The film tells the story of three children who spend the night at their grandfather’s house for the first time since the passing of their grandmother, a master storyteller. Unable to fall asleep without a bedtime story, the children decide to make up their own stories and embark on a journey that shows them that storytelling can help them cope with life’s challenges and offer solace through imagination.
Tales from the Magic Garden is a co-production with an equal creative contribution from four countries, represented by the production companies Maurfilm (Czech Republic), Artichoke (Slovakia), ZVVIKS (Slovenia), and Vivement Lundi ! (France), led by an experienced team of animation producers Martin Vandas, Alena Vandasová, Juraj Krasnohorsky, Henrieta Cvangová, Kolja Saksida, Jean-François
Le Corre and Mathieu Courtois. The CEE Animation network played a key role in the meeting and long-term relationship between the producers, whose collaboration now extends to numerous films and future projects.
Alena Vandasová, producer at Maurfilm, shared: “It has been a fantastic, friendly collaboration that lasted an incredible ten years, requiring patience from all the collaborators, funding bodies, and numerous other partners. The world premiere at Berlinale is a great reward and satisfaction for all of us.”
Kolja Saksida, producer at ZVVIKS, highlighted the significance of this project: “I am truly honored
to share that after years of collaboration with our wonderful partners, this film marks a groundbreaking achievement. It is the first feature-length animated film for children with a Slovenian producer and director, where all production partners share equal involvement - an approach that is rare in the industry.”
The four creative teams worked together under the direction of the four directors David Súkup (Czech Republic), Patrik Pašš (Slovakia), Leon Vidmar (Slovenia) and Jean-Claude Rozec (France).
The screenplay was written by Jerneja Kaja Balog and Maja Križnik, Blandine Jet, Patrik Pašš, Marek Král and Petr Krajíček. The artistic design of the stop-motion film was created by Patricia Ortiz Martínez and Jean-Claude Rozec.
“Children's programming often avoid the topic of death for fear of evoking negative emotions, leaving children who experience a loss feeling isolated, as if no one acknowledges what has happened,” explains director Jean-Claude Rozec and continues: “Despite the creative and financial risks,
the producers decided to approach this sensitive topic in a careful and thoughtful way, and that's why this film is so important to me.”
Slovenian director Leon Vidmar adds: “Film is always a collaborative art form based on the collective vision and effort of many. But this project was a true team effort where each individual gave their best, and I believe together we created something greater than the sum of its parts.”
Lucia Chuťková, the film music composer from Slovakia, comments on the challenges of this unique collaboration: “I tried to create a unified, harmonious universe that connects four stories with their own characters and the vision of four directors who have their own aesthetic perception. This was challenging for me on the one hand, but also very inspiring, and musically, it brought a rich instrumental diversity that fuses the film into a seamless narrative.”
The film will be showcased as part of the Generation Kplus Competition, a section of the festival dedicated to films that resonate with younger audiences. Following its world premiere at Berlinale
on February 16th, Tales from the Magic Garden will be presented in a sneak preview at Cartoon Movie in March 2025, further solidifying its status as one of the year’s most anticipated animated stop-motion features.
The film was co-produced by Czech Television, Slovak Television and Radio - STVR, RTV Slovenija, Pictanovo with the support of Région Hauts-de-France, studio Personne n’est parfait ! and financially supported by Eurimages, Creative Europe - MEDIA, Czech Film Fund, Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Slovenian Film Centre, Film studio Viba film Ljubljana, Région Bretagne / Bretagne Cinéma, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, TVR Tempo - Rennes Métropole, Gebeka Films, Tébéo, TébéSud, France Télévisions – France 3 Bretagne and NuFrame.
ABOUT THE FILM
Synopsis
Three kids spend the night at their grandpa’s house. To fill the silence after losing their grandma, the family’s storyteller, they create their own stories and discover the power of imagination. This uplifting stop-motion film celebrates creativity and its healing magic.
FILM CREDITS
Directors
David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, Jean-Claude Rozec
Based on a book by
Arnošt Goldflam
Script Writers
Marek Král, Petr Krajíček, Patrik Pašš, Jerneja Kaja Balog, Maja Križnik, Blandine Jet
Art designers
Patricia Ortiz Martinez, Jean-Claude Rozec
Music
Lucia Chuťková
Sound
Miroslav Červená Chaloupka
Editor
Adéla Špaljová
Producers
Maurfilm (Martin Vandas, Alena Vandasová CZ), Artichoke (Juraj Krasnohorský, Henrieta Cvangová SK), ZVVIKS (Kolja Saksida, SI), Vivement Lundi ! (Jean-Francois Le Corre, Mathieu Courtois FR)
In coproduction with
Czech TV, Slovak Television and Radio - STVR, RTV Slovenija, Pictanovo with the support of Région Hauts-de-France, Personne n’est parfait !
With the support of
Eurimages, Creative Europe - MEDIA, Czech Film Fund, Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Slovenian Film Centre, Film studio Viba film Ljubljana, Région Bretagne / Bretagne Cinéma, in partnership with the CNC.
With the participation of
Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, TVR supported by Rennes Métropole (Tempo), France Télévisions – France 3 Bretagne, Gebeka Films and NuFrame.
The project also received the Eurimages Co-production Development Award at Cartoon Movie 2019 and the main award at the CEE Animation Forum.
