Director Agnieszka Holland continues her portrayal of films and TV shows based on true events throughout Eastern Europe under the soviet regime with her latest feature Charlatan/ Šarlatán. Here, she presents the possible life of Czech healer Jan Mikolášek who was brought to trial after the death of President Antonín Zápotocký in 1957. Interweaving past and present, Holland presents a man who places his own sense of power and control above all else, a man who will do almost anything to survive yet one who assists anyone who seeks his care.

Charlatan, written by Czech Lion–winning screenwriter Marek Epstein, is stoic, controlled, yet highly emotive, and has been nominated to represent the Czech Republic at the 2021 Academy Awards (Best International Feature Film). Ivan Trojan, acclaimed Czech actor, also brings this stoicism to the role in his portrayal of Mikolášek as a man who, whilst principled, is often selective with his values.