Stone of Destiny

“Stone of Destiny” explores the beauty of finding your path, even when it’s fraught with uncertainty.

This animated musical follows the journey of the anthropomorphised Stone of Destiny. On a path filled with mysterious encounters and hidden symbols, it is driven by a desire for freedom. Stone is accompanied not only by a newfound freedom, but also by a fear of failure. Stone of Destiny serves as the alter ego of the author Julie Černá. Through the film, she explores themes of emotional understanding, her past relationships, and loneliness. The film is based on her trilogy of comic books, “Stone of Destiny”, which was awarded the Muriel Prize for the best student comic book in 2022.

Programme section: New Talents Competition
Original title: Kámen Osudu | Year: 2025 | Duration: 10′
Country: Czechia | Language: Czech | Subtitles: English
Director: Julie Černá | Production: Kristina Husová – Pure Shore; UMPRUM | Screenplay: Julie Černá | Animation: Julie Černá, Matouš Valchář | Editing: Alexandra Volfová | Sound: Juras Karaka

FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION) 

Berlinale, 2025 – World Premiere (Berlinale Shorts) | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Pragueshorts | Anifilm – Special Mention in Student Film Category | Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival – Special Mention | Go Short | goEast Festival of Central and Eastern European Film | Zlín Film Festival | Animafest Zagreb | IndieLisboa International Film Festival

DIRECTOR’S BIO 

Julie Černá is a visual artist and animator from the small town of Strážnice in southern Moravia. She is currently living in Prague, pursuing her MA at UMPRUM in the Animation and Film Studio. In her work, she explores the feeling of melancholy that lies hidden within every experience of happiness. During her studies, she has created three animated music videos that have been screened at several international animation festivals. Besides animation, she has a passion for illustration and original comics.