Film Republic nabs Karlovy Vary competition title “The Line”

PanARMENIAN.Net - London-based sales agency Film Republic has picked up the international rights, excluding Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine, to the Slovak-Ukrainian coproduction “The Line”, which has its world premiere in the competition selection at the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, Variety said.

The first official co-production between Slovakia and Ukraine, “The Line” tells the story of a head of a family whose business — smuggling cigarettes across the Slovak-Ukrainian border — is jeopardized by the imminent extension to the Schengen Area border. It is the fourth feature by Slovakia’s Peter Bebjak, a regular on the festival circuit, whose past titles are “Apricot Island” (2011), “Evil” (2012), and “The Cleaner” (2015).

“The Line” is produced by Wanda Adamik Hrycova from Wandal Production in Slovakia, whose credits include “Colette” (2013, Czech Republic/Slovakia, directed by Milan Cieslar), coproducer Andrey Yermak from Ukrainian production outfit Garnet Intl. Media Group, with the participation of executive producer Ilann Girard from Paris’ Arsam Intl., whose credits include “Renaissance,” “March of the Penguins” and more recently Stanley Tucci’s “Final Portrait,” as well as Rolando Colla’s “Seven Days,” which is also repped by Film Republic.

Other coproducers are Slovakia’s RTVS and HomeMedia Production. The film was supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Ukrainian State Film Agency and the European Union’s Creative Europe Media. The project was first presented at the pitching sessions (BOAT) of Molodist Film Festival in 2014, and was later selected for the Pitch and Feedback session at Karlovy Vary in 2015, followed by selections in the Works in Progress at CentEast in Warsaw and Baltic Event during Tallinn Film Festival in 2016.

Film Republic is also screening Tereza Nvotova’s “Filthy” (Czech Republic/Slovakia) at Karlovy Vary. The film debuted at the Rotterdam Film Festival.