Naava

Steam and night. Earth and light. We find ourselves in Prague of the late 19th century where the ancient is still alive, but the industrial revolution is knocking at the door. A bug-enthusiastic bookworm, half-blind village boy that wants to become a doctor and a medium with bones as fragile as glass. Marie. Jan. Zdenka. Against them stands a shady group of occultists, led by one Ernest Miller, a thief extraordinaire. Occultists are trying to summon from a place Beyond, called Naava, sinister creatures of old, tempted by a promise of unlimited power. Things become much more personal when our heroes realise that not only is this ritual threatening their world but it’s also a very personal danger to Zdenka. Their friend’s spirit is drawn into the Beyond and if the gates are opened, there will be no saving her. They race against time to save their friend and to shut the gates of the Beyond before its inhabitants come spilling into our world - threatening its very existence.

Director’s statement
Treasure-hunting, spooky ghosts and creatures, 19th Century Prague with its high, gothic towers, dark and mysterious underbelly, and breath-taking beauty as well as the lush pastures and deep forests of imperial Bohemia are all things close to my heart. I feel that through telling the story of Naava, I have a chance to translate this love for things occult and strange and twisted and beautiful to my audience to make them wonder too. Children, their parents, grandparents. Anybody who feels like they need to squint a little and find that spark of everyday enchantment once again.