Czech-Polish debut Journey to Rome to open the East of the West competition of the 50th KVIFF

Cesta do Říma / Journey to Rome / Cesta do Říma
Director: Tomasz Mielnik
Czech Republic, Poland, 2015, 100 min, World premiere

There are as many stories in the world as there are people, and Vašek, a timid guard at a gallery who becomes a reluctant painting thief, hears plenty of them on his train trip to Rome. This multilevel comedy road movie (on a train) and quest for the meaning of life is director Tomasz Mielnik’s feature debut.

A szerdai gyerek / The Wednesday Child / Středeční dítě
Director: Lili Horváth
Hungary, Germany, 2015, 94 min, World premiere

History sometimes repeats itself. As a nine-year-old, Maja was abandoned by her mother and placed in an orphanage. Now it’s ten years later and she keeps returning to the institution, now to visit her four-year-old son. Will she be able to take control of her life despite the unfavorable circumstances and her own self-destructive tendencies?

Chemia / Chemo / Chemo
Director: Bartek Prokopowicz
Poland, 2015, 105 min, World premiere

After a nontraditional romance blossoms between Benek and Lena, a young couple immersed in questions of life and death, they decide to defy the natural order by having a baby. A mournful yet lightly-rendered tale about the search for identity, finding love, and the battle against a fatal illness that is nearly impossible to win.

KROM / CHROMIUM / CHROM
Director: Bujar Alimani
Albania, Kosovo, Germany, Greece, 2015, 78 min, World premiere

While a mute and lonely mother lives a life that is far from easy, she nevertheless bares her lot with dignity and courage. Her 15-year-old son is trying to stand on his own two feet, but in so doing he only complicates the grim situation in the family. This sensitive coming-of-age picture is the second feature from Albanian director Bujar Alimani.

Lumea e a mea / The World Is Mine / Svět patří mně
Director: Nicolae Constantin Tanase
Romania, 2015, 104 min, International premiere

Sixteen-year-old Larisa lives in a small coastal town in a social environment where image and money afford power over others. With courage and a dogged determination that commands and intimidates, Larisa attempts to attain just such a “dream.” Talented Romanian first-timer Nicolae Tanase captures the most intense period of a person’s life with skill and disarming authenticity.

Między nami dobrze jest / No Matter How Hard We Tried / Mezi námi dobrý
Director: Grzegorz Jarzyna
Poland, 2014, 70 min, International premiere

The Mother, the Daughter, the Grandmother, and other archetypal characters gradually come together in a room where they talk incessantly. Their monologues rarely cross over into dialogue but taken together they create an absurdly humorous and satirical look at contemporary Poland, which in their opinion isn’t (and perhaps never was) a nice place to live. The movie is an adaptation of Dorota Masłowska’s successful theater play.

Prach / Dust of the Ground / Prach
Director: Vít Zapletal
Czech Republic, 2014, 95 min, World premiere

Two brothers, the elder married, the younger with a lover and a young child meet up at their parents' country place after the father has a stroke. A subtle family drama from debut director Vít Zapletal that distinguishes itself from the usual Czech production through its unaffected accent on the Christian faith.

Sarmaşık / Ivy / Břečťan
Director: Tolga Karaçelik
Turkey, Germany, 2015, 104 min, European premiere

A cargo ship suddenly anchors out at sea. It is prohibited from entering the port, so the crew is left to wait things out in a claustrophobic environment with dwindling food supplies. A Turkish psychological thriller on what becomes of the principles of power, authority and hierarchy the moment the traditional social order breaks down.

Sutak / Heavenly Nomadic / Nebeští nomádi
Director: Mirlan Abdykalykov
Kirghizia, 2015, 81 min, World premiere

There are still places in the world where people live in harmony with nature and the mythology which comes out of it. A family of nomads dwelling high in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan find contentment without the conquests of modern civilization. This poetic sketch about traditions that are slowly disappearing was based on a screenplay by renowned director Aktan Arym Kubat.

Tetarti 4:45 / Wednesday 4:45 / Středa 4:45
Director: Alexis Alexiou
Greece, Germany, 2015, 116 min, European premiere

Thanks to the efforts of owner Stelios, musicians love his small jazz club in the heart of Athens and the place seems to be prospering. But an early demise threatens this island of quality music, and Stelios has a mere 32 hours to save his beloved nightclub – and himself. The movie’s tough generic shell (crime thriller) masks a bitter treatise on the Greek economic crisis.

Ti mene nosiš / You Carry Me / Ty mě nosíš
Director: Ivona Juka
Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, 2015, 155 min, World premiere

Ives, Nataša, Vedran, and his wife. Four people, four different destinies that cross during the filming of a soap opera entitled “Prisoners of Happiness.” Ivona Juka’s feature debut offers a colorful portrait of four strong personalities whose desire for satisfaction bumps up against seemingly insurmountable day-to-day problems.

Zero / Zero / Zero
Director: Gyula Nemes
Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, 2015, 83 min, World premiere

It's 2017. Bees are dying out and, in the words of Albert Einstein; humanity has only four more years left. Young radical ecologists set out to wage a ruthless battle for their survival. A formally inventive and thoroughly nonconformist vision of the fight against globalization.