The film’s producer, Martin Vandas from Czechia, will speak about the stop-motion puppet animation that tackles themes of death and grief, and how the power of storytelling can offer a healing effect. While not an obvious choice for a children’s film, the risk has paid off: this beautiful work allows young audiences to learn about loss, sadness, hope, love, compassion, empathy, friendship, and creativity in the gentlest of ways.

Based on Czech author Arnošt Goldflam’s collection Of Unwanted Things and People, the film was in development for more than eight years — making its cohesiveness as an anthology all the more remarkable. It was co-directed by David Súkup (Czech Republic), Patrik Pašš (Slovakia), Leon Vidmar (Slovenia), and Jean-Claude Rozec (France).

In this case study, we’ll hear about the challenges and rewards of collaborating across four producers, four countries, and four studios, as well as how consultation with a child therapist helped shape the final film. The session will also explore the difficulties of finding sales for such a project — and how perseverance ultimately led to international recognition.