Last year’s most awarded Czech-Slovak coproduction, Shadow Country won six of its 15 Czech Lion nominations as well as Best Film at the Czech Film Critics’ Awards. This fiction debut of Bohdan Sláma (Wild Bees, Something Like Happiness, Ice Mother), befitting its historical setting, is shot entirely in black and white on classic celluloid. The historical drama tells the story of the inhabitants of a forgotten village near the Austrian border, and how their lives are upended by the events of the 1930s–50s. Before, their primary concerns were tilling the fields, surviving the winter and raising their children. Now, each of them has to decide whether they are Austrian, German or Czech – and pay the price for their decision. And so, neighbours who used to coexist peacefully turn into sworn enemies who settle their accounts by any means necessary, leaving their scruples and humanity behind. By telling the true story of a village in southern Bohemia, the film aims to contribute to the discussion about coming to terms with the painful history of one’s own country.