back to listing

Escape to Berlin

director: Martin Froyda, Jan Novák

original title: Útěk do Berlína

country: Czech Republic

year: 2023

running time: 98 min.

synopsis

Q&A with Josef Mašín (CZ language)

The documentary film uncovers the story of Mašín brothers, which is of the greatest stories of the Cold War. A group of five young men decided to leave the then-communist Czechoslovakia with guns in hand to join the fighting in the then expected war between the West and the East. The year was 1953, and today, through the last witnesses, we follow the 30-day dramatic journey to West Berlin and the subsequent fateful events that happened to her loved ones at home.

biography

Martin Froyda was born in Pilsen in 1967. After his graduation he worked as an electrician and movie camera assistant and studied cinematografy at FAMU. Following the Velvet Revolution he established his own production company, producing television programs, music videos and movies.

Jan Novák was born in 1953 in Cologne, but lived in Chicago for over 30 years, where he graduated from the University of Chicago. He made his debut as a writer with the short story collection Striptease Chicago, and his first novel, Million Jeep, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the Carl Sandburg Award for Chicago Book of the Year. He learned the craft of filmmaking alongside Miloš Forman and has also worked with directors Ivan Passer and Juraj. He is also a screenwriter.

more about film

director:	Martin Froyda, Jan Novák
producer:	Martin Froyda, Věra Krincvajová
script:	Jan Novák
photography:	Marco Farentino, Tomáš Koštěnec, Jaroslav Ptáčník
editing:	Marek Opatrný
music:	Čenda Kavečka
sound:	Lukáš Kosek, František Šec

back to listing