The forum showcased 11 European projects in development and 10 projects in production or postproduction.
Projects from FNE Partner Countries in Development:
Beautiful Void (Latvia, Estonia)
Directed by Andris Gauja
Produced by Riverbed
Several very different characters: a pioneering physicist, an acclaimed minimalist composer, an intensive care doctor and a crematorium director, each in their own way find a strikingly similar answer to the cliché question: what is the universe made of? According to them, the ultimate source of reality is essentially empty space, which spontaneously manifests what we call matter in a magical display.
This experimental documentary is expected to premiere in 2024.
It’s Not Your Fault (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany)
Directed by Paula Ďurinová
Produced by GUČA
An essay on collective anxiety and the problems triggered by life in a fast and performance-oriented society. Through young Eliana, the director's alter ego, we follow the story of burnout, work retraining and healing of a human soul using radical forms of therapeutic strategies. Everyday life blends into the reality of dream spaces, “emotional incubators”, where the individual becomes collective.
The premiere is estimated for 11 November 2023.
Nistru. The Irreversible Flow of Life (Latvia, Republic of Moldova)
Directed by Iurie Tocmas
Produced by Baltic Balkan Productions
The river Nistru has been the unifying element of nations residing on its banks for thousands of years. Yet recently it has also become a border within a frozen conflict between Moldova and an unrecognised breakaway state, Transnistria. The future of an entire nation depends on whether the people residing on the riverbanks will learn to see how the state of the river reflects their lives.
One of Us (Romania)
Directed by Rachel Close
Produced by Manifest Film
Thirty years after having been adopted by a Canadian couple, Mihaela returns to Romania in search of her birth family. We come to learn that Mihaela's story is connected in some way to the filmmaker, Rachel. In this participatory documentary, psychological transference between subject and filmmaker is explored and utilised as a storytelling device. Where does one woman’s narrative end and the other’s begin? The line is not always clear.
The estimated date of premiere is 15 January 2024.
Youth (Portugal, Germany, France, Czech Republic)
Directed by Mariana Gaivão
Produced by Primeira Idade
Matias is a Portuguese teenager growing up in Lisbon, with no connection to the German nationality of his father. In the summer of his 16th birthday, Matias finds the memories of his grandfather Gerald, in the form of an old photo album titled Jugend (Youth). In one of the most striking photos, Gerald, then also 16, wears a Nazi uniform, and looks disturbingly like Matias.
The estimated date of premiere is 1 July 2023.
Projects from FNE Partner Countries in Production or Postproduction:
Guest Worker (Poland)
Directed by Matej Bobrik
Produced by Koi Studio
Nikesh is 13 years old and came to Poland with his parents, Shiv and Shushila, a few years ago in search of work and a better life. Nikesh is already building his life in Warsaw; here, he has friends and lives like a young European. His dad wants to raise his son as a Nepalese and does everything he can to provide for the family. As a result, Shiv’s life comes down to working several jobs and constant confrontations with his son. Shiv is torn between his wife, who cannot imagine growing old in Poland, and his son, who cannot imagine growing up in Nepal.
The estimated date or premiere is 11 November 2023.
Modern Flat (Lithuania)
Directed by Dainius Liškevičius
Produced by Just a moment
The story of the film is based on the artist’s home videos and documentary material covering a decade of his creative work. The author presents his apartment as a living space and the main character of the film. By engaging his entire family in the project, he creates a new micro-social model of his home, where they all act according to self-imposed rules. Events that take place are both casual and creative: the living space becomes a stage, routine becomes performance and the other way round, art projects become family entertainment.
The estimated date of premiere is 28 February 2022.
Taurophilia (Czech Republic, Slovakia)
Directed by Francesco Montagner
Produced by Analog Vision
Through rhythmic re-composition of fragmented images, semi-surreal situations are explored in a documentary style of observation of a man's obsession with a powerful animal, the black horned bull, and the Spanish process of taxidermy through which he attempts to embody its beauty and strength, turning it into a Minotaur.
The estimated date of the premiere for this experimental short film is 1 September 2022.
The Cabinet (Lithuania)
Directed by Živilė Mičiulytė
Produced by Film Jam
In Lithuania, two investigative journalists work segregated from others in an isolated office as if in a cabinet. This cabinet is the only location in the film. It seems that they are in the cabinet, like they are closed, separated from others, even from the other journalists. It’s a slow and minimalistic film. It’s not a film about one specific journalistic research; this film presents a monotonous and nervous atmosphere in this cabinet.
The estimated date of premiere is 1 December 2021.
Who Is Missing Today? (Czech Republic)
Directed by Květa Přibylová
Produced by Frame films
Lively situations, concentrated observations, authentic diaries from scientific expeditions, and animations create a distinctive long documentary about the fragile and vital links between man, birds, and the landscape. Through the renowned ornithologist Luboš Peške, we observe the changes in these links that affect the life and death of birds on the level of individuals, populations, and species.
The estimated date of premiere is 30 September 2023.
The first edition of the JI.HLAVA NEW VISIONS 2021 Forum was held 28-29 October 2021.
Click HERE to see all the projects.
