TV Beats Co-Financing Market
War's a Bitch
A few months before World War II, Prague is occupied by Nazi Germany. Anna and her three girlfriends selfishly ignore what is happening around them. But with the arrival of the German protector, they slowly have to find the answer to: "What is the price of their comfort?"
Anna stubbornly wants to become the first female secretary of the male-dominated Ministry of Education. Little does she know her desperate need to be recognized will shortly lead her to become part of the resistance movement.
Božena loves to be a history teacher. Her job brings her much-needed relief from her abusive husband. And it’s her job where she secretly falls in love with her female coworker Vera.
Marlena is the only German in the group. As she is constantly pushed by her mother into racially appropriate relationships, she falls in love with a Jew.
Jarmila wants more from life than being an average actress. She just met this handsome German officer who can provide her with appealing roles. But she is asked to cut ties with her only family and start snitching on her colleagues.
With the arrival of the German protector and his new measures, they slowly have to find the answer:
What is the price of their comfort?
A few months before World War II, Prague is occupied by Nazi Germany. Anna and her three girlfriends stubbornly long for understanding and happiness, selfishly ignoring what is happening around them. Anna stubbornly wants to become the first female secretary of the male-dominated Ministry of Education. Little does she know her desperate need to be recognized will shortly lead her to become part of the resistance movement. Božena loves to be a history teacher. Her job brings her the much needed relief from her abusive husband. And it’s her job where she secretly falls in love with her female coworker Vera. Marlena is the only German in the group. As she is constantly pushed by her mother into racially appropriate relationships, she falls in love with a Jew and discovers completely new world. Jarmila wants more from life than being an average actress. Luckily she just met this handsome German officer that can provide her with appealing movie roles. But she is asked to cut ties with her only family and start snitching on her colleagues. With the arrival of the German protector and his new measures, they slowly have to find the answer: What is the price of their comfort?
Producer's note:
With the letter of interest from Czech and Slovak TVs, we are ready to find partners for this project at TV Beats Forum. In the Czech Republic, we don't have many historical high-profile series focused on women. Most of them are told from a man's point of view. That's why this series caught our attention. War’s a Bitch doesn't use outdated language, but rather contemporary language with a great sense of irony. It doesn't side with either side of history as it doesn't favor any nationality. That's why we think it could also appeal to producers from abroad. We feel that there is a potential with this project to go beyond the borders of our country. Also because it has been selected for the prestigious Eureka Series program and also Torino Film Lab program. The theme of finding connections between people of different nationalities and social classes, especially in such an extreme time as the Protectorate, is still relevant and perfect for co-operation with a foreign co-producer.
In 2012, Dana Volakova founded the production company Fénix Film with her colleague Michaela Bastien and has been a film producers ever since. In the 10 years since the founding of Fénix Film, they have produced 9 feature films and co-produced another 4 feature films.
Franta Mimozemstan (2024) Po čem muži touží 2 (2022) Deníček moderního fotra (2021) Zakleté pírko (2020) Po čem muži touží (2018) Čertoviny (2018) Dvě nevěsty a jedna svatba (2018) Špunti na vodě (2017) Pohádky pro Emu (2016) Strašidla (2016)
Jakub Volák worked for several Czech film distributors. He then established his own distribution company called Fénix Distribution. He wrote scripts for the Czech docu-reality show Kočka není pes for four consecutive years and wrote several episodes for the comedy web series Kadeřnictví. In 2021 Jakub was among 12 participants chosen to attend the Torino Film Lab Next – TV series workshop. He had the opportunity to re-work his idea for a TV series with producer Eilon Ratzkovsky.
Producer and talent agent. Michaela has produced dozens of Czech and foreign feature films, commercials, music videos and documentaries in 30 years of her experience in the industry. In 2012, Michaela founded production company Fénix Film with her colleague Dana Voláková. Since then, they produced 10 feature films and co-produced another 4 feature films.