Dead Language, a Czech-Israeli-Polish co-production directed by Israeli filmmakers Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun that filmed in Prague, will have its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, which kicks off June 4. The film has been selected for the festival’s Viewpoints section, showcasing bold new voices in contemporary cinema.
The new feature is an expansion of Brezis and Binnun’s 2014 Oscar-nominated short Aya, reuniting lead actors Sarah Adler (The Cakemaker) and Ulrich Thomsen (The Thing). It was partially filmed in Prague, with support from the Czech Audiovisual Fund and Prague Audiovisual Fund, and is produced by a team of Israeli, Czech, and Polish partners.
Directors Brezis and Binnun made their feature debut with 2018’s The Etruscan Smile, which starred Brian Cox and Rosanna Arquette. WestEnd films launched global sales of Dead Language ahead of its Tribeca premiere at the recently-wrapped Cannes Film Festival.
“As a filmmaking couple, this film is a precious lovechild for us, touching on our outmost need for human connection, and we are delighted to have it begin its life at the Tribeca film festival, in the caring and talented hands of WestEnd films,” the directors said through a press release.
The story behind Dead Language traces back to Aya, the directing duo’s earlier work that garnered an Academy Award nomination a decade ago. That film told the story of a chance encounter between a woman waiting at the airport and a stranger, a Finnish music professor. In the feature-length adaptation, the narrative expands into a deeper exploration of longing and connection.
Dead Language follows a call center manager waiting at the airport for her husband, a professor of dead languages. When a stranger mistakes her for his driver, she impulsively plays along, leading to a brief but intense journey through the city that exposes the quiet dissatisfaction in her marriage. The cast features Adler and Thomsen in the lead roles alongside Yehezkel Lazarov, Gal Malka and Lars Eidinger.
Dead Language was produced by Green Productions, Film Produkcja, and Czech producer Negativ Film Productions, known for their work on acclaimed local films such as The Ice Mother. The project was supported by multiple European funds, including the Czech Audiovisual Fund, the Prague Audiovisual Fund, and the Polish Film Institute, reflecting its international scope.
“We are proud to be launching this beautiful and profound film into the marketplace — a uniquely thrilling and surprising exploration of intimacy which we can’t wait to share with our worldwide distributors,” says Maya Amsellem, managing director at WestEnd Films.
Dead Language will premiere at Tribeca on June 9, offering audiences a first look at this quietly ambitious story of unexpected connections across borders.
