Berlin-based sales agent Pluto Films has taken over Michel Blachko’s suspenseful drama “The Victim,” about a woman seeking justice in a racist society, ahead of its world premiere at Venice’s competitive Horizons Arena.
The Slovak, Czech and German co-production tells the story of Irina (Vita Smashlyuk), a single mother from Ukraine who lives in a town in the Czech Republic. When her son Igor (Gleb Kuchuk) is attacked, the entire town stands in solidarity with her family and condemns their gypsy neighbors who allegedly committed the crime. After her son wakes up in the hospital, it becomes difficult to differentiate between truth and lies, which in turn leads to a personal crisis.
“Victim” tells a story about the trust between Irina and Igor, a mother and her son living in a foreign country, where they are left to their own devices, says Blashko. My goal was to paint an emotional portrait of Irina and use it to expose the character of Central European society, which views the hero’s status as an opportunity to unleash and legitimize his hatred. The film’s dominant theme is manipulation, which permeates the story across all social classes. The fact that Irina and Igor are Ukrainians, and therefore belong to the most representative minority in the Czech Republic, while still completely unacceptable, gives the characters a unique perspective. ”
Blachko studied film and television directing at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Bratislava and FAMO Písek. His shorts were shown at festivals all over the world and went on to win many awards. His student film “Atlantis, 2003” premiered in Cannes in 2017, winning the Czech Lion for Best Student Film. He has since gained a lot of experience as a TV series director. His latest series, Doubt, was shown as part of this year’s Berlinale series. “Victim” is his first feature.
‘Victim’ was part of L’Atelier in Cannes in 2019, and was awarded the TRT Works in progress award at Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival in 2021. Produced by Jacob Viktorn and Pavla Janushkova Kupkova for Nutprodukce, in collaboration with Sar Yogev, Naomi Levari and Michael Reuter for Electric Sheep, Radio and Television Slovakia and Czech Television.
Viktorín comments: “It’s been six years since Michel first shared his idea with us. The film was shot in very difficult times and required a great deal of effort both from the creative team and our partners. We are honored to be invited to present ‘Victim’ at the oldest film festival in the world, and we are delighted Acquiring Pluto Film as our sales agent prior to its world premiere. We are confident that this partnership will be instrumental in distributing the film to audiences around the world.”
“We are excited to be working with a young and talented creative team of emerging director Michel Blachko and producers Jacob Victorin and Pavla Januskova Kopchkova,” says Daniela Cole, CEO of Pluto Film. “The Victim” reflects a divided society where all groups have their own interests and strategies to manipulate reality. The emotional core of the film is A conflicted mother-son relationship, yet it offers many layers, a straightforward, authentic cinematic style, and suspenseful storytelling.”
Pluto’s list includes “Vamos La Playa” by Bettina Blumener. “How I Learned to Fly” by Serbian assistant Radiojet Andric; Augusto Sandino “The Vanishing Fog”; The Locarno Piazza Grande 2022 entry “Semret” by Katrina Mona.
The film “Victim” received financial support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Czech Film Fund, Eurimages, the Hamburg Film Fund, the German Federal Film Fund, the Creative Europe MEDIA programme, the South Moravian Film Fund, the stecký district and the Pilsen district.
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