The assortment of films in progress at this year's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival industry sidebar Works in Progress at KVIFF Eastern Promises (read the news) presented a multi-cultural panorama of stories, notably diverse in geographical settings and thematic concerns, collectively gravitating towards common subjects of personal struggle, resilience, and the search for identity amidst socio-political turmoil.

Below is a selection of the presented projects:

Distances [+leggi anche:
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Distances is a drama exploring the experiences of a Nepalese family who immigrated to Poland in pursuit of a better life. The documentary focuses on the family members — Shiv, Shushila, and their son Nikesh — each dealing with their unique challenges and cultural shifts. Shiv works incessantly as an Uber driver; Shushila remains mentally rooted in her homeland, communicating almost solely with her Nepalese family; while their teenage son Nikesh grapples with peer acceptance. The film aims to depict the often unseen cost of immigration, painting a poignant picture of the sacrifices endured in the pursuit of a better life in Europe. The film is written and directed by Slovak-born Poland-based filmmaker Matej Bobrík, an alumnus of the Polish National Film School in Lodz and Wajda School. It is produced by Koi Studio’s Agnieszka Skalska, a 2021 Emerging Producer who has worked on critically acclaimed films such as Aniela Gabryel’s Radical Move — winner of the Best Documentary Producer Award at Krakow FF 2023 — and Silent Love [+leggi anche:
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Yalla, Baba! - Angie Obeid (Lebanon/Belgium/Netherlands)
Yalla, Baba! is a heartfelt documentary road movie charting a journey of rediscovery from Brussels to Beirut, retracing a trip taken by director Angie Obeid's father, Mansour, 42 years earlier. Over the 4,000 km journey, the world has dramatically changed; countries have vanished and others emerged, borders have shifted, dictatorships have risen and fallen, and wars have kindled and extinguished. However, more than a geographical journey, this is also an emotional voyage exploring an evolving father-daughter relationship beyond traditional family norms. Beirut-born Obeid debuted with documentary I Used to Sleep on the Rooftop (2017) and received a special mention for the film at FIDMarseille. The project is produced by Bart Van Langendonck of Savage Film, who have worked on films including Michaël R. Roskam's Bullhead [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Bart Van Langendonck
intervista: Michaël R. Roskam
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Tasty - Egle Vertelyte (Lithuania/Estonia)
Tasty is a comedic exploration of the culinary world, centred on a national TV cooking competition. Ona, a single mother, and Saulė, an enthusiastic country girl, find themselves embroiled in a high-stakes contest offering a restaurant as the grand prize. Ona reluctantly goes along with Saulė's ambitious fibs about their culinary experience, propelling them into unexpected fame as the underdogs of the competition. The film seeks to examine the creation of value and the necessity of pretence in our contemporary society and to expose the false realities often constructed by television, focusing on two close female friends trying to find their own worth amid the spectacle. The film is directed by Egle Vertelyte, a Vilnius-based screenwriter and director who co-wrote the script with Irena Kuneviciute. Vertelyte’s first feature film, Miracle [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Eglė Vertelytė
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intervista: Juris Kursietis
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I'm Not Everything I Want To Be [+leggi anche:
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I'm Not Everything I Want To Be is a docu-essay that explores the life of a young female photographer amid the Soviet invasion of Prague. Striving to break free from the constraints of Czechoslovak normalisation, she embarks on a liberating journey, expressing her experiences through a collage of her photographs (more than 10,000 pictures). The film is directed by Czech documentarian filmmaker Klára Tasovská, who has garnered international attention with her works, including her mid-length documentary essay Midnight and her feature-length debut Fortress [+leggi anche:
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