Welcome to an ordinary small town in the Czech Republic, a town that changes once every year beyond recognition when it hosts a big Christian pilgrimage feast. Crowds flock to town to behold with their own eyes the miracle-working image of the Virgin Mary, said to have once shed tears of blood, and which to this day is believed to heal childless women. Anything is possible during the whirlwind while the festivities are in progress.

Everyone wants to host the picture of the Virgin in their house for a day. Including GRANDMOTHER (66), determined to use any means, fair or unfair, to get the picture for the 100th birthday of her mother – GREAT-GRANDMOTHER (99). At the same time, her daughter and grand-daughters arrive in town for the feast – MOTHER (37), BIG SISTER (15) and LITTLE SISTER (6), each bringing her problems.

All five women together represent several generations of a witty and wayward family, whose essential way of addressing problems is either rage or subtle manipulation. All the women are called Eliška. And all of them regard the supernatural as perfectly natural. During the week-long festivity in a small town, each one of them lives her own story, each with a touch of magic, and becomes a little more grown-up as a result.

Born in 1993 in Prague. Between 2012 and 2016 she studied architecture and urbanism at the TUL in Liberec and for four months was working as an intern in London architecture studio Atmos. In 2014 she started studying at FAMU (dramaturgy and scriptwriting) where she will complete her master’s degree this year.

Her script “Furious Beauty” won the prize for young writers at KVIIFF in 2019 (http://www.filmovanadace.cz/). She became a winner in the best-unrealized script category at FAMU competition twice (Famufest) with scripts “Furious Beauty” (2018) and “Ultraspeed-Oversweet” (2017).

During her studies at FAMU, she directed a couple of short movies. And in 2017 she founded Film-acting classes for children in Prague, where she still works as a lecturer.

She is also writing radio broadcasts for Czech Radio and occasionally works as a freelance architect.

Currently, she is moving to Berlin to develop script “Furious Beauty” and to prepare the film realization.

Born in the Czech Republic, grew up in different places in Europe. Studied Philosophy and Psychology at the FU Berlin. Later studied film directing at the Filmarche Berlin, FAMU Prague Film School and HFF “Konrad Wolf” Potsdam-Babelsberg. There he made around 15 short films like the ZDF/Kika coproduced documentary “Aleyna – Little Miss Neukölln“, which won numerous awards. 2014 Štěpán graduated from HFF Potsdam-Babelsberg with a thesis on “Unconscious Storytelling as shown in David Lynchs Blue Velvet” and his debut feature film “Schmitke”. “Schmitke” premiered in BUSAN Film Festival and Karlovy Vary Film Festival, was invited to numerous other festivals, winning prizes, including best eastern European debut in Cottbus, best Czech debut in Pilsen, Fipresci Award in Schwerin and best leading actor in Orenburg. His second feature “National Street” was shot in 2018 as a European Coproduction with the participation of ARTE, ZDF, Czech TV, MDM, Czech Film Fund, Eurimage and Media. It opened the Competition of Cottbus Film Festival 2019.

Štěpán is developing his third feature “Furious Beauty”. His fourth film “Runner”`s development is currently supported by Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film and the Czech Film Fund, awaiting approval from the german funding FFA. He works and lives in Berlin and Prague.