The 2025 edition of KVIFF Eastern Promises introduced KVIFF Central Stage (see the news), a brand-new initiative spotlighting the third and subsequent fiction features by established filmmakers from Central Europe. Curated in collaboration with national film agencies, the showcase highlighted 14 projects from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine, all in late-development, production or post-production, and seeking international co-production, sales, distribution or finishing partners. This highly curated slate bridges arthouse sensibility and broader audience appeal. Projects ranged from Voracious by Jagoda Szelc, a visceral ecological and emotional reckoning, and Democracy Work in Progress by Mihály Schwechtje, a politically charged black comedy, to Hijamat by Nader Saeivar, a Berlin-set family drama exploring identity and repression. Also presented were Piotr Adamski’s Starska, a character-driven drama exploring creative isolation and artistic ego; Andreas Horvath’s The Lime Works, an adaptation of Thomas Bernhard’s novel about obsessive control and collapse; László Csuja’s Some Good News, a magical-realist satire of collective delusion in Transylvania; Marko Škop’s Láska (see the news); and Masaryk: The Coup by Július Ševčík, a political thriller revisiting a national trauma on the brink of the Cold War.

Below is more detailed information on a selection of the presented projects:

Democracy Work in Progress – Mihály Schwechtje (Hungary/Czech Republic/Germany)
In this darkly comic political satire, Hungarian filmmaker Mihály Schwechtje (Hope You’ll Die Next Time [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film]) crafts a genre-blending mystery where an anti-corruption activist vanishes on the very day she uncovers a major scandal, having last been seen heading to a driving test. As absurdity and unrest ripple through society, the story dissects post-socialist disillusionment and the fragile foundations of democracy. Produced by Kino Alfa (Hungary), Xova Film (Czech Republic) and Plotless Film (Germany), the 110-minute feature is in late development and is currently seeking final financing. With a sales company already attached, the team is targeting international co-producers and broadcasters, targeting a release in February 2027.

Vacuum by Yelizaveta Smith

Vacuum – Yelizaveta Smith (Ukraine/Germany)
In Vacuum, Ukrainian director Yelizaveta Smith (Militantropos [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Go…
fiche film]) returns with a visually experimental drama set in twilight-drenched Odesa. A young archaeologist arrives to sell her missing father's apartment but finds herself drawn into a quiet confrontation with absence, memory and inherited grief. Inspired by personal experience, the film meditates on identity and the traces of those who vanish – especially in a country where memory itself is under siege. With co-producers already secured in Austria and Germany, the 90-minute film is in late-stage development and is ready to shoot, seeking an additional co-producer, sales agent and post-production partners. The film is being produced by Eugene Rachkovsky (TABOR). The release is planned for January 2027.

Voracious by Jagoda Szelc

Voracious – Jagoda Szelc (Poland)
Berlinale alumna Jagoda Szelc (Tower. A Bright Day [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Jagoda Szelc
fiche film]) adapts a poetic novel by Małgorzata Lebda into a visceral, eco-spiritual family drama set in the remote Spiš and Beskydy regions. Voracious follows Mauł, who returns to her ancestral village to care for her dying grandmother, confronting bodily memory, intergenerational grief, and the raw rhythms of nature and death. Produced by Joanna Szymańska (Shipsboy), the 120-minute drama is in development with a €1.9 million budget. The team is seeking co-producers from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, broadcasters, sales agents and post-production partners, with filming planned across four seasons. The target release date is May 2027.

Making-of – Ivan Tymchenko (Ukraine/Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Set during the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, this darkly humorous psychodrama follows a debut filmmaker and his crew, whose crime-based fiction begins to unravel under real-world scrutiny. Blending meta-narrative tension and absurdity in the vein of The Big Lebowski, Making-of probes the blurred boundaries between creation and consequence. Currently in development with a first draft completed, the project is seeking financing, additional co-producers and festival partnerships for on-location shooting. The film is being produced by Svitlana Solovjova (SvitloforFilm, Ukraine) and Alžběta Janáčková (Silk Films, Czech Republic).

Around the Fire by Michal Hogenauer (© Todd Baxter)

Around the Fire – Michal Hogenauer (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Netherlands)
Set within the emotionally charged world of a summer camp, Around the Fire follows 23-year-old leader Tereza, whose boundary-crossing relationship with a teenage boy spirals into a confrontation with toxic masculinity and responsibility. Drawing on the director’s personal experience, this intimate psychological drama explores blurred power dynamics and irreversible choices through a lens of empathy. In advanced development with support from Creative Europe – MEDIA and regional funds, the project is seeking minority co-producers, and a 2027 release is planned. The film is being produced by Marek Novák (Xova Film, Czech Republic).

The Happiest Day by Sonja Prosenc

The Happiest Day – Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia/Norway/Italy)
In this poetic borderland thriller from acclaimed Slovenian director Sonja Prosenc (History of Love [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Sonja Prosenc
fiche film]), three women, a fugitive, a reluctant bride and a flamboyant tourist, move through parallel storylines across Italy and Slovenia. Unaware of each other, they converge on a remote beach where a single day and night alter everything. Told as a mosaic-like triptych, The Happiest Day blends stripped-down thriller tension with lyrical visuals and touches of absurdity to explore instinct, fear and accidental female solidarity. Backed by partners in Slovenia, Norway and Italy, the 105-minute feature is in early development with 60% of its financing secured, and is currently seeking sales agents, distributors and a lead EU or US actress.  The film is being produced by Rok Sečen (Monoo, Slovenia).