Exclusive: Clip from Paula Ďurinová’s ‘Action Item,’ Premiering at Karlovy Vary and FIDMarseille

Slovakia’s guča films and Portugal’s Kino Rebelde have shared with Documentary Magazine an exclusive first clip from Action Item, the sophomore feature-length documentary by filmmaker and visual artist Paula Ďurinová (Lapilli). The film is set for a rare double world premiere: it will screen in the Proxima Competition at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 4–12) and concurrently in the International Competition at the 36th edition of FIDMarseille (July 8–13).

An exploration of burnout as a collective and systemic experience rather than a solely personal affliction, Action Item examines how exhaustion is not only felt but constructed—shaped by cycles of over-performance, self-optimization, and institutional neglect. Set in Berlin, the documentary combines collective testimony with reflective narration, found footage, and experimental soundscapes to deconstruct the myth of burnout as an isolated psychological condition.

Produced by Matej Sotník for guča films and co-produced by CLAW Films and Slovak Television and Radio, Action Item is being distributed internationally by Kino Rebelde. The project also features contributions from collaborators including cinematographers Darya Chernyak, Clara Becking, and Radka Šišuláková; editor Deniz Şimşek; and composer Lenka Adamcová.

The clip shared with Documentary features an excerpt from the movie’s opening scene. Eliana, one of the protagonists, walks through the charged atmosphere of modern-day Berlin, her movements accompanied by a disembodied voice reflecting on a moment of profound disconnection. The narrator recounts how, amidst job hunting and escalating protests leading to police violence, she became so overwhelmed that she failed to notice she had physically injured herself—a striking metaphor for the invisibility of emotional and somatic pain under capitalist pressure. This understated, slow-burning sequence sets the film’s reflective, immersive tone.

“Action Item emerged from my personal experience with anxiety, depression, and a burnout episode several years ago,” reveals Ďurinová. “In trying to understand what had happened, I began reading various essays and self-published zines that critique the privatization of mental health and explore its political dimensions. The circular and repetitive nature of depression, anxiety, and burnout guides the film. Each new experience carries the memory of the previous one and, at the same time, anticipates the next. With this film, I wanted to create a suspension of time and space — a place where we can reflect on past crises and move beyond them in search of a broader context.”

Davide Abbatescianni is a film critic and journalist based in Rome. He works as an International Reporter for Cineuropa and regularly contributes to publications such as Variety, New Scientist, The New Arab, Business Doc Europe, and the Nordisk Film & TV Fond website. He also serves as a funding expert for two European financing bodies.