The Birth of an Alchemist: A New Czech Fantasy film

The film, which began showing in cinemas this Thursday, tells the story of twelve-year-old Ariana. The heroine,played by Magdalena Müller,grows up in an orphanage and longs to find out where she comes from. A meeting with the wise Archivald, played by Roman Zach, leads her to the Academy of Alchemists, where miracles happen.

Ariana was considered a freak at the orphanage and faced bullying from both children and educators. At school, she is now gaining ground and friends. However,to become a legitimate student,she must first pass the entrance exams.She is prepared for them by the young magicians Lora, played by Sára Korbelová, and Mertur, played by Cyril Dobrý. then, when the witch Murien, played by Simona Zmrzla, shows up, Ariana must risk everything to learn the truth about her past.

“I think the audience will be very pleasantly surprised, because there is a lot of magic, enchantment and surprises in our fairy tale. The Birth of an Alchemist is about friendship, love, courage and the desire to follow your dream,” summarizes Magdalena Müller, who was born in 2010 in Munich.

The film was shot by director Petr Kubík, the author of both parts of The Princess Conjured in Time. This time, screenwriter Lukáš daniel Pařík also moved into the role of second director. Their goal was to create a modern fantasy fairy tale that can measure up to foreign titles, while remaining faithful to the domestic tradition and Czech fairy tale poetics.

“We wanted to show that the world of magic can be not only adventurous, but also close to people. That’s why we set it in our environment and used characters that the audience already knows from previous films and books, i.e. the witch Murien, Grandmaster Archivald and Herald,” states Kubík.

Trailer from the movie Birth of an Alchemist

Video: Bohemia MP