The Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2025 will include the film Caravan, first work by Zuzana Kirchnerová, an Italian minority co-production, co-produced by Tempesta Film with the Czech Republic (MasterFilm) and Slovakia (Nutprodukcia), with the contribution of the Ministry of Culture (€300K from the minority co-productions call), and the support of Eurimages, Emilia-Romagna Film Commission, Fondazione Calabria Film Commission.
Caravan is a road movie about a single mother, Ester (45) whose son, David, suffers from mental disabilities. She wants to spend two weeks in Italy staying with an old friend on her own, without her son. But last minute changes affect her plan and she has no choice but to take David with her.
Developed at the TorinoFilmLab and starring Anna Gaislerová, David Vostrcil, Juliana Olhová, Jana Plodková, Mario Russo, Giandomenico Cupaiuolo, the film has been selected for participation at a number of co-production markets, including Atelier in Cannes and Venice Production Bridge in Venice.
Caravan was always intended to be filmed in Italy, from the very first draft of the screenplay.
Ester visits several locations in Romagna on her journey, including Ravenna, Cervia, Milano Marittima, Cesenatico and Bellaria-Igea Marina, also the Ferrara area at Lido di Volano, in the municipality of Codigoro.
The crew was welcomed with great generosity by the inhabitants of Romagna who, despite the difficulties caused by the 2023 flooding, did everything they could to facilitate the production. The crew included several local workers and the production, in a show of solidarity, decided to review its plan and make the film locally.
"The producers from Slovakia and the Czech Republic were very touched by what happened and how everyone reacted, immediately rolling up their sleeves to deal with the situation not only on the general level but also on a small scale, helping us so that we could start filming within the timeframe we had established," said Ilaria Malagutti, Tempesta Film.
After the first three weeks in Emilia-Romagna, filming continued in Calabria for 5 weeks, in Melito di Porto Salvo, Bova, Bova Marina, Palizzi, Condofuri, Porto Saline Joniche, Roghudi, San Lorenzo, Brancaleone, Locri, ending in South Moravia in Czechia.