– The Swedish-Danish project Selamlik and the Ukrainian title Reminiscence have emerged among the main victors in the Czech festival’s industry platform
The team behind the project Selamlik, with their Eurimages Co-production Development Award (© Karlovy Vary Festival Film Servis)
This year’s KVIFF Promises, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s industry section and film market, showcased a line-up of 38 film and series projects and IPs, reaffirming the festival’s role as a key meeting point for Central European talent, co-production partners, festivals and potential audiences. The programme brought together the established Works in Development – Feature Launch & Focus Queer presentations, the fourth edition of KVIFF Talents (see the news), the second edition of the KVIFF Central Stage (see the news) showcase of established directors and Central European co-productions, and the newly launched Book-to-Screen at KVIFF pitching session, dedicated to literary works with adaptation potential.
“This region of Central Europe has the potential to be a true powerhouse of the audiovisual industry. With the festival’s industry activities, such as KVIFF Central Stage or Works in Development – Feature Launch, we hope to make the industry professionals more aware of the films being produced here, the talent behind them and the wide array of possible collaborations that can be started here,” said Hugo Rosák, Head of Industry Programmes (see the interview). He also underlined the importance of the Eurimages Co-production Development Award, worth €20,000, as “a great support to any producer facing the challenges of co-producing within Europe”, while welcoming the new Book-to-Screen initiative as a way for more stories from the region to resonate internationally.
The Eurimages Co-production Development Award was presented to Selamlik, directed by Jerry Carlsson, written by Khaled Alesmael and produced by Frida Mårtensson. The Sweden-Denmark project, described by the jury as “a love story that the war made impossible”, unfolds between past and present, and between countries lost and found. The jury praised the project’s resonance in today’s geopolitical context, especially in relation to displacement, and expressed the hope that the award would help place Selamlik at the heart of the European co-production scene.
A Special Eurimages Co-production Development Award, also worth €20,000, went to the Ukrainian project Reminiscence, directed and written by Anastasia Tykha and produced by Darya Bassel. The jury singled out the project, led by a female creative team, for its exploration of loss, grief and survival in contemporary Ukraine, as well as its desire to find a way to keep living amid war. The same project also received the Connecting Cottbus Award, which will allow it to pitch at the East-West co-production market during the Film Festival Cottbus. The Connecting Cottbus representatives praised its quiet and personal approach to the consequences of war, centred on a mother and daughter disconnected in their grief.
In the Works in Development – Feature Launch & Focus Queer programme, the MIDPOINT & KVIFF Development Award was granted to They Bloom at Dawn, a North Macedonian project directed and written by Angela Dimeska and produced by Ognen Antov. The jury unanimously backed the project, which explores human and family relationships against the backdrop of an environmental crisis, highlighting the connection between personal courage and collective responsibility.
The Rotterdam Lab Award went to Monika Matuszewska, producer of the Polish film Confirmation for Rozbrat Films. The prize secures her participation in the Rotterdam Lab professional training programme for producers, held during the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The jury noted her realistic, empathetic and in-depth knowledge of the field, and emphasised the programme’s potential to help her identify the next steps in her producing career.
The Marché du Film Producers Network Awards were handed to Tomáš Hrubý, producer of Cowgirl, and Eva Váchová, producer of A Few Branches Off. Both projects were presented as part of the KVIFF Central Stage showcase. The producers will take part in the Marché du Film and Producers Network during the next Cannes Film Festival.
The KVIFF Talents programme continued its mission of supporting emerging Czech and Slovak filmmakers and innovative audiovisual forms. From over 100 submissions, the festival’s curators selected six concepts across two sections. In the Feature Pool, development support of CZK 120,000 (approximately €5,000) was awarded to Exposed, directed by Klára Tasovská and produced by Lukáš Kokeš, Until We Leave, written by Lucia Čižinská and produced by Tereza Wiński, and Nera, written and directed by Ivana Vogrinc Vidali and produced by Dagmar Sedláčková. In the Creative Pool, CZK 50,000 (€2,000) in development support went to the stop-motion feature The Inhalatorium, the miniseries Burning Witches and the miniseries K-Dream.
Here is the full list of award winners:
Eurimages Co-production Development Award
Selamlik – Jerry Carlsson (Sweden/Denmark)
Scriptwriter: Khaled Alesmael
Production: Frida Mårtensson (Verket Produktion)
Eurimages Special Co-production Development Award
Reminiscence – Anastasia Tykha (Ukraine)
Production: Darya Bassel (Moon Man)
MIDPOINT & KVIFF Development Award
They Bloom at Dawn – Angela Dimeska (North Macedonia)
Production: Ognen Antov (Dream Factory Macedonia)
Connecting Cottbus Award
Reminiscence – Anastasia Tykha (Ukraine)
Rotterdam Lab Award
Confirmation – Maciej Jankowski
Production: Monika Matuszewska (Rozbrat Films, Poland)
Marché du Film Producers Network Award
Cowgirl – Michal Blaško (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Hungary)
Production: Jakub Viktorín, Tomáš Hrubý
A Few Branches Off – Tomáš Pavlíček (Czech Republic)
Production: Eva Váchová, Pavel Vácha
KVIFF Talents Feature Pool
Exposed – Klára Tasovská (Czech Republic)
Production: Lukáš Kokeš
Until We Leave – Lucia Čižinská (Czech Republic)
Production: Tereza Wiński (One Way Ticket Films)
Nera – Ivana Vogrinc Vidali (Czech Republic/Slovenia)
Production: Dagmar Sedláčková
KVIFF Talents Creative Pool
The Inhalatorium – Bára Anna Stejskalová (Czech Republic)
Production: Jakub Rálek (DIVIZE animace)
Burning Witches – Martina Babišová, Věra Starečková (Czech Republic)
Producer: Dagmar Sedláčková (Masterfilm)
K-Dream – Adam Sedlák, Adam Mišík (Czech Republic)
Producers: Monika Soukup, Linda Krejčí (Milk & Honey Film)
