Assel Aushakimova’s dark comedy about journalism in Kazakhstan “Bikechess” has won the Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s Works in Progress award, which runs as part of the festival’s industry section, Eastern Promises. The section is focused on feature film projects from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa.
The Kazakh film follows Dina, who works as a journalist for the national television station. The stories she is asked to report on are becoming increasingly absurd and full of praise for the government. Her love life is limited to a few secret meetings with her married cameraman. Dina looks after her young sister, a lesbian activist, who regularly finds herself in trouble with the authorities.
The jury said: “Pointing out through comedic eyes the absurdity to which the state can go to hide deeper issues, the jury truly appreciates the director’s fresh look at the ethics of journalism.”
The film is produced by Antoine Simkine at Les Films d’Antoine (France), alongside Alma Pictures (Kazakhstan) and Maipo Film (Norway).
The Works in Progress TRT Award went to “Tasty,” directed by Egle Vertelyte and produced by Lukas Trimonis at Lithuania’s In Script.
The Lithuanian film follows best friends Ona and Saule, who are passionate cooks, but are stuck working at Tasty, a local canteen. Saule enrols them in a national TV cooking competition, and lies about their culinary experience. Despite being viewed as a joke, their popularity skyrockets on social media. As Ona becomes the audience’s favourite, tension between the friends escalate.
The jury said they awarded the filmmaker “for conveying in a culinary comedy a critical approach to today’s world, which praises the exaggerated packaging in daily life and social media, and presenting true friendship as the most delicious dish.”
The Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award went to Czech documentary “I’m Not Everything I Want to Be,” directed by Klára Tasovská, and produced by Tasovská and Lukáš Kokeš.
The film is set following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and centers on a young photographer. She strives to break free from the constraints of Soviet authoritarian rule, and embarks on a wild journey toward freedom, capturing her experiences through her photography.
The jury said it “finds this project about personal freedom exciting, since all the story elements from the past resonate today and can definitely inspire everyone.”
The film is being produced by Somatic Films (Czech Republic), Nutprodukcia (Slovakia) and Mischief Films (Austria).
The Works in Progress jury was composed of Esra Demirkiran, festival coordinator at TRT Sinema, Petr Tichý, CEO and chairman at Barrandov Studio, Oscar Alonso, festival manager at Latido Films, Nadia Ben Rachid, film editor, and Agustina Chiarino, a producer from Bocacha Films.
The Works in Development Award went to “Flight From Kabul,” directed and written by Sahraa Karimi, and produced by Slovakia’s Wanda Adamík Hrycová of Wandal Production.
The film is described by the director as “a cinematic testimony to the collapse of Afghan women’s dreams and the erosion of democratic values by the resurgence of the Taliban.”
Based on Karimi’s own experiences, the film centers on Zibaa, an Afghan filmmaker and head of the National Film Fund, who recently got engaged to Samir, the love of her life. Her wedding plans are destroyed when the Taliban seizes Kabul, and Zibaa finds herself facing a life-changing decision. As a well-known anti-Taliban activist and a government employee, Zibaa’s life is at risk. While Samir suggests escaping to the conservative, male dominated south for safety, Zibaa’s sister-in-law begs her to leave the country and take her daughters with her. Caught between her love for Samir and her nieces’ future, Zibaa has only one hour to make a decision.
The jury commended the project for its “bold vision, political audaciousness and enterprising storytelling,” adding it was a project that “explores a people and place seldom seen on screen; ones that have been let down by Western politicians who stood idle as the powers of darkness ventured to ravage it in front of the apathetic, complacent eyes of the world.”
The Works in Development Award jury was composed of Danijel Hočevar, producer at Vertigo, and a mentor at MIDPOINT Feature Launch, Joseph Fahim, film critic, programmer and lecturer, and Simone Baumann, head of German Films.
The Connecting Cottbus Award went to Cyprus’ “Excavators,” directed and written by Argyro Nicolaou, and produced by Constantinos Nikiforou and Minos Papas.
The Rotterdam Lab Award went to Tomáš Pertold, producer of Czech project “God Break Down the Door.”
The TRT First Cut+ Award went to “Allen Sunshine” (Canada, U.S.), directed by Harley Chamandy and produced by Chantal Chamandy.
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