Otok
An aspiring novelist brings her friends to an isolated island for her wedding ceremony, but when her groom is mysteriously murdered and their boat disappears, the group descents into panic and mistrust amidst a fight for survival with dwindling resources.
Jackie, an aspiring novelist, brings her friends to a remote island to hold a ritualistic wedding ceremony inspired by research for her new manuscript. But after their long hedonistic party night, her groom is found brutally murdered and their boat goes missing. Trapped, manic and paranoid, the group divides while resources dissipate. Jackie discovers her manuscript has become a chilling prophecy predicting the terrifying fate of the entire group, forcing her to confront a truth buried long ago.
Producers' note
Genre film - particularly horror - offers a powerful narrative framework for exploring collective fears, social norms and processes of transformation. Within OTOK, the genre setting becomes a space in which questions about the fragility of social order unfold in a concentrated and cinematic way.
As a very young production company, we are at an early but dynamic stage. We have already received grants for multiple projects from the Thuringian Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Cultural fund of the Thuringian State Chancellery. Founded just last year, the company builds on the many years of international professional experience of both founders, while consciously positioning itself as a small and flexible structure for distinctive projects and international collaboration. For us, OTOK represents an important step in shaping the company’s profile: a genre-driven, internationally oriented feature film that combines a strong directorial voice with a clear festival and market potential.
Director's note
My passion for horror started early with uncensored movie nights alongside my two older brothers. On top of that, there was nothing my mother couldn't explain with some myth, legend or superstition. The result? Recurring nightmares, nightly visits by my grandfather's ghost, and a fear of dolls. It's the effects that such stories and experiences have on the psyche, that inspired me to write this psychological horror film. Because what can be more terrifying than your mind telling you something is there, that is not?
My goal is to make a film that chills to the bone, taps deep into human fears, but also has a message. OTOK is about Jackie's need to face the darkness she left buried for far too long and how ultimately history repeats itself because she still can't own up. Escaping from pain and trauma with denial and burying these things deep inside - this is universal. Don't we all have demons that we keep hidden deep down until one day, we can't?