The Czech-Polish-German co-production will open in Polish cinemas on October 24.
Described by its creators as more than a literary biopic, the film offers a portrait of Kafka as a deeply sensitive individual whose fears and inner dilemmas continue to resonate with younger generations.
"Kafka was a young man trapped in a nightmare of bureaucratic everyday life, much like the reality faced by today’s corporate workers,” the filmmakers said in a statement. “He was also a vegetarian by choice, long before it became fashionable.”
Kafka, born into a Jewish Czech family in Prague in 1883, wrote in German. He is considered one of the most important writers of the 20th century. His surreal, often nightmarish depictions of individuals caught in an impersonal bureaucratic world gave rise to the term “Kafkaesque.”
Though he trained as a lawyer and worked in insurance, Kafka viewed writing as his true vocation, giving rise to internal conflict which reflected in his work.
“I discovered Kafka back in high school,” Holland said. “He soon became one of the most important and inspiring writers for me. With his triple identity, his self-irony, and his absolute sensitivity, he felt like an admired older brother who needed protecting – strong yet incredibly fragile.”
In Holland’s film, Kafka is brought to life by the uncanny resemblance of German actor Idan Weiss who plays the main character.
The screenplay was written by Marek Epstein, who has also collaborated with Holland on Charlatan, another film based on a real-life story.
The supporting cast includes Carol Schuler, Gesa Shermuly, Sebastian Schwarz, Peter Kurth, Sandra Korzeniak, Katharina Stark and Jenovefa Bokova.
Franz Kafka is also one of 16 films selected for the main competition at the 50th Polish Film Festival, which takes place in the coastal city of Gdynia from September 22 to 27.
The Toronto International Film Festival, where the film will have its global debut in the prestigious Special Presentations section, runs from September 4 to 14.
Holland, whose past work includes In Darkness and Green Border, has long explored themes of power, alienation and personal struggle against prevailing circumstances.
Franz Kafka continues this trajectory, offering a cinematic portrait of a man caught between internal torment and an often incomprehensible world.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP