The first trailer for Franz, the highly anticipated biopic of Franz Kafka directed by Agnieszka Holland, was unveiled at the Karlovy Vary IFF on Monday 7 July. The exclusive event took place at the Thermal’s Cinema Hall A in the presence of the director, producer Šárka Cimbalová, executive producer Mike Downey, members of the cast and crew, and representatives from international sales agent Films Boutique.

A Czech-German-Polish co-production, Franz will be released theatrically in the Czech Republic by Bioscop on 25 September 2025. The picture stars German actor Idan Weiss as the iconic writer, alongside a cast that includes Jenovéfa Boková, Peter Kurth, Ivan Trojan, Katharina Stark, Josef Trojan, Sandra Korzeniak, Carol Schuler, Jan Budař, Emma Smetana and Sebastian Schwarz, among others.

Following the international success of Charlatan [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Agnieszka Holland
scheda film] (2020) and the Venice award-winner Green Border [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda film] (2023), Holland and Cimbalová reunite for a film that delves into the life and psyche of one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century. Executive producers include the aforementioned Downey, Kevan Van Thompson and Daniel Bergmann.

"The global value of the Kafka brand is incalculable and invaluable," said executive producer Mike Downey, who is also chair of the European Film Academy, calling the writer "one of the very few literary names to enter into common parlance".

"The Kafka industry is not simply related to Prague and the things that bear his name in a crass, commercial way. People pay for ‘the Kafka experience’. You can see a market penetration of the brand above and beyond many of the recent biopics we have seen, but we must admit that Kafka has maintained his global rock-star status for a century now, and it shows little sign of waning," he continued.

In keeping with its commitment to historical and linguistic authenticity, Franz has been shot in both Czech and German. "Agnieszka decided to make the film in such a way that we would faithfully capture Kafka’s personality, his work and the time in which he lived," added producer Cimbalová. "That’s why Franz Kafka is portrayed by a German actor, and the film speaks in the languages of his world."

Weiss, described by Holland as "a miracle that happens sometimes", was cast early on in the process. "He was the third actor I saw, and we all felt immediately that he was the one - not only because of his appearance, but also because he embodies so many qualities of today’s generation," Holland commented.

Franz is produced by Marlene Film Production with Germany’s X Filme Creative Pool and Poland’s Metro Films. The extensive list of co-producers and partners includes Barrandov Studios, Czech Television, Telewizja Polska, Canal+, NeoSynCon, Czech Anglo Productions, and support from Bac Films. Funding has come from Eurimages, the Czech Audiovisual Fund, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, ZDF/ARTE, DFFF and several regional Czech film offices.

The pic’s world sales are being managed by Films Boutique.

Check out the trailer for Franz below: