Feature film production support

The councilors decided on a total of 27 submitted feature film projects. Among the supported projects were a coming-of-age drama with elements of eastern, a musical comedy drama touching on the themes of old age and female friendship, a historical drama adapted from a book by acclaimed Czech female author, a comedy drama about a man searching for his biological father, a family fairy tale film with educational mission, a relationship drama about a woman at a crossroads in her life, and an art-house horror film metaphorically dealing with the theme of xenophobia. In terms of gender, men clearly dominated the directors' positions (20 out of 27 projects), and this time not a single project directed by a woman made it among the supported projects.

The highest grant, EUR 600,000, was awarded to the film project Wild Hunt (Divoký hon), directed by Marek Najbrt (The Magic Quill, Protektor). This horror story, based on an old German legend and set during the Thirty Years' War tells the story of a town cut off from the world, where the inhabitants have preserved a life of security and abundance despite the war and plunder raging around them. The film produced by Bionaut touches on the topical problems of migration, xenophobia, manipulation, the willingness to excuse violence, to compromise with evil.

Swings, by award-winning director Bohdan Sláma (Shadow Country, Ice Mother) received EUR 400,000. It tells the humorous story of an unconventional friendship between two older women, to be played by popular actresses, Dagmar Havlová and Zuzana Kronerová. The film about socially relevant, yet often neglected topics related to old age has the potential to combine artistic qualities with a potentially high audience attendance. The film is produced by LUMINAR Film.

The same grant of EUR 400,000 was awarded to Hana, an adaptation of the book by award-winning Czech author Alena Mornštajnová by director Milan Cieslar (Colette), and screenwriter Sára Zeithammerová. The film, inspired by the real events of 1954, depicts three generations of women, whose personal stories are intertwined with the modern history of Czechoslovakia. The award-winning Polish cinematographer Piotr Sobociński Jr. is expected to be behind the camera. The film is produced by love.FRAME, Cieslar's Happy Celluloid and Bontonfilm Studios.

Production of the film Sugar Candy by director Pavel Jandourek, a family fairy tale aimed primarily at children aged 6 to 13, was supported with EUR 300,000. The film, produced by Bio Illusion and set in the early 20th century, will be an exciting retro adventure with comedy elements, partly set in a dentist's office.

Two films received the same grant of EUR 280,000: City of Fathers by Zdeněk Tyc and Cowgirl directed by Michal Blaško andwritten by Jakub Medvecký, who are also behind the successful festival film Victim. Cowgirl tells the story of young Barbara's summer in the contemporary Slovak countryside, where her encounter with injustice and lies forces her to grow up and strengthen her convictions. The project, produced by nutprodukce, builds on director's  two previous works with strong female protagonists, the TV series Suspicion and the feature film Victim.

City of Fathers by director Zdeněk Tyc (Like Never Before) and screenwriter Roman Vojkůvka, a story of a man searching for his biological father in the punk community, with original characters is set in the visually interesting environment of the industrial Czech city of Ostrava. The search for another person and for one's biological identity creates a framework for the search for oneself. With great authenticity and humor, the story shows the importance of the environment and the people who shape and raise us. Produced by Bratři production company.

The last film supported in this call is The Champion (Mistryně) by Bohdan Karásek (Karel, Me and You). It is a low-budget film shot on 16 mm film telling the story of a pregnant doctor who meets her ex-husband, whom she left because of his infertility. The film produced by Beginner's Mind received EUR 240,000 in funding.

Development and production support for animated films

In the combined call for support and development of animated film, the Council worked with a total budget of EUR 620,000, while the applicants' requests more than doubled this amount. The portfolio of projects once again demonstrated not only technological, but also formal and genre diversity. In addition to the thematic richness, there was a clear tendency for younger and younger generations of creators to enter the scene. Of the 17 applications received, two projects were funded for production and three for development. 

Krutart applied for production support of Kosmix: The Secret Mission by Vojtěch Dudek repeatedly. The feature film version of the internationally successful TV series Kosmix tells the story of Robot Kit and his great space adventure. The Council appreciated producer's intention to work with the world and characters he has built on other platforms besides the series and the film, as well as the sober demands on the Fund and decided to support the project with EUR 360,000.

The creative team of Filip Diviak and Noemi Valentíny, under the umbrella of MAUR film, applied for development support with their project Otis, an adventure story for children and the whole family, where there is no lack of action but it also carries a humanistic mission. An attractive artistic concept based on the current worldwide trends of 2D cartoon animation is combined with a sensitive approach to the subject matter. The project received EUR 56,000.

Ondřej Moravec of the production company Brain Gamify, whose previous successful interactive VR film Darkening was selected for the Venice International Film Festival, is the producer and co-director of A Fragile Home (Křehký domov). This new project also has great potential for an internationally successful, emotionally intense and socially relevant work. The Council appreciates the changes that have been made to the project – focusing on one main story, shortening the footage, moving from VR to mixed reality, and reducing the overall budget – and has decided to support its production with EUR 136,000.

Films & Chips' production Krupír, a short animated film for children by director Marek Čermák tells the story of Tonda the mole, an introverted collector, who meets the mysterious flying Emilia, a vampire bat who shows him the beauty of the dangerous world above ground. The Council appreciated the original characters with great potential to appeal to children, the metaphorical nature of their peculiarities and the imaginative treatment of the story, which includes the artistic design of a peculiar world partly based on the old Prague elements. The project received a development grant of EUR 28,000.

The company Tvorba Films of the author and director Slávek Horák (Havel,  Home Care) submited an application for support for the development of the animated family film Dinghy for the second time. The applicant, an established feature film director, has responded constructively to all of the Council's comments from the previous application, which were based primarily on his inexperience in the field of animation. The adventure story of a friendship between a boat and a family clearly communicates the important topical themes of overcoming fear and embracing otherness, conveys an educational message and has high international potential. The project's development was supported with EUR 40,000.