A former ECFA Award winner with a new film in production is big news. Especially now that Kristina Dufková, winner of the 2026 ECFA award for LIVING LARGE (Best Feature) is teaming up again with some of her co-production partners. Dufková spent 13 years working on LIVING LARGE, but WISH IT! (working title) won’t be long in coming.
Slovak producer Agata Novinski (Novinski Film) described how, for LIVING LARGE, a co-production was set up with partners in the Czech Republic and France. “With the Czech Republic, we share a common history, a similar language, and quite similar production costs. Working with a country like France is more complicated because of higher labour costs – there’s a big difference between what you can achieve for the same budget here.” WISH IT! will again be another co-production, with the same Czech partner, Barletta, while the team is finalising partnerships with (not yet confirmed) Poland and/or France.
In WISH IT!, director Kristina Dufková largely employs the same techniques that made LIVING LARGE a true award-winner. “I’ll build on the experience gained from crafting those puppets, and once again experiment with new materials. I’ve identified what worked well and where further development is needed. My focus will again be on enhancing the puppets’ facial expressions. I aim to imbue them with even more lifelike qualities, offering greater variety in expressions and seamless transitions between them.”
WISH IT! will aim at a slightly younger audience. Agata Novinski: “It is a beautiful story about big conscious wishes – and the ones we barely notice – and about how important it is to wish wisely.” In a small town at the foot of the Magical Hill, Vojta wishes for a grandmother, while Albina longs for a pet. Their wishes come true when Vojta finds Jarmila, an escaped elderly woman, and Albina secretly adopts a runaway snake. Jarmila, too, has one last wish to fulfil: a visit to the top of the Magical Hill. Together, they embark on an adventure across town, with pursuers hot on their tails.
Director: Kristina Dufková
Screenplay: Kristina Dufková & Tomáš Holeček
Production Companies: Barletta (Czech Republic), Novinski (Slovakia), Foliascope (France), WJTeam/Likaon (Poland)
Production budget: € 3.719.331
Estimated release: 2027
Find more info here.