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Although it seems on the surface to be another film confronting the #MeToo phenomenon, Ondřej Provazník’s thoughtful and quite superbly nuanced drama takes a radically different approach to the issue. At times, it certainly is a hard watch, notably in the last 15 or so minutes, but Broken Voices is not so much about sexual abuse per se as the modus operandi of the abuser.

Indeed, for most of its running time, the villain of the piece — based, visually as well as thematically, on the real-life case of Bohumil Kulínský and his scandalous 30-year tenure as leader of the Children of Prague choir — simply appears to be something of a bully, keeping his more sinister motivations firmly under wraps.

The setting is the early ’90s, and the focus of the film is Karolina (Kateřina Falbrová), a 13-year-old Czech girl who fantasizes about following her big sister Lucie (Maya Kintera) into the local choir.

Based on the true story of the Bambini di Praga choir and the sexual abuse case that shook the Czech Republic, “Broken Voices” goes to uncomfortable places.

“Its choirmaster was accused of sexually abusing many, many girls over the years. But then, a strange thing happened: some girls recounted terrible things, but others took his side,” says Czech director Ondřej Provazník.

“He ended up in jail, so his guilt was clear, but it led to another bizarre experience. I was still studying at Famu at the time, and one night I went to a bar. There was a group of young women sitting right next to me, and suddenly they started to sing – beautifully. They were singing over the phone, to their choirmaster. Even though he was accused of horrific crimes! This whole situation kept coming back to me – also when the #MeToo movement finally broke out.”

Czech Republic might...

“An exclusive world, in which desirable prestige goes hand in hand with premature coming of age.” That is how the website of the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) summarizes some of the conflicting factors that lead to, and enable, the traumatic in psychological drama Broken Voices (Sbormistr), the new film from Czech writer and director Ondřej Provazník (Old-Timers, A Town Called Hermitage) that world premieres in the fest’s main Crystal Globe Competition on Sunday, July 6.

The cast of the Czech-Slovak co-production includes Juraj Loj (Agnieska Holland’s Charlatan) and an ensemble of mostly non-professional actors, led by Kateřina Falbrová. Other cast members include Maya Kintera, Zuzana Šulajová, Marek Cisovský, Ivana Wojtylová and Barrandov Studio.

“It’s the early 1990s, and 13-year-old Karolína, a gifted novice singer, is given the chance to become a member of a world-famous girls’ choir,” reads a synopsis that turns...

The trailer has debuted for Ondřej Provazní’s psychological drama “Broken Voices,” which has its world premiere in the main competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Salaud Morisset is handling the film’s world sales rights.

The film is set in early 1990s in the Czech Republic. Thirteen-year-old Karolína earns a place in a world-famous girls’ choir, joining her older sister and other driven young talents. Her voice soon catches the attention of the admired and enigmatic choirmaster Machá. Being singled out feels like a triumph, until she begins to understand the unsetting price of that privilege. Inspired by the Bambini di Praga case, the film explores the fragile line where innocence collides with abusive power.

François Morisset, CEO of Salaud Morisset, said the film was “a gripping psychological drama that kept us on edge with its palpable tension, while offering a sensitive and intimate portrait of young women...

Salaud Morisset has acquired world sales rights to Ondřej Provazní’s psychological drama “Broken Voices,” which has its world premiere in the main competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

The film follows 13-year-old Karolína, a gifted novice singer, who is given the chance to become a member of a world-famous girls’ choir, taking her place alongside her older sister and her other rivals in the ensemble. Karolína’s talent has caught the attention of the formidable and much-admired choirmaster whose attention is wanted by all the young singers. What will be the price Karolína has to pay to become his favorite?

François Morisset, CEO of Salaud Morisset, said the film was “a gripping psychological drama that kept us on edge with its palpable tension, while offering a sensitive and intimate portrait of young women navigating the bubbled and competitive world of girls’ choirs, driven by abusive authority. It’s a timeless topic,...