Agnieszka Holland's Kafka Biopic 'Franz' Premieres in August

Polish director Agnieszka Holland is releasing her most ambitious project, the biopic "Franz," which dramatizes the life of Czech writer Franz Kafka. The film opens in cinemas on 6 August and uses a kaleidoscopic, non‑linear structure to trace Kafka’s journey from his 1883 birth in Prague through his final years in post‑World‑War I Vienna.

The lead role is played by German actor Idan Weiss, who immersed himself in Kafka’s diaries and isolated himself in Hamburg to capture the writer’s “dark energy.” Holland portrays Kafka as a neuro‑atypical figure, highlighting his sensory sensitivities and strained relationship with his domineering father, portrayed by Peter Kurth. The film reflects the paradox that Kafka once despised cinema yet was an avid early‑film viewer, now being revisited through a contemporary cinematic lens.

"Franz" competed for the Golden Shell at San Sebastián, represented Poland in the Oscar race, and aims to offer a fresh, fragmented portrait of a literary giant whose work reshaped 20th‑century narrative.