KVIFF Unveils 11 Central European Films, Launches
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- KVIFF Central Stage unveiled 11 upcoming films from established Central European filmmakers, to be showcased through interactive conversations on the Film Industry Main Stage on July 6, replacing traditional pitch formats.
- Hugo Rosák, head of KVIFF Film Industry Programs, said the format directly addresses a gap where mid-career Central European filmmakers have fewer opportunities for visibility and financing than emerging ones, with Switzerland joining as a new partner this year.
- Book-to-Screen at KVIFF, a new collaboration with the Frankfurt Book Fair, Moravian Library and Book World, received more than 70 submissions from 14 countries and selected 8 literary works spanning historical epics, folk horror, children's stories and dystopian satire.
- Ukraine will present two co-productions: Antonio Lukich's "Screaming Girl" (whose "My Thoughts Are Silent" won KVIFF's East of the West Special Jury Prize in 2019) and Marysia Nikitiuk's "Noah," whose co-directed documentary "Traces" won the Berlinale Panorama Audience Award this year.
- The most promising films in development will be eligible for the €20,000 Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, and qualifying projects gain post-production access through partnerships with UPP and Soundsquare plus a 15% discount via the Czech Audiovisual Fund's 35% digital production incentive.
- KVIFF Promises will present 38 projects total across five programs: 11 Central Stage features, 9 Works in Development – Feature Launch treatments, 4 Focus Queer treatments, 6 KVIFF Talents projects and the 8 Book-to-Screen literary IPs.
Why it matters: The €20,000 Eurimages Co-Production Development Award and new post-production incentives give mid-career Central European filmmakers — who Rosák says are systematically underserved relative to emerging talent — a concrete financing pathway they previously lacked. The Book-to-Screen launch, supported by the PPF Foundation, creates the region's first systematic market for literary adaptation rights, with 70 submissions from 14 countries signaling pent-up demand.
