The Karlovy Fluctuate Worldwide Movie Pageant lately unveiled a sharpened Central-European co-production focus for its rebranded KVIFF Central Stage showcase. On Monday, the fest unveiled the 14 initiatives from eight completely different nations of Central Europe that might be featured at its 59th version subsequent month.
The film initiatives searching for co-production and financing alternatives, gross sales, distribution or competition premieres come from “established filmmakers with intensive competition pedigrees,” together with Iran’s Nader Saeivar (The Witness), who might be presenting a undertaking that he co-wrote with Cannes Palme d’Or 2025 winner Jafar Panahi (It Was Simply an Accident) who can be enhancing it, an adaptation of Austrian creator and playwright Thomas Bernhard’s novel The Lime Works by Austria’s Andreas Horvath (Lillian), and Hungary’s László Csuja (Light).
“The chosen initiatives, that are at the moment in varied levels of improvement, manufacturing or post-production, might be showcased by way of interactive conversations in regards to the filmmakers’ profession paths and co-production prospects throughout the collaborating nations,” KVIFF organizers mentioned. “The collaborating initiatives will even achieve entry to unique post-production benefits by way of a beneficiant partnership with industry-leading studios UPP and Soundsquare, whereas additionally being eligible for the €20,000 ($23,000) Eurimages Co-Manufacturing Growth Award.”
In the meantime, the lately established showcase KVIFF Abilities, targeted on searching for out and supporting gifted Czech and Slovak filmmakers and revolutionary audiovisual genres, might be joined by a visitor undertaking from Hungarian filmmaker István Kovács. He’ll pitch the feature-length model of his Scholar Academy Award-winning quick movie A Siege (Ostrom) in Karlovy Fluctuate.
The brand new KVIFF Central Stage occasion, going down on Tuesday, July 8, was created by the KVIFF Movie Trade Workplace in cooperation with the nationwide movie institutes of eight Central European nations, specifically Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
“We launched this new format to deal with a notable hole within the Central European movie panorama,” mentioned Hugo Rosák, the pinnacle of the KVIFF Trade Workplace. “Whereas rising filmmakers typically obtain substantial help, mid-career filmmakers sometimes have fewer alternatives for visibility and financing, regardless of their equally compelling initiatives.”
Here’s a have a look at the 14 fiction movie initiatives that might be offered at KVIFF Central.
‘The Lime Works’
Courtesy of KVIFF
The Lime Works (Austria)
Attending – Director, Scriptwriter, Producer: Andreas Horvath
“An adaptation of the eponymous novel by controversial Austrian ‘Nestbeschmutzer’ (denigrator of his personal nation) Thomas Bernhard” that’s each surrealist and nightmarish.
Masaryk: The Coup (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovak Republic)
Director: Julius Ševčík
Scriptwriter: Julius Ševčík, Petr Kolečko
Producer: Vanessa Biermannová, Rudolf Biermann
“A standalone sequel to the immensely profitable A Outstanding Affected person by Julius Ševčík, which premiered at Berlinale and received 12 Czech Lion Awards.”
Across the Fireplace (Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovak Republic)
Director, Scriptwriter: Michal Hogenauer
Producer: Marek Novák
Hogenauer, “acquainted to KVIFF audiences from the East Meets West or Proxima competitions, will current his new undertaking in improvement.”
First Dates (Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland)
Director, Scriptwriter: Šimon Holý
Producer: Marek Novák
Holý, “acquainted to KVIFF audiences from the East Meets West or Proxima competitions, will current his new undertaking in improvement.”
Hijamat (Germany, Turkey)
Director, Scriptwriter: Nader Saeivar
Producer: Mentioned Nur Akkus, Tatiana Tsyganova, Emre Oskay
“The German-funded (with Turkish co-production) Hijamat is a brand new movie by famend Iranian director Nader Saeivar, who received the viewers award at Venice for The Witness (2024) and greatest screenplay at Cannes for 3 Faces, written collectively along with his long-term collaborator Jafar Panahi (winner of this yr’s Palme d’Or at Cannes), who can be enhancing this undertaking. The movie is now in manufacturing and searching for manufacturing and distribution companions.”
Some Good Information (Hungary, Romania)
Director: László Csuja
Scriptwriter: Éva Zabezsinszkij, László Csuja
Producer: Anna Szijártó
“Csuja, whose characteristic debut Blossom Valley received the jury prize at KVIFF and whose sophomore characteristic Light premiered in Sundance’s World Cinema Competitors, will current his new undertaking in improvement.”
Democracy Work in Progress (Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany)
Director, Scriptwriter: Mihály Schwechtje
Producer: Genovéva Petrovits
“Schwechtje continues his profitable legacy of exploring societal points by way of private dramas along with his new undertaking.”
Starska (Poland)
Director, Scriptwriter: Piotr Adamski
Producer: Anna Gawlita, Marta Szymanowska
“Visible artist and filmmaker Piotr Adamski will current his new undertaking, impressed by his late mom and the highs and lows of her bipolar dysfunction.”
Voracious (Poland)
Director, Scriptwriter: Jagoda Szelc (primarily based on novel by Malgorzata Lebda)
Producer: Joanna Szymańska
”Szelc, whose first two movies premiered at Berlinale and Rotterdam respectively, will showcase her new drama, primarily based on the eponymous novel by profitable Polish author Malgorzata Lebda.”
Láska (Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Croatia)
Director: Marko Škop
Scriptwriter: Zuzana Liová, Marko Škop
Producer: Marko Škop, Ján Meliš, Alice Zárubová Tabery, Marina Andree Škop
“Slovak director Marko Škop, whose earlier movies have been awarded at KVIFF and Toronto, will current his new characteristic at the moment in post-production.”
Purgatory (Slovenia, Austria)
Director: Žiga Virc
Scriptwriter: Iza Strehar
Producer: Žiga Virc, Iza Strehar
“Virc (Houston! We Have a Drawback!) brings his newest undertaking.”
The Happiest Day (Slovenia, Norway, Italy)
Director, Scriptwriter: Sonja Prosenc
Producer: Rok Sečen
“Prosenc (Household Remedy) presents The Happiest Day, now in pre-production.”
Vacuum (Ukraine)
Director, Scriptwriter: Yelizaveta Smith
Producer: Eugene Rachkovsky
“Final however not least, Ukraine might be represented by Vacuum by Berlinale alumna Yelizaveta Smith, whose Militantropos (co-directed with Alina Gorlova and Simon Mozgovyi) simply premiered in Cannes Administrators’ Fortnight.”
Making-of (Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic)
Director, Scriptwriter: Ivan Tymchenko
Producer: Svitlana Soloviova, Alžběta Janáčková
“Ukraine’s Tymchenko presents his new undertaking.”