Secret Delivery
Story of the great heroism of the little heroes
Director: Ján Sebechlebský
Tichá pošta
Czech Republic / Slovakia / Serbia 2025
This adventurous family film takes place in the snowy Giant Mountains at the end of the German occupation. A group of child heroes rescues a downed French pilot. Their actions resemble the principle of the well-known “telephone game“ – the pilot is passed between mountain villages like a secret message – secret delivery - at school. But the children play a highly risky game. They are confronted by deadly soldiers of the occupying army, they must outwit traitors and informers and, last but not least, survive in the harsh conditions of winter in the mountains. This thrilling and visually attractive film story, which is an adaptation of the literary novel by writer and screenwriter Jiří Stránský, is based on real events. The creators want to address child viewers with the theme of courage, friendship and heroism, but also to show how people change when confronted with danger.
Why tell another story from the end of the WWII?
“Why tell another story from the end of the WWII? Because it's a children's story about empathy, rebellion, joy, courage and hope at a time when the chance of survival sometimes depends only on luck. It's one of those stories where children unite against the adult world in order to save someone. I think that such stories are needed especially today, when our kids are unexpectedly confronted with the proximity and impact of war on a daily basis.“ Ján Sebechlebský, Director
When my dad, the writer Jiří Stránský, passed away in 2019, Ján Sebechlebský and I sat down a week after my dad's funeral, and started writing the script for Secret Delivery. Dad and Ján had already been working on it before his death, so our conscience commanded us, and especially the desire to be close to dad at all times, which piled up to the brim when writing the script based on his book We heard him whispering to us. Dad loved this story. This thrilling adventure of those brave boys and girls, in cold winter, with the Nazis behind their backs. My father´s life credo was to help the weaker, honor the truth and fight for justice. That's my dad's imprint, so strongly present in the Secret Delivery." Klára Formanová, Co-author of the script
supported by Czech Film Fund, Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Czech TV, RTVS, Ministry of Culture Slovak Republic, Barrandov Studio, Moss & Roy, Max Effects, Liberecký kraj, Plzeňský kraj