When a 23-year-old summer-camp counsellor crosses a boundary with a 14-year-old boy, a fleeting encounter triggers a destructive struggle for power in Around the Fire, Czech filmmaker Michal Hogenauer’s third feature, which Marek Novák is producing for Xova Film. A graduate of FAMU, Hogenauer first attracted international attention when his graduation film, Tambylles, was selected for Cannes’ Cinéfondation in 2012. His feature debut, A Certain Kind of Silence, premiered in Karlovy Vary’s East of the West Competition in 2019, received five nominations for the Czech Lion Film Awards, including for Best Film and Best Director, and subsequently won the Bronze Pyramid at the Cairo International Film Festival. His sophomore feature, Calm in the Canopy, world-premiered at the Pingyao International Film Festival in 2023. According to Novák, Around the Fire, presented at KVIFF Central Stage in 2025 (see the report), is a long-gestating passion project that Hogenauer originally hoped to make as his debut, drawing on more than two decades of personal experience as both a participant and a leader at summer camps.

The young-adult drama centres on 23-year-old Tereza (Darija Pavlovičová), a first-time head counsellor at a summer camp deep in the forest, whose decision to admit 14-year-old Jonáš (Alan Gajdoš) despite his name not appearing on the registration list sets a dangerous emotional dynamic in motion. When the pair cross a boundary, their intimacy develops into a struggle involving manipulation and shifting power, with irreversible consequences for the camp community.

Hogenauer told Cineuropa that the film talks about the emotional and psychological complexities of the situation, rather than setting out to provoke: “It is about growing up, power dynamics and transgressive behaviour.” The writer-director describes the camp as “a universe of its own”, where young people undergo unusually intense and formative experiences, and says the film will combine a warm summer atmosphere, intimacy and romance with an exploration of the darker emotions of adolescence. Hogenauer revealed that Charlotte Le Bon’s Falcon Lake and Queen of Hearts by May el-Toukhy are among the film’s tonal and thematic references.

Principal photography is scheduled to last until the end of September, with 23 shooting days at a functioning summer-camp site in the Ústí nad Labem region and additional locations in the Pilsen region. The crew includes cinematographer Tomáš Šťastný, whose credits include March to May by Martin Pavol Repka, and Swedish editor Amalie Westerlin Tjellesen, who co-edited Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure.

Despite the absence of a Swedish co-producer, Novák says Tjellesen was deliberately brought on board based on her previous work, offering a specific cultural and thematic perspective. Casting is handled by Maja Hamplová, while intimacy coordinator Amy Huck and a specialist psychologist are being involved throughout preparation, shooting and follow-up to ensure a safe process for the young cast. Editing will continue until February 2027, with completion expected in March. The producer is currently open to discussions with international sales agents, festival representatives and VoD partners, and is targeting a festival premiere in spring or summer 2027.

Around the Fire is being produced by Czech production company Xova Film and co-produced by Czech Television. The movie has received backing from the Czech Audiovisual Fund, Creative Europe – MEDIA and the Pilsen region. CinemArt has already acquired Czech and Slovak theatrical distribution rights and is planning an autumn 2027 release.