Baltic Event Co-Production Market

No Salvation Coming

Original title
Ze dna
Country
Czechia
Language
French, Czech
Genre
Social drama, Crime film, Drama
Logline

A group of desperate millennials and zoomers, struggling to afford rent and food despite their qualifications and hard work, decide to rob a luxury house where one of them works as a cleaner.

Synopsis

Despite their efforts and work qualifications, a group of millennials and zoomers reach a point where the money they earn isn't enough for food and rent. So, they decide on a drastic solution: to rob a luxury house where one of the protagonists works part-time as a cleaner.

More info about the project
Director's note

In my work, I explore the financial problems and uncertainties that have gripped my generation.
The bright future of the late nineties has dissolved into accelerating crises, especially affecting Generation Z and millennials. Precarious employment, social exclusion, burnout, and endless work blur together, leaving no escape. We're frustrated with ideal jobs that don't pay enough and draining jobs we do just for money. Are we defined by our jobs, or are we more than that? How do we climb out and avoid ending up on the street?

While the world is on the brink of ecological collapse, my characters focus on basic needs. They can't afford food, rent, or a plumber. They face eviction, live off discounts, and try to survive by minorly exploiting the system. From this low point, they attempt a problematic bounce back.
Despite everything, the ending offers hope. After the violence and crime, my characters form a micro-community, like a modern-day family. Some even find love and earn enough for next month.
The social-realist drama shifts into a heist film. The characters, who usually fit into relationship comedies, move into more action-oriented territory. I aimed to portray them as believable, humanities-oriented people, capable of planning and executing a crime usually reserved for professionals. While avoiding some genre clichés, the story includes heist film conventions and attractions. The action inevitably goes wrong, and so do my characters' efforts to avoid violence at all costs.

Producer's note

'No Salvation Coming' is a story about economic despair and the quiet, mounting humiliation of those who fall through the cracks of the system. As a producer, I was drawn to the script not for its genre elements, but for its emotionally grounded realism – the heist is not a fantasy, but a symptom of deeper social rot.
This film speaks to a generation of young adults navigating a world where education and hard work no longer guarantee stability. The characters aren't criminals; they're precarious, exhausted people trying to survive. Their story – rooted in Eastern Europe, yet universally resonant – captures the desperation, absurdity, and intimacy of shared poverty.
Visually, the film blends bleak realism with raw intimacy and moments of dark humour. The heist is approached not as a slick operation but as something improvised with whatever resources they have – Lego bricks, second-hand masks, half-baked courage. These characters don't seek glory, just breathing room.
As a producer, I am committed to nurturing an emotionally compelling film that speaks clearly and sharply to current realities. We believe the film has strong international potential – thematically and visually – and are looking for co-producing partners who are eager to tell bold, socially resonant stories. Our goal is to elevate a distinct voice and bring to life a film that is both urgent and humane, gritty and poetic.

Subjects:
youth, violence, burglary, interpersonal relationships

Director
Vojtěch Strakatý
Screenwriter
Vojtěch Strakatý
Producer
Jan Čadek
Production
Beginner's Mind
Project Status
Development
Budget
1280000 €
Financed
46000 €
Looking for
co-producers, sales agent, public funds (national, regional, international), post-production services
Contact name
Jan Čadek
Contact email
jan@beginnersmind.cz
Director
Vojtěch Strakatý

Vojtěch Strakatý graduated directing and scriptwriting at FAMO in Písek, Czechia. The script of his feature debut AFTER PARTY was awarded the “Stars of Tomorrow” award from the Czech Film Foundation in 2018. The film had its world premiere in the Orizzonti Extra Competition of the 81st Venice IFF in 2024. His 2nd feature THE OTHER SIDE OF SUMMER had its world premiere in the Proxima Competition of the 59th Karlovy Vary IFF in 2025. His 3rd feature NO SALVATION COMING is currently in development.

Screenwriter
Vojtěch Strakatý

Vojtěch Strakatý graduated directing and scriptwriting at FAMO in Písek, Czechia. The script of his feature debut AFTER PARTY was awarded the “Stars of Tomorrow” award from the Czech Film Foundation in 2018. The film had its world premiere in the Orizzonti Extra Competition of the 81st Venice IFF in 2024. His 2nd feature THE OTHER SIDE OF SUMMER had its world premiere in the Proxima Competition of the 59th Karlovy Vary IFF in 2025. His 3rd feature NO SALVATION COMING is currently in development.