Holland and Marek Epstein, with whom she wrote the film script, want to present Kafka's life as a mosaic. It is intended to show the entirety of his life, but also the image the writer left behind in the collective consciousness.
The creators planned 40 shooting days in the Czech Republic and Germany. The title role will be played by German actor Idan Weiss. His translator, Milena Jesenska, will be played by the Czech Jenovéfa Boková.
This is not the first Holland production carried out in the Czech Republic. The director graduated from the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts there. In 2013, she made the miniseries “The Burning Bush”, which won 13 Czech Lions, including for film, direction and screenplay. It premiered in 2020 “Charlatan”. It received five Czech Lions, including the film of the year.
“Franz” will be Holland's first film since its premiere “Green Border”. It was awarded, among others, a Special Jury Mention during the Venice Festival and the Polish film award Orzeł for the production of the year.