REP ORT ON THE SL OVAK AUDI OVIS UAL SIT UATION IN 201 5 REPORT ON THE S LOVAK AUDIOVISUAL SITU A TION IN 2015 > CONTENT – Introduction ...................................................................... 03 – This project has been funded with the support from the European Commission. – Legislation ....................................................................... 04 – This publication reflects the views only of the author, – Film Education ................................................................. 04 and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. – Film Production ................................................................ 06 – Slovak Audiovisual Fund ................................................... 09 – Literary Fund ................................................................... 12 – MEDIA ............................................................................. 12 – Eurimages ....................................................................... 14 – Cinema Distribution ......................................................... 14 – Videodistribution .............................................................. 17 – Cinemas ........................................................................... 20 – Film Clubs ....................................................................... 22 – Festivals and Reviews ....................................................... 22 – Awards for Slovak Films and Filmmakers in Slovakia ........... 24 – Awards for Slovak Films and Filmmakers Abroad ................. 26 – Slovak Film Institute ......................................................... 27 – Television ......................................................................... 30 – Contact Points – Institutions, Companies and Other Organisations Operating in the Slovak Audiovisual Industry .......................................................... 33 REPORT ON THE S LOVAK AUDIOVISUAL SITU A TION IN 2015 > INTRODUCTION – In this place a year ago, we wrote that, simply by looking at the figures, 2014 – Documentaries are equally varied with regard to genre, but here we can ob - was an exceptionally successful year for Slovak audiovision. 2015 proved to be serve another phenomenon, the emergence of a genre that we could designate even more successful. We recorded a larger number of Slovak films (28), with as a Slovak documentary blockbuster (in 2014, it was 38 , a film about Pavol eleven of them being débuts and we also had to revise the records in distribu - Demitra, a famous hockey player who died prematurely), last year it was RYT - tion: 4,614,507 viewers represent an increase of 11 .77% on 2014, and revenues MUS A Dream from the Block based on the popularity of the personality, in this totalling EUR 23,727,092 represent an increase of 13 .70%. If we add key legi- case from the world of music with massive marketing, while the artistic quality of slative amendments – the adoption of the new Audiovisual Act but, in particular, the film itself is just a secondary issue. the flexible and modern Copyright Act, further the stable and well-functioning – All Slovak films were viewed last year by 309,886 people, which represents Slovak Audiovisual Fund and the improving situation in the collaboration of the a 6.72% share of the total attendance (in 2014, the share was 5 .71%). It is a public-service RTVS with independent producers, we may state that Slovak solid result if we take into account that the number of films premi e`red in 2015 audiovision has steadily stabilised and is attaining the standard European level. in Slovak cinemas was 244 ‒ in other words, there was a film premi e`re every – Of the total number of 28 full-length films made last year, 12 were feature 1.49 days! The largest number of people attended RYTMUS A Dream from the films, 3 animated and 13 were documentaries. As for the feature film genres, two Block (81,597 viewers), the animated film Lokalfilmis ranked second (47,237), tendencies have crystallised in Slovak cinema: feature films in the line of social Seven Ravens ranked third (45,471), Spievankovo 5: Professions ranked fourth dramas which are characterised by brutal depiction of reality (feature débuts by (33,510) and Vojtech fifth (19,419). documentary-makers Ivan Ostrochovský – Koza and Marko Škop – Eva Nová ) – Finally, we return to last year’s introduction. We asked if we knew what kind were not only successful internationally (screening at major festivals – Berlin and of Slovak films the local audience would like to see. The commercial success of Toronto and the awards they received), but they also recorded quite a respectable the films made in 2015 and the portfolio of films prepared in 2016 provide quite audience response. We have been observing the upturn in Slovak genre produc - a clear answer to this question. tion for several years, and the same applies to 2015. We saw a thriller ( The Cleaner ), fairy-tales ( Johanna’s Mystery and Seven Ravens ), a road movie Vladimír Štric (STANKO ), comedy ( Vojtech ), but also an absurd comedy ( Wilson City ). In our Head of the Office view, it is a reaction of the upcoming generation of filmmakers to the long-term Creative Europe Desk Slovakia preference for social drama as the profile genre of Slovak cinema, the effort to break free from its ideological grip. The filmmakers were sometimes more, at other times less successful at it. It is not sufficient for the film to have the formal features of a genre film (cinematography, editing and overall atmosphere); it is needful for it to deal more with the topic itself. 3 REPORT ON THE S LOVAK AUDIOVISUAL SITU A TION IN 2015 > LEGISLATION diovisual works in the original Slovak language version for hearing-impaired and sight-impaired persons and, in compliance with European legislation, to extend – Act 40/2015 on Audiovision and on the Amendment and Supplementa - the restrictions with regard to media commercial communications relating to ci- tion of Certain Acts , adopted by the Slovak National Council on 3 February garettes and tobacco products, and also to electronic cigarettes and the filling 2015, was the most significant Act adopted in 2015. This Act entered into effect bottles for electronic cigarettes. on 1 July 2015. Inter alia , this Act regulates the obligations of natural persons – On 13 January 2016, the Government of the Slovak Republic adopted the and legal entities working in audiovision, the registration of Slovak audiovisual draft update of the Systematic Restoration of Slovak Audiovisual Heritage works, the registration of persons working in audiovision and the registration of Project for 2016 –2018 . The main objective of the project is to systematically independent producers, a uniform marking system, the position and scope of protect and gradually renew the audiovisual heritage fund, and also to subse - activities of the Slovak Film Institute and the conditions for expert preservation of quently make it accessible to the public. The renewal comprises several phases original audiovisual media and audio-visual recordings constituting the Slovak (stock-taking, diagnostics, preservation/treatment, restoration, digitisation of audiovisual heritage. film materials and rendering them accessible) which gradually overlap for the in - – In 2015, Slovak copyright law underwent a substantial change, as a com - dividual audiovisual works and the accompanying documents related to the pro - pletely new Copyright Act – Act 185/2015 on Copyright (Copyright Act) was duction, distribution or presentation of audiovisual works in public. Securing the adopted with effect from 1 January 2016. The new Copyright Act is a modern and institutional, personnel, technological, technical and financial demands is an flexible regulation which secures a more effective exertion of the rights of authors essential part of the project. With regard to ongoing development in the area of and other copyright-holders within the frameworks stipulated by European and audiovisual heritage, the need to financially cover the related activities performed international law. However, on the other hand, it does represent an obstacle to the by the Slovak Film Institute, and the fact that the project update approved by the dissemination of culture, education and research results, or to the development Government of the Slovak Republic in 2013 contained specific tasks for the of Internet economics and the support of creativity. At the same time, the Act en - stakeholders only until 2015, it was also necessary to update the project for the sures a balancing of the interests of copyrights-holders, users and the general subsequent period, i.e. for 2016 –2018. public. The extent of the enforceability of rights, should they be breached, is also enforced. The Act ensures due control for copyright-holders and also for the ge- > FILM EDUCATION neral public over collective administration organisations which manage the rights and funds of authors and other copyright-holders. – Even the youngest generation has an opportunity to develop its creative po - – Act 284/2014 on the Fund for the Support of Art and on the Amendment tential at a number of schools: at Ľudovít Rajter’s Elementary School of Art and Supplementation of Act 434/2010 on the Provision of Grants by the Min - (www.zussklenarova.sk), Ján Albrecht’s Elementary School of Art (www.zus - istry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, as Amended by Act 79/2013 , entered janaalbrechta.eu), the Private Secondary