Prague-shot WWII drama ‘Avenue of the Giants’ to have Czech premiere at Edison Filmhub

Avenue of the Giants, a WWII drama starring Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe) that filmed on location in Prague two years ago, will have its Czech premiere at Prague’s Edison Filmhub this Friday, Sept. 27. Directed by Finn Taylor, the movie tells the powerful story of Holocaust survivor Herbert Heller.

The premiere of Avenue of the Giants at Edison Filmhub will include two screenings at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., with the latter followed by a Q&A session with producer Jeanine Thomas and actors Stella Stocker, Slavko Sobin, and Oskar Hes. The movie will be screened in English with Czech subtitles.

Set in both WWII-era Europe and early-2000s California, Avenue of the Giants follows Herbert Heller, portrayed by Lang, a Holocaust survivor who kept his traumatic experiences in Auschwitz-Birkenau secret for 60 years. Locations in Prague stand in for those in WWII-era Germany.

In the early 2000s in Marin County, California, and facing a terminal illness, Herbert forms an unexpected friendship with Abbey, an isolated teenager, which leads him to finally open up about his past. The film explores themes of survival, healing, and the enduring power of human connection across generations.

“The journey of this film for me began in 2018 when I had the pleasure of seeing Herbert share his story with a gym full of teens, their ubiquitous cell phones silent,” director Taylor states through a press release. “I believe that sharing his story of survival, and the power of healing he left in his wake, is more important to the world today than ever.”

Production of Avenue of the Giants began in 2022 and was shot on location in Prague under the working title of Lucky Man. In Prague, production on the film took place in the Czech capital’s Old Town and Malá Strana neighborhoods (including scenes shot outside Prague Castle), as well as areas in Petřín, Michle, Bubeneč, and Nusle.

Outside of Prague, other Czech locations utilized for production included Kněževes, Chrášťany, Postoloprty, and Ploskovice. Some scenes were also shot in Terezín, the former WWII Jewish ghetto and concentration camp, adding to the film’s historical authenticity.

Written and directed by Taylor, Avenue of the Giants is produced by Jeanine Thomas and George Rush, with Debi Memmolo, Greg Taxin and Noah Lang serving as executive producers. Local producers for the Czech segment were Stillking Films, represented by David Minkowski and Matthew Stillman.

In addition to Lang, who plays the older version of Heller, the film stars Avenue of the Giants co-stars Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), Robin Weigert (Deadwood) and Luke David Blumm (Where the Crawdads Sing) in featured roles.

Tickets to the Czech premiere of Avenue of the Giants this Friday at Edison Filmhub can be purchased through GoOut. Additional screenings are TBA.