Fatima and the Secret Treasure, presented by director Bartek Kik, is in development for completion in September 2020. The 4.5 M EUR films is scripted by Philip LaZebnik, whose past credits include Mulan, Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt. The film is produced by the experienced Polish production company Platige Image and co-directed by Damian Nenow. The film will be a “faith based adventure movie for the whole family” with a story related to the miracle of Fatima in Portugal and the struggle between good and evil for the soul of a 12-year-old girl, whose mother has died. Bartek Kik told FNE that the production originally had a Portugese company attached. The project received development funding from the Polish Film Institute and is seeking coproduction partners and financing.

Schlemiel is a production from Studio Miniatur Filmowych, one of Poland’s oldest animation film studios. The 4.5 M EUR film will be produced by Wlodzimierz Matuszewski, with no director attached as yet. The story about a girl and a dog is set at the beginning of WWII in Warsaw, when the two are separated by the Jewish ghetto wall. The story is told from the perspective of the dog, who enjoins his buddies to devise a plan to free the girl. The project has already gained the support of the Polish Film Institute, Creative Europe MEDIA, TV broadcaster Kino Polska, distributor Filmograf and EAVE. The film is designed for a family audience, particularly children ages 6 – 9.  

The Visegrad Animation Forum concludes its three day programme on 3 May.