Oscar-Shortlisted ‘Waves,’ Sundance Hit ‘DJ Ahmet’ Among Czech Buzz Titles at EFM

This year’s EFM showcases a selection of exciting new and upcoming Czech films, including a highly anticipated biopic from a three-time Oscar nominee, a hotly anticipated animation production from a renowned studio, and a buzzworthy premiere that made waves at Sundance.

Title Character: DJ Ahmet
Director: Georgi M. Unkovski
Producers: Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska

Arriving from a lively debut at Sundance, this Czech minority co-production tells the story of a 15-year-old boy living in a secluded North Macedonian village. Struggling under the weight of an overbearing father and societal expectations, he finds solace in music as a means of escape.
Distributor: Films Boutique

Agnieszka Holland, the director, and Šárka Cimbalová, the producer, are working on a highly anticipated biopic about Franz Kafka. This film is a follow-up to Holland’s critically acclaimed “Green Border.” The story will trace Kafka’s life from his birth in 19th-century Prague up until his death in Berlin following World War I. The distribution rights have been acquired by Films Boutique.

Mr. Nobody vs Putin”
Director: David Borenstein
Producer: Helle Faber

Following its debut in Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Competition, this Czech co-production chronicles the story of a Russian teacher, who clandestinely records the metamorphosis of his rural school into a military recruitment center post Ukraine invasion.
International distribution: DR Sales
U.S. distribution: Cinetic Media

Last year’s winner at the Series Mania Forum, the documentary-drama that delves into the 2018 murder of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak, has been chosen for the Berlinale Co-Production Market. This project is directed by Tereza Nvotová, with Jakub Viktorín and Tomáš Hrubý serving as producers. Currently, sales information is unavailable.

In the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus section, the film titled “Tales From the Magic Garden” was showcased. This stop-motion animation, a collaboration between four countries, is directed by David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, and Jean-Claude Rozec, and produced by Martin Vandas, Alena Vandasová, Juraj Krasnohorský, Henrieta Cvangová, Kolja Saksida, Jean-Francois Le Corre, and Mathieu Courtois. The story revolves around three children who uncover the magic of imagination following a night spent at their grandfather’s house after the passing of their grandmother. Distribution is handled by New Europe Film Sales.

Time Until Reaching Destination
Director: Vitaly Mansky
Producer: Natalia Manskaya

Departing from the Berlinale’s Forum sidebar, the newest work by this esteemed documentarian finds him revisiting his birthplace, Lviv, Ukraine, to chronicle a year in the life of this conflict-stricken city.
Sales Status: Not Available

Movie Waves
Director: Jiří Mádl
Producer: Monika Kristlová

The period drama by Mádl, which was shortlisted for an Oscar, narrates the brave story of journalists at Czechoslovak Radio who resisted authoritarianism and censorship in the lead-up to the Warsaw Pact’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
Distributor: Urban Sales

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2025-02-15 11:17