A new international feature filmed largely in the Czech Republic is now reaching audiences in North America. A Murder Between Friends, a whodunit headlined by Joan Collins and shot at a historic castle outside Prague, has been released on video-on-demand platforms across the United States and Canada.
The feature blends a classic country-house mystery with an international cast drawn from American, British, and Czech film and television. While modest in scale, the production adds to a steady stream of foreign-led projects choosing Czechia for both its locations and experienced crews, continuing a long-standing tradition of international filming in the country.
Shot primarily in spring 2024, the film positions Czech locations not as stand-ins, but as a central part of its atmosphere, with the setting shaping both the narrative and the production experience for its cast and crew.
A classic whodunit with an international cast
Written and executive produced by Mark Rozzano, A Murder Between Friends follows six friends gathered at a countryside estate owned by a famous true-crime television personality, played by Collins. What begins as a social reunion quickly turns deadly when one of the guests is murdered, leaving everyone under suspicion. As tensions rise, the group turns to their glamorous host to help uncover the truth before another killing occurs.
A Murder Between Friends stars Collins alongside Nadia Bjorlin, Jacob Young, and Trent Garrett, all familiar to soap fans through long-running television roles. The supporting cast includes Toby-Alexander Smith, Simon Cotton, India Thain, Czech actress Hana Vagnerová, Broadway performer Jim Borstelmann, and Norwegian influencer Espen Hatleskog, reflecting a deliberately international ensemble.
Young and Garrett also co-directed the film and served as producers, alongside Collins, Percy Gibson, Rozzano, and Smith. The project was completed on a relatively tight schedule, with principal photography taking place over approximately two weeks.
Vision Films is handling the North American VOD release, making the title available across major digital and cable platforms. In a statement accompanying the release, the distributor described the film as a playful genre piece designed to keep audiences guessing, positioning it within a familiar tradition of screen murder mysteries rather than as a reinvention of the form.
Czech locations and crews at the center of production
Much of A Murder Between Friends was filmed at Úsobí Castle, a more than 400-year-old property located outside Prague. The castle’s preserved interiors and rural surroundings provided the primary setting for the story, reducing the need for extensive set construction while giving the film a distinct visual identity.
In an article published in The Spectator shortly after production wrapped, Collins reflected extensively on her experience filming in Czechia, offering rare first-hand insight into the country from the perspective of a veteran international performer. She wrote that she was “enchanted by the Czech Republic – the people, the food, the countryside,” adding that “there seemed to be an aura of peace about it.”
Collins also highlighted the professionalism of the local crew, noting that the mostly Czech team was “equal to any I’d worked with both in the UK and US,” and emphasizing their fluency in English. Such remarks echo long-standing industry views of Czechia as a reliable production hub, particularly for mid-budget international features seeking skilled crews and cost-effective infrastructure.
The production was based at Úsobí Castle, a converted castle hotel in the Vysočina region, which also served as accommodation for the cast and key creatives. While Collins’ reflections included personal anecdotes about local food, hospitality, and countryside excursions, her comments also underscored the logistical ease of working in the region, a factor that continues to attract foreign producers.
Going by the film’s trailer, the Czech backdrop remains visible throughout, aligning with a growing number of international productions that allow local architecture and landscapes to appear largely as themselves rather than as anonymous stand-ins for other countries.
With its VOD release now underway, A Murder Between Friends adds another recent credit to Czechia’s production slate, demonstrating how smaller international projects continue to find both creative and practical value in filming in the country.
