23-11-2022

PRODUCTION: Jiří Havelka in Production with Czech Tragicomedy Gardener

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    Gardener by Jiří Havelka Gardener by Jiří Havelka credit: DonArt Production

    PRAGUE: Czech director Jiří Havelka is currently finishing production on his feature film Gardener (working title) / Zahradník, which is estimated to be finished in 2023.

    At the foot of a hill, a gardener and his wife have lived for many years. There they run their own small gardening business. They don’t harm anyone and nobody harms them. 

    When a new owner intends to settle in the castle on the nearby hill, he offers to buy their business. When friendly negotiations break down, the situation quickly escalates.

    "This story is based on a simple yet ingenious story model of today’s society. It is a fragile story of an endeavour to maintain not only ideals but also a simple order, of which justice is an essential part regardless of money and contacts. It succeeds with admirable accuracy and intelligibility, and also with a considerable dose of humour. The absurd humour will not loosen its grip on the sensitivity of the story", Jiří Havelka told FNE.

    The main cast includes Oldřich Kaiser, Dagmar Vokatá, Michal Isteník, Štěpán Kozub and Luboš Veselý.

    The film is produced by Jiri Tucek through Czech DonArt Production and coproduced by Helena Uldrichová through the Czech Television.

    The project received support from the Czech Television and private coproducers. The total budget is 1,437,397 EUR / 35 m CZK.

    The shooting started on 14 March 2022. Out of 27 shooting days 23 days have been used so far. The filming is taking place in the Czech village of Heralec.

    Jiří Havelka (1980) is a playwright, theatre director, actor and film director. His debut film Owners (2019, produced by CinemArt) won the Czech Lions in 2020, while his second feature Emergency Situation (2022, produced by CinemArt and Elektra Prague) premiered in February 2022.

    Production Information:

    Gardener by Jiří Havelka, credit: DonArt ProductionProducer:
    DonArt Production (Czech Republic)
    Jiri Tucek: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Coproducer:
    Czech Television (Czech Republic)

    Credits:
    Director: Jiří Havelka
    Screenwriter: Jiří Havelka
    DoP: Ferdinand Mazurek
    Cast: Oldřich Kaiser, Dagmar Vokatá, Michal Isteník, Štěpán Kozub, Luboš Veselý, Alena Mihulová, Petr Lněnička, Jiří Šimek, Sára Arnsteinová, Tomáš Jeřábek, Jiří Vyorálek, Eliáš Jeřábek, Tereza Dočkalová, Jakub Albrecht, Magdalena Borová, Hanuš Bor, Ondřej Bauer, Petr Reif