This ambitious young producer has already moved across the spectrum of film categories, with a list of credits and project that moves from shorts to documentaries to animation to feature films. Lately he's been showing up at pitching forums with an equally diverse group of films in various stages of production. At the recent Plzen Finale festival (www.filmfestfinale.cz) presentation of upcoming Czech films, hosted by the Czech Film Institute (www.filmcenter.cz) which also recommended Bercik for the Producer on the Move honor, Bercik introduced a pair of dramatic features. To the Sea, a family drama, won the RWE script award and has the backing of Barrandov studio (www.barrandov.com) and Czech TV (www.ceskatelevize.cz), along with its first foreign co-production partner Croatia's Studio Dim (www.dim.hr). Yuma, an arthouse thriller with a young adult protagonist, is a Polish/German/Czech co-production with partners Yeti Films (www.yetifilms.com) and Heimatfilm. His Evolution Films partner Ondrej Zima introduced a teen "anti-comedy," Part-timer.
Two weeks later, Bercik showed up at Anifilm festival's (home.anifilm.cz) presentation of upcoming animated films with Tales from the Gingerland, a feature-length film now in development. Perhaps not surprisingly, the new father is also producing a family film, Monsters and Detectives, employing CGI. And as if that's not enough, Bercik has two feature-length documentaries as well, including one about Czech beer as a lens to view society.
"All my features are co-productions - maybe the beer film, too," Bercik told FNE. "I'm open to doing international films that have a Czech connection."
A clear and simple vision guides his choices as a producer. "The motivation for doing films is, for me, as a viewer. I like the experience of seeing great films. I want for the viewer to come out of the cinema and be moved, to create emotions." Bercik plans to do that primarily with quality, commercially successful family films. "The Czech Republic has a big tradition in this field," he says.
Still, his productions are likely to continue to be a varied slate. "I believe in either small, low budget films with a strong idea, or big international coproductions with a potentially international story," he concludes.
Producing credits:
Frankie Is A Womanizer, feature, dir. Jan Prušinovský
The Baluty Ghetto, feature-length documentary, directed by Pavel Štingl, FITES Trilobit Award, 2008, Crossroads of Europe Lublin Award, Poland, Czech Lion nomination, 2009
A Tear Is Needed, animated short, dir. Kristina Dufková, Best Animated Film, 2009 AniFest Třeboň.
Contact information:
Evolution Films Ltd.
Senovážné námestí 10
110 00 Prague 1
Tel. +420- 222 240 770
Fax +420- 222 240 770
www.evolutionfilms.cz
