and Youth Zlín - Czech Republic
 * Award - David's Camera for the best music - Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, Poland
 * Shoresh Audience Award - UK Jewish Film Festival, London, UK
 * Audience Award - Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival - USA
 * Audience Award - Best Documentary Feature Film 2012 - Sedona Int´l Film Festival - USA
 * Audience Award - Best Documentary Feature 2012 - Atlanta Jewish Film Festival - USA
 * Audience Award - Best Film 2012 - Charlotte Jewish Film Festival - USA
 * Audience Award - Best Documentary 2012 - Denver Jewish Film Festival - USA
 * Audience Award - Best Documentary Film 2012 - AJC Seattle Jewish Film Festival - USA
 * Audience Award - Best Film 2012 - Houston Jewish Film Festival - USA
 * Audience Award - Best Documentary Film -Hartford Jewish Film Festival
 * Audience Award - Best Documentary 2012 - Pittsburgh Jewish Film Festival
 * Audience Award - Best Film 2012 - Rockland Int´l Jewish Film Festival, USA
 * Audience Award for Best Documentary - Zagreb Jewish Film Festival 2012, Croatia
 * Award for the best director for the masterful use of narrative techniques, where the film story is presented through the personal perspective of the director - MECEFF festival - Romania
 * Award of the Mayor of Piešťany - IFF Piešťany - Cinematik - 2011
 * Ota Hofman Award of the Children's Film Festival and Television Festival in Ostrov - 2001
 * Special jury prize for the work with the most significant moral accent
 * Ota Hofman Children's Film and Television Festival - Ostrov - 2001
 * Slovak Film Critics Award - in the category of Slovak feature and medium-length documentary with its premiere in 2011, Slovakia
 * Creative Award for Film and Documentary Production - Annual National Creative Awards of the Slovak Film Association, the Union of Slovak Television Producers and the Literary Fund, Slovakia
 * Audience Award - Best Film 2012, Scottsdale International Film Festival, USA
 * GRAND PRIX - Best Film Festival, XVII International TV Festival Bar, Montenegro
 * The best collection of films - Award for Czech Television, part of the collection is Nicky's family, XVII International TV Festival Bar, Montenegro
 * Audience Award - Best Film, Three Rivers Film Festival 2012, USA
 * Best Documentary Audience Award, Dayton Jewish International Film Festival 2013, USA
 * Audience Award - Best Film - 10th European Film Festival, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2013
 * Russian Journalists Association Award - Yalta, 2013
 * Audience Award - Best Documentary, Jewish Arts & Film Festival of Fairfield County 2013
 * Award for Best Documentary, Victoria Film Festival 2014
 * SPECIAL AWARD for director and ASPIM EUROPA AWARD at Torino
 * International film festival The Spirits of the Earth - 2014
 * FITES Award - TRILOBIT (Czech Film and Television Association)
 * IGRIC Award (Slovak Film Association, Union of Slovak Television Producers)
 * Jury Prize - Troia International Film Festival - Portugal
 * Nine Gates Festival Award
 * First prize - Warsaw Jewish Film Festival - Poland
 * Spirit Award - Pacific Jewish Film Festival - USA
 * Audience Awards: Washington Jewish Film Festival, Miami Jewish Film Festival
 * Troia Int´l Film Festival - Portugal - Jury Prize,
 * Coachella Valley's Festival - Best Film (USA)
 * Grand Prix - Int´l Film Festival Sedona, USA;
 * Czech lion for Jiří Bartoška for the best supporting role,
 * IGRIC 2000 Award of the Slovak Film Association
 * Audience Awards: Int´t Palm Springs Film Festival - USA (rated by the audience as the second best film of 180 feature films, Final Pilsen, Washington Jewish Film Festival, São Paulo Jewish Film Festival, Festivals of Festivals - Palm Springs (2001), Würzburg Film Festival (Germany, 2002), Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (2002)
 * AWARD - CAMERA OF DAVID, best documentary and
 * MAIN PRIZE - for the 13th Warsaw Jewish Film Festival (November 2015)
 * GOLDEN REMI AWARD for Best Documentary at the 49th Annual International Film Festival - WORLDFEST HOUSTON