09-11-2023

FNE at Connecting Cottbus 2023: My World Upside Down

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    My World Upside Down by Daniel Rihák My World Upside Down by Daniel Rihák source: coco 2023

    COTTBUS: The Slovak/German coproduction My World Upside Down was pitched at the 25th edition of connecting cottbus, which ran 8 – 10 November 2023. The Slovak creative team led by director Daniel Rihák and producer Martina Sakova’s WHAT IF Films has teamed up with Berlin-based Projector 23, established by Sakova and Martin Kleinmichel.

    The coming-of-age comedy tells the story of 12-year-old Miško, who lives in a conservative village and looks up to his 18-year-old brother, and has a crush on his brother’s girlfriend. After he sees his brother kiss another boy, he begins asking questions which leads the village to think Miško is gay, and he is ostracised. Miško tries to convince his brother to become a priest, which results in an awkward coming out moment. The village turns against Miško’s brother, until Miško stands up for him.

    The team presented a trailer, which was warmly received by the connecting cottbus attendees with laughter and strong applause.

    The film was written by Jan Štiffel, Peter Gašparík, and Daniel Rihák, and will be directed by Rihák, who is also among the producers. The project has already won awards in Poland and Slovakia. It received development support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and has lined up Slovak distributor ITA Film.

    The shooting is planned for the summer of 2024.

    The producers are currently seeking a third minor coproduction partner, ideally from a Central European country, as well as sales agents and distributors.

    Production Information:

    Producer:
    WHAT IF Films (Slovakia)
    Daniel Rihák: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    Martina Sakova: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Coproducer:
    Projector23 (Germany)

    Credits:
    Director: Daniel Rihák
    Scriptwriters: Jan Štiffel, Peter Gašparík, Daniel Rihák
    Cast: Jakub Horansky, Viktoria Suplatova, Jakub Svec