Pepik the Czech Goes to Poland In a Quest for Love of God
In the middle of Europe, two nations coexist side by side, close to one another in many ways and yet worlds apart. The Czechs are dedicated atheists, while the Poles are born as baptized Catholics. Czechs shake their heads in disbelief at Polish piety, while Poles hold Czechs in contempt for living without God. A Czech documentary crew sets out on a summertime pilgrimage across Poland in order to investigate through the camera the concrete situation regarding the notion of Czech atheism vs. Polish religion.
Love Exposed
The family of “TASCHEN photographer” Vlastimil Kula is living proof that modern society needs to address the transgenerational transmission of trauma. Modern psychology might classify Vlastimil’s father as a disconnected man, he was unable to instill in Vlastimil a sense of security and confidence. As a result, Vlastimil often failed as a father, husband, and partner.
His daughter, professional film editor, Blanka might as well have continued the transmission of trauma to her children. But she decided to take a different path. She has been successfully undergoing therapy for years.
In addition, she decided to make a film about her relationship with father, becoming the narrator and guide on her own therapeutic and film journey. Now, Blanka is returning with a professional film crew and is ready to confront her father about his absence during her childhood, adolescence, and adult life. Both protagonists thus enter a special meditative state similar to family therapy. In their meetings, both return to their childhoods and examine life from surprising perspectives.
The narration follows Blanka as she visits her father over the years 2020 - 2024. She goes trough dramatical ups and downs realising it’s always better to address deep problems rather than to push them aside, causing emotional injury to yourself or to transfer the trauma to next generation.
His daughter, professional film editor, Blanka might as well have continued the transmission of trauma to her children. But she decided to take a different path. She has been successfully undergoing therapy for years.
In addition, she decided to make a film about her relationship with father, becoming the narrator and guide on her own therapeutic and film journey. Now, Blanka is returning with a professional film crew and is ready to confront her father about his absence during her childhood, adolescence, and adult life. Both protagonists thus enter a special meditative state similar to family therapy. In their meetings, both return to their childhoods and examine life from surprising perspectives.
The narration follows Blanka as she visits her father over the years 2020 - 2024. She goes trough dramatical ups and downs realising it’s always better to address deep problems rather than to push them aside, causing emotional injury to yourself or to transfer the trauma to next generation.
I had a Dream about an Elephant
On the periphery of Europe, where the state remains a mere abstraction, a vacuum emerged. Within this void, Mikuláš Vareha was born – a man who understood that in times of social chaos, people do not long for freedom, but for certainty, however illusory. Vareha built an empire on multimillion-euro fraud and became the "King of Zemplín," worshipped by those forgotten by the world. The film captures him after 11 years in prison, like the hero of Ionesco’s absurd drama Exit the King. Despite a schizophrenic reality, ego refuses to surrender. He decides on a restart: planning to build a new kingdom amidst mud and rust.
Into this world enters Erik. Vareha was his childhood superhero, but only after returning from the "big world" of European metropolises, marked by anonymity and uncertainty, did he take a radical step. Erik leaves the West and moves to his idol’s estate as an apprentice. Much like Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, Vareha seeks to bring a symbol of grandeur to the impoverished region to prove he is still alive. Amidst preparations for this bizarre triumph, an unexpected twist occurs: Vareha dies suddenly while feeding chickens. The ship is sinking, the captain is dead, and Erik is left alone. In absolute silence, he watches the dream turn to dust. The film is a study of populism and the crisis of masculinity, showing how autocrats are born and why lost young men follow them.
Into this world enters Erik. Vareha was his childhood superhero, but only after returning from the "big world" of European metropolises, marked by anonymity and uncertainty, did he take a radical step. Erik leaves the West and moves to his idol’s estate as an apprentice. Much like Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, Vareha seeks to bring a symbol of grandeur to the impoverished region to prove he is still alive. Amidst preparations for this bizarre triumph, an unexpected twist occurs: Vareha dies suddenly while feeding chickens. The ship is sinking, the captain is dead, and Erik is left alone. In absolute silence, he watches the dream turn to dust. The film is a study of populism and the crisis of masculinity, showing how autocrats are born and why lost young men follow them.