RESTORE POINT Trailer: Czech Blade Runner Dazzles with Retrofuturist Visuals
Genre filmmaking has surged recently in Czech cinema. Still, a sci-fi film from the youngest generation remained in waiting.
Czech science fiction cinema is known for such gems as Ikarie XB 1, Karel Zeman´s imaginative and pioneering films, Karel Čapek´s adaptations or sci-fi comedies from the creative tandem of Václav Vorlíček and Miloš Macourek.
Recently, buzz rose after the revelation that a sci-fi noir, Restore Point, is in the making from the debuting director Robert Hloz. The ambitious project traveled the international industry circuit. being the first Czech project ever to be pitched at the Asia Film Financing Forum while making appearances at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Fantasia Frontières, and Baltic Event in Tallinn.
The narrative is grounded in a 2041 Prague, where all citizens are constitutionally entitled to live an entire lifetime. A groundbreaking technology, Restore Point, enables resurrection after unnatural death, provided the person regularly backs up their brain every 48 hours. The plot unravels through the perspective of young detective Emma Trochinowska, tasked with solving a murder case where a couple has been killed and the restoration team could only bring one of them back to life.
Restore Point is defined by retrofuturist aesthetics and design that the creators called "futurosocialism", referring to the signature presence of brutalist architecture of the socialist period.
The official synopsis: “The film's story is set in the year 2041 when humanity uses highly advanced technologies and the constitution guarantees all citizens the right to 'one full life'. In the event of an unnatural death, such as a car accident or terrorist attack, a person can be restored from their digital backup.
"All it takes is creating a digital backup of your personality every two days - a 'restoration point'. But does humanity truly deserve a second chance?”
The film is slated to premiere in Czech theatres in Fall 2023.
