The story of Fichtelberg takes place in the Jizera Mountains in Bohemia in 1547. A young orphaned knight, Peter, works as a caretaker on the construction of a bridge in the dark town of Urbach. Strange things are happening in the town, graves are being exhumed and the locals disappear. When the girl Alma, with whom Peter has fallen in love, disappears, he goes to the mysterious Fichtelberg Mountain in search of her. On his journey, Peter befriends Gianni, an Italian, and together they uncover the truth about Fichtelberg, where a secret society makes porcelain from human bone powder, using the villagers as workforce. In a dramatic climax, Peter, Gianni and Alma free the villagers and confront the terrible Moro, the owner of the glassworks.
The main cast includes Jan Dlouhý, Ondřej Stupka, Ivan Franěk, Viktória Jurištová and Karel Dobrý.
“The film stands out for its unconventional approach to visual form, which evokes the atmosphere of medieval epics and period illustrations. The narrative confronts the supernatural thinking of the Middle Ages with the rationality of the emerging renaissance, which goes hand in hand with the universal coming-of-age story of Peter,” explains the producer Viktor Schwarz.
Viktor Schwarz is producing through Cineart TV Prague (Czech Republic) in coproduction with Silvia Panáková of Arina (Slovakia) and the Czech Television. The project has been backed by the Czech Film Fund, the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Creative Europe MEDIA Programme and the Czech regions of Pilsen and Ústí nad Labem.
The budget is approximately 1.6 m EUR / 40 m CZK.
The shooting took place 19 September – 31 October 2023 and the postproduction is set to finish on 31 December 2024.
Koudela is known worldwide for his imaginative short animated films The Night I Wake, Robinson and The Castaway. He uses unique visual techniques, claiming the legacy of Czech fantasy and sci-fi classic Karel Zeman.
Production Information:
Producer:
Cineart TV Prague (Czech Republic)
Coproducers:
Arina (Slovakia)
Czech Television (Czech Republic)
Credits:
Director: Šimon Koudela
Screenwriter: Šimon Koudela
Animator: Šimon Koudela
DoP: Jan Baset Střítežský
Editor: Jan Daňhel
Main cast: Jan Dlouhý, Ondřej Stupka, Ivan Franěk, Viktória Jurištová, Karel Dobrý
