16-12-2024

Jan Saska’s Animated Short Hurikán to Compete at Sundance

    Hurikán by Jan Saska Hurikán by Jan Saska credit: Maur Film

    The short film Hurikán, directed by Jan Saska, which tells a romance set in the streets of one peculiar Prague's district, has been selected for the Sundance Film Festival, which will take place from January 23 to February 2, 2025. Hurikán was selected for the Animated Short Film competition from 11,153 submissions from around the world.

    "The Sundance selection is an honor. I am glad for every A-list festival that gives space to animated films along with live-action films and it is great that Hurikán is one of them at Sundance," says director Jan Saska.

    Hurikán brings a thrilling story of the main character's dilemma between love and beer. The film with elements of comedy and romance is firmly rooted in the urban atmosphere of Prague's Žižkov district. Saska's 2D hand-drawn animation combines the influence of film noir and American action style with a strong inspiration from the Japanese school of animation. The film had its world premiere at the Annecy Festival, where it won the Audience Award, launching a successful festival run with over 50 screenings at leading festivals worldwide.

    The selection of Hurikán at Sundance is a great recognition for us, and I am very proud that we can once again showcase Czech animation on the international stage,” said producer Kamila Dohnalová from Maurfilm. “This project came to life thanks to collaboration with excellent production teams from the Czech Republic (Last Films, Maurfilm), France (Laïdak Films), Slovakia (Artichoke), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (AEON Production), and I am immensely grateful for the support we received from our partners.

    Czech production company Maurfilm is returning to Sundance after five years. In 2020, Daria Kashcheeva’s puppet film Daughter won the Jury Award, accompanied by another Czech animated representative, SH_T HAPPENS (directed by Michaela Mihályi and David Štumpf). Nine years ago, Kamila Dohnalová presented Ondřej Hudeček's film Peacock at the festival, which won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Best Direction.

    Maurfilm, the leading Czech production studio, has recently celebrated remarkable success with 5 films featured at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival: Weeds, Hello Summer, Hurikán, and I Died in Irpin, as well as Joko. This year, Maurfilm released 7 short films, all of which have received an excellent festival selection. Weeds has been screened at several renowned festivals, including Festival de Cannes, Hiroshima Animation Season, Ottawa AIFF, and Fantoche IAFF. Hello Summer has resonated with children, winning the Young Audience Award at Annecy. I Died in Irpin has garnered numerous accolades, including the Grand Prize at Bucheon IFFF, the Best Film Award at the Linoleum Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival, and a winner at Manchester AF. Joko has earned almost 30 awards worldwide, including recognitions at PÖFF Shorts, Manchester AF, Animateka, and Bogota SFF. Through these multiple award wins, I Died in Irpin, and Joko are now eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.

    About film HURIKÁN

    Logline: A deep-fried romance from Prague.

    Synopse: Hurikán rushes to save his favourite beer stand from closure by fetching a new keg to impress the bartender he crushes on. In a wild Prague district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own thirst.

    Directed & edited by                                           Jan Saska
    Written by                                                             Jan Saska & Václav Hašek
    Script editor                                                         Vojtěch Kiss
    Assistant director & Head of animation          Marek Pokorný
    Sound Designer                                                  Jiří Gráf

    Producers                                                            Kamila Dohnalová (Last Films, Maurfilm, CZ)
                                                                                   Martin Vandas (Maurfilm, CZ)

    Coproducers                                                       Antoine Liétout, Ivan Zuber (Laïdak Films, FR)
                                                                                   Juraj Krasnohorský (Artichoke, SK)
                                                                                   Mladen Đukić (AEON Production, BiH)

    Animation technique                                          2D hand drawn animation
    Length                                                                  13:07 minutes

    Teaser 

     

    Financially supported by Czech Film Fund (CZ), Prague Audiovisual Fund (CZ), Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (FR), Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine in partnership with the CNC (FR), Magelis, with the support of Charente county council in partnership with the CNC (FR), Slovak Audiovisual Fund (SK) and Audio-Visual Center of the Republic of Srpska (BiH) and France Télévisions.

    Screenings at Sundance Film Festival 2025

    Library Center Theatre, Park City - In Person Premiere - 1/24/2025 at 8:30 PM   

    Redstone Cinemas, Park City - ¾ - In Person Screening - 1/25/2025 at 5:20 PM   

    Broadway Centre Cinemas, SLC - 6 - In Person Screening - 1/27/2025 at 10:00 PM   

    Redstone Cinemas, Park City - ¾ - In Person Screening - 2/1/2025 at 5:20 PM