A whimsical freeze-frame of the film “Tales from the Enchanted Garden” sets the Berlinale premiere

Indie European co-professional Tales from the magical gardena new stop-motion animated film based on a children’s fairy tale Unwanted things and people by Czech author Arnošt Goldflam, announced as a world premiere at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. As part of the Generation Kplus competition for young viewers, the film combines elements of fantasy, humor and the unifying power of imagination.

Tales from the magical garden tells about three children who spend the night at their grandfather’s for the first time after the death of their grandmother, a master storyteller. Unable to fall asleep without a bedtime story, the children decide to make up their own stories and embark on a journey that shows them that storytelling can help them cope with life’s challenges and offer solace through imagination.

The film is a co-production with equal creative contribution of four countries represented by production companies Maurfilm (Czech Republic), Artichoke (Slovakia), ZVVIKS (Slovenia) and Vivement Lundi! (France) under the leadership of an experienced team of animation producers Martin Vandas, Alena Vandasova, Juray Krasnohorskyi, Henrietta Chwangova, Kol Saksida, Jean-Francois Le Corret and Mathieu Courtois. The CEE Animation network played a key role in bringing together these producers, whose collaboration now extends to numerous films and future projects.

“It’s been a fantastic, friendly collaboration that has lasted an incredible ten years and required patience from all collaborators, funders and many other partners,” said Maurfilm’s Vandasova. “The world premiere at the Berlinale is a great reward and pleasure for all of us.”

Saksida, producer of ZVVIKS shared, “It is a true honor to share that after many years of working with our wonderful partners, this film marks a groundbreaking achievement. This is the first feature-length animated film for children with a Slovenian producer and director, in which all production partners are equally involved, an approach rarely seen in the industry.”

Four creative groups worked together under the leadership of four directors: David Sukup (Czech Republic), Patrik Paš (Slovakia), Leon Vidmar (Slovenia) and Jean-Claude Rosec (France). The screenplay was written by Jernej Kaja Balog and Maja Križnik, Blandin Jet, Patrik Pašš, Marek Kral and Petr Krajicek. The film was directed and designed by Patricia Ortiz Martinez and Jean-Claude Rosec. The music was created by the Slovak composer Lucija Chutkova.

“Children’s programs often avoid the topic of death for fear of triggering negative emotions, leaving children who have experienced a loss feeling isolated, as if no one will acknowledge what happened,” Roz said. “Despite the creative and financial risks involved, the producers chose to approach this sensitive subject with care and thoughtfulness, and that’s why this film is so important to me.”

Vidmar added: “Film is always a collaborative art form, based on the collective vision and efforts of many. But this project was a real team effort, where everyone individually gave their best, and I believe that together we created something greater than the sum of its parts.”

After the world premiere at the Berlinale on February 16, Tales from the magical garden will be previewed on Cartoon Movie in March 2025.

The film is co-produced by Czech Television, Slovak Television and Radio – STVR, RTV Slovenija, Pictanovo with the support of Région Hauts-de-France, studio Personne n’est parfait! with the financial support of Eurimages, Creative Europe – MEDIA, Czech Film Fund, Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Slovenian Film Center, Viba film Ljubljana, Région Bretagne / Bretagne Cinéma, National Center for Cinema and Animated Images, TVR Tempo – Rennes Métropole, Gebeka Films, Tébéo, TébéSud , France Télévisions – France 3 Bretagne and NuFrame.