EN / CZ
15. 5. 2025

THE ABYSS

Confronting a hateful ideology, existential anxiety, coping with the passing of loved ones, self-discovery journeys or life in the midst of war. All of these can bring about a period of turbulent life changes at the turn of childhood and adulthood, when one learns about oneself while facing the toughest life challenges of the outside world so far.

The Abyss film band was created by young people aged 15 to 19, who chose from films that have impressed the juries of the world's leading festivals (Berlinale, Clermont-Ferrand, Ottawa, as well as Oscar nominations, etc.). As a result, the series brings together the best contemporary films, both from the point of view of critics and audiences themselves.

If you are interested in films from our distribution, please contact our distribution coordinator.

The films can be individually combined with the films from Hidden World, What If? and Carousel of Emotions.

Total duration is 84 minutes.

The programme is recommended for audiences aged 15 and over and adults. Recommended for high schools.

 

Butterfly

For Artem, water is everything. At a young age, thanks to the support of his mother and friends, he was able to overcome the fear he felt towards it and he discovered his extraordinary swimming talent, which helped him become one of the best swimmers of his time and also helped him find the love of his life. But everything is torn apart by the Nazi occupation and racial hatred, which not only robs him of his career but also of those closest to him because of his Jewish heritage. For Artem, water becomes a source of strength to survive the war and cope with the trauma left behind.

The film won the Generation KPlus award for Best Short Film at the Berlinale 2024 and the André Martin Award for a French short film at the Annecy International Animation Festival 2024. 

 

Wander to Wonder

Mary, Billybud and Fumbleton are characters featured in the children's TV show "Wander to Wonder". After the death of the show's main creator, they are left alone in the studio where they continue to make increasingly strange episodes with their slowly disintegrating costumes and growing hunger. Frustration, madness and a pile of dead flies grow. An existential fairy tale that has won over 40 awards at prestigious film festivals or an Oscar nomination.

The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, won a BAFTA Film Award, two awards at the Palm Springs International ShortFest and a further 40 awards and 13 nominations.

 

Phoenix

Caring for the dying and their families is, at first glance, a bleak occupation. Workers in this field must soothe both the pain of the dying and the grief of their nearest and dearest as they struggle to come to terms with the passing of their loved ones. The documentary finds solace in the eternal symbols of birds, messengers of the unspoken, showing that even death can bring many sighs of relief. 

The film was shortlisted for the Magnesia Award 2024 for Best Student Film.  

 

Blood and Flowers

Once upon a time there was a Girl who had had enough of everything. So she decided to kill everyone she knew and set out with the spirit of her beloved dog on a spontaneous journey of self-discovery, during which she straddles the line between profound and humorous, dealing with her emotions as well as her persecutors and finding her inner strength.

The film won the Best Central European Short Film Award at the Elbe Dock 2024 International Film Festival and was nominated in the Short Waves 2024 International Short Film Festival. 

 

I Died in Irpin

The first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Fear and uncertainty about what will happen next. Escape from Kiev, which became the main target of Russian troops, to a boyfriend's parents in nearby Irpin. Fear of bombing makes the house a prison from whose suffocating grasp it's impossible to escape. The autobiographical film thus shows that behind all the numbers of evacuees, dead and wounded, there are actual human stories, each one completely changed by the war.

The film won the Best Animation Award at the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival 2025, the Grand Jury Prize for European Short Film at Premiers Plans d'Angers 2025, Best Script award at the Ottawa Animation International Film Festival 2024 and more.

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