Franz is a 2025 biographical drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland and written by Marek Epstein. Starring Idan Weiss as Franz Kafka, it follows the author's life from his early teens in his hometown of Prague to his premature death in 1924.
The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September. It was selected as Poland's submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot Prague at the beginning of the 20th century: Franz Kafka (Idan Weiss) is torn between the strict expectations of his father Hermann (Peter Kurth), his monotonous daily routine at an insurance company, and his deep-rooted urge to write and thus give literary expression to his innermost feelings. His texts finally receive initial attention, while he continues to try to lead a life between conforming to others, such as his dominant father, and self-realisation. Viewers should be warned that the torture depicted in the visual rendering of Kafka’s short story “In the penal colony” could leave them traumatised. Time and again, Franz experiences intense relationships with women who enchant him to the utmost, inevitably facing the tensions between closeness and withdrawal. Supported by his friend and publisher Max Brod (Sebastian Schwarz), the picture emerges of a man searching for his place in the world – between a sense of duty, inner turmoil and creative expression.
Cast Idan Weiss as Franz Kafka Daniel Dongres as Young Franz Peter Kurth as Hermann Kafka Jenovéfa Boková as Milena Jesenská Ivan Trojan as Siegfried Löwy, Kafka's uncle Sandra Korzeniak as Julie Kafka Carol Schuler as Felice Bauer Sebastian Schwarz as Max Brod Katarina Stark as Ottla Kafka Anna Císařovská as Valli Kafka Josef Trojan as Yitzchak Lowy Aaron Friesz as Oskar Baum Jan Budař as officer Stanislav Majer as Adolf Just, sanatorium director Emma Smetana as tour guide Karel Dobrý as Pfohl Gesa Schermuly as Grete Bloch
Production The Franz screenplay was written by Holland and Marek Epstein based on a story by Epstein and Mike Downey. Principal photography began on 12 April 2024, in Prague and moved to Berlin at the end of May.
Release Franz competed for the Golden Shell in the official selection of the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Reception Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
In a review for Deadline, critic Damon Wise calls the film a "playful and oddly endearing biopic of the enigmatic Czech author."
Jared Marcel Pollen writes that the film tries "to present an unassuming, de-mythologized portrait of Kafka...."Pollen, Jared Marcel. "Kafka Inc." Liberties, December 2025.
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Camerimage22 November 2025Golden FrogTomasz NaumiukSan Sebastián International Film Festival 27 September 2025 Golden Shell for Best Film Franz Czech Lion Awards 14 March 2026 Best Film Franz Best Director Agnieszka Holland Best Actor in Leading Role Idan Weiss Best Supporting Actor Peter Kurth Josef Trojan Ivan Trojan Best Supporting Actress Jenovéfa Boková Best Screenplay Marek Epstein, Agnieszka Holland Best Cinematography Tomasz Naumiuk Best Music Maria Komasa-Łazarkiewicz, Antoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz Best Editing Pavel Hrdlička Best Sound Marek Hart, Michaela Patríková, Tomáš Bělohradský Best Stage Design Henrich Boráros Best Makeup and Hairstyling Gabriela Poláková Best Costume Design Michaela Horáčková Hořejší
The film received the Grand Prix and the Youth Jury Award of the (2026).
References
See also
List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Polish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film External links