The Czech sci-fi film Restore Point (Bod obnovy) has landed distribution deals in a number of worldwide markets at this year’s Cannes film festival. Restore Point was selected as one of the Fantastic 7 genre films at Cannes Film Market, the industry event held in conjunction with the annual film festival where upcoming projects seek distribution deals.
Representing Restore Point, distributor XYZ Films landed the film distribution deals in Germany and Switzerland through Plaion, in France with The Jokers, in Scandinavian locales through NonStop, and in Australia and New Zealand from Umbrella. XYZ Films is also seeking a distribution deal for the film in the states.
Produced by Jan Kallista and directed by Robert Hloz, Restore Point is a sci-fi feature set in 2041 Prague, where human beings are backed up like computers and can be restored after death. The film follows a detective (Andrea Mohylová) who attempts to solve the violent murder of a couple after one of the victims (Zátopek‘s Václav Neužil ml.) is brought back to life. Matěj Hádek, Milan Ondrík, and Karel Dobrý also star.
Local media drew comparisons to Blade Runner when the film’s debut teaser trailer was released last month. Science fiction isn’t a common genre in the local industry; the producers of Restore Point claim their movie is the first Czech sci-fi movie in 40 years.
Restore Point was filmed throughout the Czech capital, which was digitally aged two decades in post-production. Locations throughout the city center, including the National Museum, Náměstí Republiky, Petrské náměstí, and Jungmannovo Náměstí were used for the production.
The filmmakers also utilized some of Prague’s more dystopian Brutalist architecture, including the Kotva Department Store and the Central Telecommunications Building in Prague 3, which is scheduled for demolition in the near future.
Restore Point is part of XYZ Films’ New Visions series of international genre projects, alongside features like Reckoner, a psychological thriller starring Christina Hendricks, and In Flames, a Pakistani-Canadian horror film from director Zarrar Kahn.
“What we’re saying with the New Visions slate is that no matter how XYZ may continue to grow and change we are never going to allow ourselves to lose our roots,” Todd Brown, head of XYZ Films’ international acquisitions, says in a press release.
“With this new initiative we are very proactively creating a space for our next generation of talent to shine, a space for both new talent and established voices looking to challenge and redefine themselves.”
Restore Point will hit cinemas in the Czech Republic from September 23. International release dates TBA.
