A K-pop-themed series, a show called Burning Witches and a feature film set in “the semi-legal queer milieu of socialist Czechoslovakia” are among the six projects that will be pitched in the KVIFF Talents program of the KVIFF Industry Days event at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF).
The fest’s 60th edition runs July 3-11.
The six audiovisual works, selected from more than 100 submitted projects, will see the participants receive development funding, mentoring from industry experts, the opportunity to present their projects at a special event during the Karlovy Vary festival, facilities for producing proof-of-concept videos, stays at film festivals, and residency programs in Karlovy Vary.
In the Feature Pool, dedicated to feature-length films, three projects will be presented this year. One is Exposed, the feature fiction debut by director Klára Tasovská, produced by Lukáš Kokeš, which is set “against the backdrop of the semi-legal queer milieu of socialist Czechoslovakia.” The mystery thriller, unfolding over 24 hours in Prague during the 1980s era of “normalization,” tells, “through the story of a young female photographer, a universal story of personal dilemma and the courage to stand up for one’s own version of reality,” according to a synopsis.
The second feature project is the drama Nera, the feature fiction debut of director Ivana Vogrinc Vidali and screenwriter Darja Miková. The film follows Tereza, a recent high school graduate whose life is “upended by a relentless diagnosis that gradually robs her of her sight,” reads a plot description. “She is rescued from despair by Nera, a guide dog in whom she finds a kindred spirit, but she soon encounters the limits of a system that has trained Nera for absolute obedience and the suppression of instinct.”
The final film project is Until We Leave, the debut of screenwriter Lucia Čižinská, produced by Tereza Wiński. It tells the story of four women in their 30s who travel to France to visit a close friend with a terminal illness. “Their shared trip gradually turns into a confrontation with their own lives, relationships and visions of the future,” notes a synopsis. “This intimate drama blends elements of tragicomedy and an observational road movie.”
In the Creative Pool, dedicated to projects of any audiovisual format, two fiction series and one animated film will be presented this year.
The Inhalatorium, the feature-length animation debut by director and animator Bára Anna Stejskalová, follows a 13-year-old girl who arrives at a mountain sanatorium to treat her asthma. When her friend disappears, and the staff refuses to speak of him, she sets out with others to find him.
The series project Burning Witches, written by Martina Babišová and Věra Starečková and produced by Dagmar Sedláčková, is set in the 17th century in the Bohemian-Polish borderlands. It follows noblewoman Katuše as she attempts to save her sister from being burned at the stake while also striving to emancipate those around her.
The final project of this year’s KVIFF Talents program is the series K-Dream by director Adam Sedlák and producers Linda Krejčí and Monika Soukup. It tells the story of Nikǒ, “a European obsessed with K-pop,” according to a synopsis. “After failing to launch his career as a K-pop star, he returns to Europe to found the first K-pop idol academy in Berlin. The lead role will be played by [Czech singer and actor] Adam Mišík, who is also involved in the project as a co-screenwriter.”
In previous editions, the program has supported a total of 23 projects.
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