Following a trilogy of low-budget films, director Šimon Holý’s first international co-production Chica Checa premiered in the Crystal Globe competition at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The story revolves around widowed Zdena (Pavla Tomicová), who lives a quiet life in a small Czech village. When her beloved son Lukáš (Jan Cina) returns home from France to say goodbye to his dying grandmother, his determination to make her seemingly impossible wish come true leads him to reveal a secret that challenges the values of the village: his queer life in Paris and his drag queen alter ego, Chica Checa (Czech Girl). This revelation in turn leads to Zdena re-examining her own beliefs and life and to the broadening of her cultural and physical horizons.

Holý creates a vibrant portrait of his characters’ inner conflicts in this warm, accessible and gentle intergenerational comedy.

Preceded by the short film Stone of Destiny directed by Julie Černá and premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival, this visually striking animated musical follows the Singing Stone on a poetic journey through a world of mystery, symbolism, and the search for freedom.