How to be kind and keep going. Star-studded delegation brings an emotional film to Karlovy Vary

The world premiere of Learning to Breathe Under Water, presented in the Special Screenings section at KVIFF sparked strong and heartfelt emotions among its first audience. The young lead actor, Ezra Carlisle, received a huge round of applause. In the film, he plays an eight-year-old boy whose father is struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife.

“People who are grieving the loss of loved ones are struggling with intense emotions and are going through a very difficult time. I felt it myself, both during the shooting of our film and now in the cinema. The film shows that everyone’s views matter, regardless how big or small they are. Everyone is important and no one should be underestimated,” said the Northern Irish talent and earned another round of loud applause. “As you can see, working with him wasn’t difficult,” added director Rebekah Fortune.

She watched over a hundred auditions to find the right child actor. When she saw Ezra telling her that he liked maths and English, she thought to herself: “That’s the one. During the next Zoom casting session, at 11 o’clock sharp, Ezra suddenly got up and left. His mum then apologised to me for telling him it would last until eleven and that they’d go for a swim afterwards. And when he saw that it was eleven o’clock, he went to get his swimming trunks. At that moment, I was sure I’d found the right one,” said the director.

At the start of the premiere, Fortune mentioned that she was autistic, a fact that one of the female audience members at the debate was very pleased to hear. “It wasn’t before I was fifty years old when I found out my diagnosis. I’ve always been creative and that’s helped me make sense of the world. I started out as an actress. In fact, playing other people was easier than being myself. Generally speaking, it is important that we, as filmmakers, create a welcoming space where people can talk about what they need without being judged. We had a coordinator on set who wasn’t just there for me, but for anyone who needed him. If you’re neurodivergent, talk about it and stand up for your interests. We never know what the other person is struggling with. That’s why we need to be kinder to others," the filmmaker urged.

A metal shark sculpture on the roof plays an important role in the film. When one of the audience members asked about its significance, they learnt that this particular element was actually based on reality. And it was also there when the film was born. “The screenwriter Richard Brabin lived in Oxford, and there is a similar house in the town with a large shark on the roof. Richard used to walk his son to school past it and started wondering who might live there and why they’d put that shark on the roof,” explained producer Jack Tarling, who is also behind films such as God’s Own Country and Kneecap.

Maria Bakalova also attended the festival in Karlovy Vary to promote the film, in which she plays an au pair who brings a splash of colour to the dull lives of the father and son. “I’d like to have some of her qualities. Anja brings a touch of magic, reminding others how to breathe again and carry on. She, too, went on. That’s just how life goes: when you help someone, it helps you too – by showing you how not to give up. She’s an inspiration to me and I hope that to many others as well,” said the actress, best known for her role as Borat’s daughter, as she praised her character.

When asked how she chose her roles, the Oscar nominee replied: “I started out in theatre, and I fell in love with film thanks to the Danish masterpieces The Hunt and A Royal Affair. Ever since then, I’ve been a fan of independent productions. I’m always keen to get stuck into a script like this. I want to challenge myself. I want to explore interpersonal relationships. As Ezra said, it is important that everyone is listened to and accepted. It may sound idealistic, but at least we can try,” the Bulgarian star concluded the debate, after which the audience rewarded the delegation with a standing ovation.