In early-1990s Czech Republic, 13-year-old Karolína earns a place in a world-famous girls’ choir, joining her older sister and other driven young talents. Her voice soon catches the attention of the much-admired and enigmatic choirmaster Machá. Being singled out feels like a triumph, until she begins to understand the unsettling price of that privilege. Inspired by the Bambini di Praga case, the film explores the fragile line where innocence collides with abusive power.

Broken Voices is the new film by Czech director Ondřej Provazník, the world premiere of which is taking place in competition at the upcoming Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (4-12 July).

In the words of the director, who was also inspired by other cases, “In the Bambini case, the trial was particularly contentious, with former choir members providing conflicting testimonies. This peculiar fact was the driving force for my film. I then tried to create a fictional story that would, in a nuanced manner, illustrate the roots of these differing interpretations of the past. In such long-suppressed cases, society often doesn’t believe the victims. Even those close to them – friends and family – frequently question whether they’re telling the truth, if they recall everything correctly, or whether they themselves are blameless in the given situation. However, few people realise how complex the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator can be – the contradictory emotions they feel, how intense yet fragile their experience is. In the film, we try to bring this internal experience as close to the viewer as possible.“

Ondřej Provazník previously co-directed two successful feature documentaries, A Town Called Hermitage (2007) and Coal in the Soul (2010), with Martin Dušek, and in 2019, they released their feature-length fiction debut, Old-Timers [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Martin Dušek, Ondřej Prova…
scheda film], winner of the 2019 Czech Film Critics’ Awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor, and the Czech Lion Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, among other accolades.

The film was produced by Jiří Konečný for Endorfilm (Czech Republic) and Ivan Ostrochovský for Punkchart Films (Slovakia), in co-production with Czech Television - Česká televize, Innogy and Barrandov Studios. International sales are handled by France's Salaud Morisset.

Check out our exclusive poster below: