Cappu Films has picked up worldwide rights, except for Czech Republic and Slovakia, to Slovak filmmaker Katarína Gramatová‘s “Promise, I’ll Be Fine” (Hore je nebo, v doline som ja), which will have its European premiere at Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

After debuting in main competition at Tokyo Film Festival, the coming-of-age drama was selected for Beijing Film Festival and Shanghai. The film will be released in Czech Rep. and Slovakia in the fall.

“Promise, I’ll Be Fine” follows 15-year-old Enrique, who spends his summer riding motorbikes with his friends. He lives with his grandma in a small village in the “Hungry Valley,” doing odd jobs for his mother who occasionally comes to visit. When the tasks turn out to be not as honorable as he believed, he has to decide: stick to his values or cut off his mother for good.

Gramatová, who began her career as an editor, graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava in 2023. Her directorial debut, “Cherries,” won a Special Jury Prize at the Zlín Film Festival. Her following short film “A Good Mind Grows in Thorny Places” was selected in the Future Frames program at Karlovy Vary. “Promise, I’ll Be Fine” marks her debut feature.

Gramatová said: “The film speaks to a pivotal moment in adolescence, when we begin to discover our own values, which sometimes leads to conflict with those who raised us. As children, we often hear that mothers want the best for their child, but in difficult life situations, some mothers use their own children for their own happiness. From my perspective, it is a struggle for survival.”

“Promise, I’ll Be Fine” is produced by Igor Engler and Julie Marková Žáčková for Dryeye Film and Nochi Film. Slovak Television and Radio co-produces. The cast includes Michal Záchenský, Eva Mores, Jana Oľhová, Dominik Vetrák, Adam Šuniar and Július Oľha. Production was supported by Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Czech Audiovisual Fund, Slovak Television and Radio and Košice Region – Terra Incognita.

Marková Žáčková said: “We’re thrilled to have Cappu Films on board. They reached out ahead of our Tokyo premiere and have championed the film from the beginning. We’re excited to bring this story to a global audience with Cappu’s support. It is not usual for debut films from our co-production countries to be able to work with a sales agent on international release, especially if you mix in cast that is made mostly out of non-actors and a story that is set in a tiny village. The film is resonating on the festival circuit worldwide, and we hope that the story our film tells will touch people across the world.”

The Czech release is scheduled for October with Aerofilms. The Slovak distributor is Filmtopia. After Karlovy Vary, “Promise, I’ll Be Fine” will head to Galway Fleadh, Giffoni and Burgas.

Hong Kong-based Cappu Films is an international sales and distribution company, specializing in rising filmmakers and genre titles with global appeal. Its lineup includes Josh Radnor’s “All Happy Families,” about two competitive brothers and their parents who reunite in their childhood home for one eventful weekend; and Chinese action-thriller “Assassin,” an adventure into the hidden history of the underground resistance in the early years of the Sino-Japanese war. Film Movement handles North American distribution for “Assassin.”