On 14 February, the animated stop-motion feature Tales from the Magic Garden has celebrated its world premiere in the Generation Kplus strand of the Berlinale.
Inspired by Arnošt Goldflam’s children’s book Of Unwanted Things and People and directed by a team of four – David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar and Jean-Claude Rozec, it follows three children spending the night at their grandfather’s house for the first time since their grandmother’s passing. Struggling to fall asleep without her bedtime stories, they create their own tales, discovering how imagination helps them navigate life’s challenges and find solace.
Speaking to EAJ, the creative team highlighted the complexity of coordinating the work of four co-production countries—Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and France—each with its own director. “From an artistic perspective, the biggest challenge was the scriptwriting for the French story,” they explained, as it had to seamlessly connect all the individual narratives into a cohesive whole.
Another key challenge arose at the very beginning: “It was crucial to grasp the poetics and spirit of Goldflam’s texts,” they noted, describing them as fragile and melancholic, yet cleverly disguised behind the narrative, often with dramatic twists. The team also recalled the intense final phase following their Berlinale selection—”a happy and wonderful moment,” but one that demanded a rapid acceleration in efforts to finalise every detail.
Looking ahead to distribution, they shared their excitement about the film also being selected as a taster for Cartoon Movie. “We believe this will attract additional distributors and serve as an example of a very unorthodox and creative collaboration,” they remarked. Thanks to Berlinale, negotiations with potential sales agents progressed at an exceptional pace. “After two days of intensive meetings, we decided to work with NEFS—they convinced us with their experience, commitment, and the collective spirit of their entire team.”
Their ambition now is to meet the criteria for the MEDIA programme Films on the Move, enabling a European-wide cinema release, ideally aligning with the planned national premieres in autumn.
Read the full article online on the #1/2025 issue of the European Animation Journal
