2016

www.filmsk.sk SPECIAL EDITION OF THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON SLOVAK CINEMA THE SLOVAK FILM INSTITUTE WE INTRODUCE 2015 INSLOVAK FILM f INTERVIEW f f f

Eva Nová Marko Škop Waiting Room The Cleaner REVIEWS Film entries written by Peter Hames I, Olga Hepnarová (Ja, Olga Hepnarová) The History And Present and In Your Dreams! (Ani ve snu!) were included in this year’s Berlin International of Film.sk Film Festival programme. These fi lms are Czech majority fi lms, but Slovakia also had Film.sk is a monthly about fi lm events in Slovakia

EDITORIAL a part in their making. The interconnection published by the Slovak Film Institute. It has been between the Slovak and Czech audiovisual published since January 2000 and up to 2010 it environments remains obvious, even was the only fi lm periodical in print in Slovakia. although it is now more than twenty The magazine’s editor-in-chief Simona Nôtová years since the break-up of the former was present at its birth and she managed it until federal republic. You will fi nd several September 2012. Naturally, the monthly has co-productions in the New Films section undergone conceptual changes over the course which off ers a selection of Slovak fi lms that of its existence but it was always based on the are planned to have their premières in 2016. principle of the provision of a broad range of Eva Nová is also a Slovak-Czech fi lm; we information on the events in the local fi lm and carry a review of the fi lm in the magazine audiovisual milieu. and also an interview with its author At present, Film.sk is comprised of permanent Marko Škop, an experienced documentary sections: the Interview, Topic and Review which are fi lmmaker who entered feature production. complemented by further regular and irregular And also a fi lmmaker who has sampled sections. These include current fi lm events, reports the working conditions in Croatia, so he can on fi lm festivals and fi lm presentations in Slovakia compare, step back and look at the Slovak and abroad, evaluating refl ections on important environment from a certain distance. events, an overview of distribution premieres Recently, the productivity of Slovak in the given month but, in addition, the glosses cinema appears to be promising and or comments of experienced fi lm journalists, its variety is also increasing. This is contributions by fi lmmakers who respond to fostered by international collaborations; questions about the projects they are currently however, the support provided by the working on, profi les of personalities of Slovak domestic environment is vital, especially cinema, separate texts about new Slovak fi lms the support from the Slovak Audiovisual based on the accounts of directors and producers, Fund and public-service television. We presentations of inspirational new books from the deal with how the Radio and Television of area of fi lm literature and several other sections. Slovakia collaborates with fi lm producers Film.sk also contains attachments which chart in the Topic of this issue. the annual results in one of the areas of Slovak It seems that the confi dence of domestic cinema and provide valuable statistical data. audiences in Slovak fi lms is gradually One of the regular attachments brings a report growing, as indicated by the statistics on summarising Slovak cinematography for the pages 12 and 13. However, it is important previous year, divided into a number of chapters: that, at the same time, the audience be Legislation, Financial Support, Film Education, made aware that Slovak cinema does Film Production, Film Distribution, Cinemas, not just constitute the current fi lms, but Multiplexes and Film Clubs, Film Festivals and Film that it has its history where a variety Screenings. The study of Czech cinematography, of connections and remarkable works which is also published as an attachment to the are to be found. The digitisation of the monthly magazine, takes on a similar structure. audiovisual heritage can contribute to this Contemporarily, Film.sk is a well-established awareness and we provide information fi lm magazine capable of appealing to fi lm ex- about it in the section devoted to the perts, fi lmmakers, students and the wider public Slovak Film Institute. alike. The website www.fi lmsk.sk has supported its printed version since 2001. \ Daniel Bernát (Editor-in-Chief) 2016 content FILM.SK

Film.sk Publisher: Slovak Film Institute Address: Film.sk, Slovak Film Institute, Grösslingová 32, 811 09 Bratislava, 24 Slovak Republic tel.: +421 2 57 10 15 25 E-MAIL: fi[email protected] Editor-in-Chief: 03 FROM THE HISTORY OF THE SLOVAK FILM INSTITUTE Daniel Bernát Editing: 04 – 06 2015 IN FEATURE FILM Zuzana Sotáková Editorial board: 2015 IN DOCUMENTARY FILM Peter Dubecký 07 – 09 Alexandra Strelková Marián Brázda 10 – 11 2015 IN ANIMATED FILM Miro Ulman Simona Nôtová 12 – 13 DISTRIBUTION OF SLOVAK FILMS IN 2015 Štefan Vraštiak Andrea Biskupičová 14 – 16 REVIEW: Eva Nová directed by Marko Škop English translation: Ivana Musilová REVIEW: Design & graphic design: 17 – 19 The Cleaner directed by Peter Bebjak Radim Jančovič Printing: Dolis, s r. o. 20 – 22 REVIEW: Waiting Room directed by Palo Korec Cover photo: Stills from the film 23 NEWS SECTION Eva Nová - Artileria 24 – 27 INTERVIEW: Film.sk is supported by the Marko Škop Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. 28 – 29 TOPIC: RTVS as the partner of Slovak films The opinions of the editorial staff do not necessarily comply NEW FILMS with the opinions expressed 30 – 31 by the contributors......

32 – 40 WE INTRODUCE THE SLOVAK FILM INSTITUTE

32 – 33 PROJECTS OF THE SFI: Digital Audiovision

34 – 38 INTERVIEW: Mária Ferenčuhová, Eva Filová, Petra Hanáková,

Eva Šošková

39 SFI PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES

40 SFI AND SECOND RUN DVD FROM THE HISTORY OF THE SFI ------second, updated edition isinpreparation. slovenskej kinematografi ofSlovakHistory Cinematography       preparation ofthe ext ------Production. fi SFI also acquired producer rightsto thearchived managed bytheMCSR.Hence, bydelimitation, the organisationindependent publiccontributory Cinematographic Centre wasestablishedasan (MC SR),theSlovak FilmInstitute -National ofCultureof theMinistry of theSlovak Republic -Koliba) upto 1991 1stJanuary when,bydecision - Koliba (Slovenská fi organisation Slovak FilmProduction Bratislava ------Slovak FilmInstitute, islocated onitspremises. the present day, CinemaLumière, belonging to the Offi ------fi Central Offi the fi ------Company (Slovenská požičovňa fi Ivan Rumanovský at theSlovak FilmDistribution it wasestablishedin1958 bythefi fi (Filmová tvorbaadistribúcia)inBratislava. The directorate ofFilmProduction andDistribution on 1stApril1963 anditwasplaced underthe ------heritage. 1995 UNESCO placed itamongtheworldcultural later restored, provided withasoundtrack andin (Jánošík, dir. Jaroslav Siakeľ, 1921) whichwas lms whichwere made before 1991 bySlovak Film lmu). oftheInstitute;lm archive also becamepart Creative Europe Desk Slovensko is also part of the Slovak Film Institute. Film Slovak the of part also is Slovensko Desk Europe Creative Counc (EAO) the and Observatory diovisual Au- European the for workplace service a as functions 2006); (since it Promotion Film European (FIAF), Archives Film Federation of International the of member a is SFI The units. SFI’sthe organisational basic are Cinematographic Centre National the and Archive Film National The Slovakia. in audiovision of area the in operating institution archive and memory state-funded sole the (SFI) is Institute Film Slovak The

ce ofSlovak FilmwasopenedinBratislava; at The Slovak FilmInstitute participated inthe In July 1989 theSFI cameunderthestate By theendof1976 theFilmClub oftheCentral In 1972, theFilmInstitute cameunderthe In 1970, theSFIwaspresented withacopyof The FilmInstitute inBratislava wasestablished rst Slovak full-length feature fi ce ofSlovak Film(Ústredie slovenského lmová tvorbaBratislava ensive publication e, 1997); currently the lmov). lm historian (Dejiny lm Jánošík called ------DVDs andCDsothermaterials. ------activities oftheSFI. It regulated andre-defi          ------in Bratislava. Thecinemaisoperated bytheSFI. ------This istheSFI’slong-term priorityproject. gradually makingthemaccessible to the public. cinematographic andaudiovisual worksand Cultural Heritage withtheobjectiveofrescuing Project oftheSystematic Restoration ofAudiovisual ------information from theSFI’sindividual departments. connecting, organising,searching andpresenting project, SKCINEMA,for processing, storing, inter- term integrated audiovisual information system ------other DVDsinover 500,000copies. Hanák, 1972); sincethenithaspublisheddozens of of theOldWorld/ ------Archives (FIAF). the prestigious International Federation ofFilm 32 –33. retained until2020. Read more about itonpages concluded on30November 2015;however, itwill be ------Cinema Lumière in Bratislava. digitisation workplace islocated inthebasementof digitisation oftheproject. workplaces SFI’s are part heritage andmake itaccessible. Two specialised in orderto systematically digitisetheaudiovisual the national project entitled Digital Audiovision Television ofSlovakia, theSFIhasimplemented presents abroad off

The national Digital Audiovision project was In 2006,theGovernment adopted thedraft In 2002, to theSFIstarted implement thelong- In 2002, theSFIpublisheditsfi In 2001,theSFIbecameafull memberof Since 2011,inassociation withtheRadio and In 2008,SFI’sshopKlapka.skwasopened.It il of Europe cinema support fund – Eurimages. Eurimages. fund – support cinema Europe of il In September 2011,CinemaLumière was opened In 2008,theAudiovisual Actentered into eff Obrazy er offi ned the position,tasksand

starého sveta,dir. Dušan lmological literature, rst DVD (Pictures ect. 2015 in feature film Surprisingly Good Intruders and the End of a Comedy Dream g Jana Dudková

TheT 2015 feature production confirms that Slovak cinema is becoming more genre- diversifiedd without getting diverted along the road of following short-term trends. In it we canc find a fairy tale, a comedy, a nostalgic retro-story, genre hybrids inspired by popular culture,c and also auteur works innovating well-known models of socially-oriented works in whichw the impulses of the first domestic social films move in new, frequently unexpected directions.d Thus, in essence, we can find all the trends that have been intentionally supported,s largely after the Slovak Audiovisual Fund was established.

However,H diversity does not mean that works society. It is not a fi lm signalling a cinematographic area no longer divided between those which trend, rather a fi lm confi rming a certain trend in area focused more towards presentation at the auteur work of Nvota himself – his theatre and internationalin festivals and those which are television works diff er markedly from his cinema directedd towards a broader audience, not just cycle in terms of genre and theme, even though theth local art house audience. Nevertheless, the some stylistic and ethical elements remain similar diffd erences are not so distinct as they used to be (the penchant for mitigating confl icts, the appeal in recent years and fi lms following global trends to maintain the family hearth even despite a in art cinematography with regard to the cast or temporary disruption of the harmonic order, etc.). genrege inspirations are also noticeably directed The balancing between realism, the decorative towardsto the domestic audience. (n)ostalgia of the late 1960s and the childish plot- The distribution year 2015 commenced quite lines (the episode with the fox), however, does conventionally,co in the line of fi lms from the not seem convincing in the fi lm and The Hostage previousp year dealing with the past. The Hostage remains a somewhat mediocre example of its (R(Rukojemník) is the third of the nostalgic fi lms by genre. ddirectori Juraj Nvota built on an a priori rejection Even though it might sound like a cliché, in 4 — 5 ooff the normalisation processes in Czechoslovak respect of the fi lms made in 2015, there are three

The Cleaner (Čistič) . photo: Bontonfi lm fi lms which continue to stabilise the minimalist, of his fellow-traveller and manager with these socially sensitivised fi lm or, in other words, traits). the “social drama”, which appear to be more The protagonists of all the three above valuable. While, in 2014, there was a short break fi lms take their fate into their own hands; the and the genre was present only in the form of “cleaner” Tomáš and the broken actress Eva stories in Children (Deti) and Twenty (Slovensko Nová don’t even need a “manager” from the 2.0), the subsequent year brought two feature majority society to do so. In this way, they refer débuts from directors of documentaries and one back to the débuts of Mira Fornay and Zuzana attempt to merge the elements of social drama Liová (Liová is also one of the dramaturges of made the Slovak way with a thriller, romance Eva Nová); hence, in a way, also to the roots and fi lm noir. In particular, The Cleaner (Čistič) of Slovak “social” drama. However, both fi lms and Eva Nová (Eva Nová) proved that the also bring to it unexpected elements of self- ongoing trend of “festival” fi lms is capable of refl ection of fi lm or refl ection of the domestic surprising and also developing new ways of fi l m t r a d i t i o n . The Cleaner follows up on appealing to domestic audiences. Thus, The Krištúfek’s fi lm Visible World (Viditeľný svet) Cleaner involves genres that are more attractive and, through the character of a recluse who to audiences and Eva Nová entices audiences to wins love from being hidden under the bed of view the still popular fi lm star in an unexpected the chosen woman, it also refl ects on the theme role. However, neither of these fi lms attempts of audience voyeurism. In turn, Eva Nová brings to make concessions to the taste of the masses; a self-refl ective vision of cinematography in The Cleaner even radically frustrates the its historical perspective by means of archive viewer’s expectations. At the same time, both pictures from the fi lmography of Emília titles try to remediate the stable images of Vášáryová. Slovak fi lm. The dismal, fi lm-noir-style images In respect of the theme, Eva Nová is probably of (post)apocalyptic Bratislava under constant the greatest surprise. It does not relate to renovation in The Cleaner are miles away from current tendencies in Slovak cinema fi lms but, the housing estate teenage hits and lifestyle surprisingly, to themes found in the television fi lms from the beginning of the millennium. fi lms of the new millennium: this is where The way the camera takes Emília Vášáryová in we fi nd a certain prototype of a mother who Eva Nová in combination with the unbecoming betrayed her own child. Just like the mothers styling create a totally diff erent spectacle of in Párnický’s The Cage (Klietka) or Krištúfek’s an ageing face than we have been accustomed Long Short Night (Dlhá krátka noc) so Eva to with Vášáryová. Of the three fi lms made last Nová is also, in a certain sense, the victim of year, Ivan Ostrochovský’s début Koza (Koza) her own emancipation and, at the same time, of most obviously follows in the well-established the political regime demanding compromises. trail of the Slovak festival fi lm. However, However, the novelty of Eva Nová resides not even this fi lm sneakily betrays some of the solely in the minimalist narration but also in expectations, for instance, instead of the “glocal” the fact that she does not remain dependent on magic of economically devastated Eastern her children, bound to them by fatal ties – she Europe, it provides a homogeneous image of simply remains herself. And also adamantly alienated countries on the social periphery determined to be reconciled with her son. irrespective of whether we are in the East or the All three fi lms build on a specifi c type of West. It also adumbrates the transformation protagonist whose resilience and determination of the typical protagonist of Slovak fi lms: even defy the absurdity of the projects in which they though it is the image of a Roma oppressed by invest their energy. Just as in most Slovak life which has been exploited so many times social dramas, the projects largely entail previously, Koza fi ghts for his place under the their idiosyncratic ideas of renewing family sun, but at the same time he remains humble ties or building partner relations. While for and upright (by the end of the fi lm he even Koza, who tries to create the conditions for the manages to overcome the opportunist nature new member of the family about to arrive, the g projectp is a series of boxing matches in which in the intentions of the fi lm, and leaves many heh is predestined to fail due to his diminishing reviewers and spectators in doubt as to which of physicalp condition, the other two fi lms are the references to historical life and events were basedba – each in its own way – on the character meant as a post-modern joke and which are a ofof an undesired intruder. The family can start consequence of inconsistency or latent Czech to be rebuilt (Eva Nová) or the partnership colonialism. In combination with the simplistic ccomeo into existence (The Cleaner) only at the humour of the fi lm, the whole outcome is momentm when the character literally becomes decidedly awkward. ana intruder in the lives of others. The distribution year 2015 was concluded In this sense, the collection of feature fi lms in feature fi lms by Viktor Csudai’s comedy. premièredp in 2015 is aptly complemented On the one hand, Vojtech (Vojtech) is based by another fi lm about a stubbornly resilient on the topical discourse in which comedy is

2015 in feature film heroineh faced with the seemingly absurd presented as a genre in great demand in the projectp of rescuing her enchanted brothers domestic environment, on the other hand, the – the fairy tale by Czech director Alice Nellis fi lm continues in the line of semi-professional SevenS Ravens (Sedem zhavranelých bratov). expression also represented by Csudai’s début It signifi es the gradual extension of the Big Respect (Veľký rešpekt, 2008). Vojtech does SlovakS share in the fairy tale genre, which not have the political satire ambitions that Wilson theth director of the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, City has and The Candidate (Kandidát) or Good MartinM Šmatlák, shortly before the Fund was Man (Dobrý človek) had, but rather it draws on established,es designated as one of those with the character humour of social types – whereby, a tradition that Slovak cinema could build on. just like extremely superfi cial television formats, TheT fairy tale by Alice Nellis was accorded a it recycles unrealistic stereotypes but also mocks feministfe context by the media solely because the representatives of those social groups which theth fi lm focuses on an active, resilient heroine essentially make up the target audience. The anda because of the casting, since the role of fi lm lacks pace, lacks the gift to point up the theth future princess was given to an actress not individual situations, it lacks the harmonisation conformingco to the stereotypical ideas of beauty. and consistent symbolism of the costumes, However,H compared with Three Wishes for stage design and props. It also lacks the ability CinderellaC (Tri oriešky pre Popolušku, 1973), it to work with genre transitions. The acting transpirestr that Seven Ravens does not outface performance hovers between various genres anya older attempts to subvert gender roles in and the melodramatic happy ending is even fairyfa tales, and it even mishandles the pace, the mentoring, reminiscent of the dark times of the credibilitycr of acting or the (il)logicality of the “all explanatory” Slovak screenwriting. actionsac of the individual characters (the queen It appears tha t, unlike the social drama which anda her younger son) which do not fi t into the has perfectly achieved a second wind, the long- logiclo of the fi lm, in the attempt to combine the expected reinvigoration of Slovak comedy still fairyfa tale magic with psychological realism. remains a bizarrely tenacious wish. Even though In a certain way, the next co-production optimists might say that it diversifi es the equally project,p Wilson City (Wilsonov) by Tomáš Mašín tenacious mediocrity of the representatives aalso exists on the cusp of being a fairy tale. It is of other genre types, the almost annual a peculiar genre hybrid, combining elements of distribution of semi-fi nished comedy products, ccomics,o hardboiled detective stories, political which attempt to satisfy the alleged demand, fafarce, horror, fantasy and comedy, where last year again tainted the overall image rereal events from the end of World War I come of Slovak fi lm in a rather demotivating and ininto the context of a retro-dystopia about the destructive manner. AAmericanisation of old Bratislava. Its visually aattractivet image interspersed with references to This work was supported by the Research and ththese genres, in combination with the disunited Development Support Agency on the basis of 6 — 7 ddegreee of geopolitical irony, engenders mistrust Contract no. APVV-0797-12.  So Far, So Close (Tak ďaleko, tak blízko) . photo: AH Production

2015 in documentary film Great Ambitions, More Modest Results g Mária Ferenčuhová

After five years of the Slovak Audiovisual Fund being in operation, one might say that documentary films for cinemas have made a highly satisfactory beginning. Compared with 2012, when there were only four full-length documentaries in the conventional cinema distribution, in 2013, there were eight screened in cinemas and a year later as many as twelve. Last year, the distribution companies released precisely ten documentaries in cinemas. After the five years of joy from the rise of Slovak film it is probably about time to ask what last year’s documentaries have actually delivered and whether all of them match up to the dimensions of the big screen on which they are so ambitiously screened.

Last year’s distributed fi lms very quickly qualities of this person’s work (Milan Čorba), to confi rmed the trend set in 2014. Portraits of pay homage to him on the occasion of his 85th personalities, artists or well-known public birthday (Anton Srholec) or to tell her powerful fi gures formed the dominant genre in 2015 also. human story and at the same time present her Martin Šulík made the documentary Milan art (Through the Eyes of the Photographer). All Čorba, a cultured, professional but, nonetheless, of these fi lms have a sympathetic protagonist personal portrait of the late costume designer who, in part, carries the fi lm on their shoulders. and scenographer. Alena Čermáková made While, in Milan Čorba, Šulík predominantly uses a sensitive and civil portrait of the cherished archive materials and the many testimonies Roman Catholic priest and philanthropist, Anton of his colleagues, loved ones or friends, and Srholec, bearing his name, Anton Srholec. And made the fi lm with aesthetic sensitivity and fi nally, Matej Mináč made the fi lm Through the refi nement, which was also typical of the Eyes of the Photographer (Očami fotografky), personality portrayed, Alena Čermáková is a portrait of his mother Zuzana Mináčová. All somewhat peripatetic, conversational and these fi lms have the same starting point: they reportorial. The author enters the arena of the pay tribute to the person portrayed. They seek to fi lm right at the beginning (and, subsequently, honour this person’s memory and highlight the there is too much of her present there) and she non-pretentious but at the same time greater reveals that several years of friendship tie her g to the protagonist. Within this type of personal Slovakia from Palestine in order to engage in communication,co the many diverse attitudes the Slovak National Uprising and, after it was of Srholec are revealed, his sense of humour, suppressed, she also died here. Despite the butb also his feeling of loneliness. Matej Mináč, creative solution of using voice-over and despite probablyp the biggest Slovak recycler of his own the painstaking work with archive materials and themesth and materials, chose a totally diff erent many photographic sources, the fi lm proceeds at approach.a His mother-and-son relationship too moderate a pace, so it seems to be too long steppedst aside slightly and, by applying on the screen and its television length suits it docudramado procedures he sought to emphasise better. theth melodramatic line of child-love and the In addition to the portraits of Slovak rescuere of the protagonist’s life during the personalities, in 2015 three fi lms were also Holocaust.H Despite all this, I regard as strongest released in cinemas which forsook the Slovak theth documentary line of his fi lm, which captures present or past to examine the world beyond theth protagonist’s talent, humour, gratitude and our country’s borders. In Suri Pavol Barabáš steadfastst will to live. went to Ethiopia to visit the natural Suri tribe

2015 in documentary film To a certain degree, all three fi lms historicise threatened by the global economy and the anda place the protagonists within the context of mining of minerals. The fi lm is divided into two theth period. Whilst, in doing so, they sometimes parts – the fi rst is an adrenaline expedition of eff ace potentially problematic places, they are fi ve adventurers who raft an almost impassable eitherei harmonic and non-confl icting (Milan terrain, kill dozens of tsetse fl ies on their own ČorbaČ ), or they have a problem with their length bodies and escape from a herd of hippos, (AAnton Srholec), pace and narration method while the second part is a rather superfi cial (TThrough the Eyes of the Photographer). ethnography and an attempt to capture the Another documentary portrait released in 2015 unique combat ritual of the tribe they visited. This is Rytmus: A Dream from the Block (Rytmus: part of the fi lm is strongly endowed with anti- SSídliskový sen) by Miro Drobný. Despite this globalisation ecological-ethnological slogans in bebeing a portrait of the rapper Patrik Vrbovský, both the commentary and the image. However, aalias Rytmus, hence potentially a musical fi lm, the unbalanced dramaturgy makes the fi lm RyRytmus: A Dream from the Block can be placed look rather like an amateurish hybrid than an rarather in the category of celebrity portraits adventure ethnographic ecofi lm. ooff the type of the documentary 38. Moreover, More successful and, from the conceptual and aass regards the genre, it varies between being dramaturgical aspect, also a more professionally a fan fi lm and a social success story about a mastered fi lm is Colours of Sand (Farby piesku) hahalf-Roma who is searching for his identity, by Ladislav Kaboš. The fi lm follows the story of a wwhereby the musical entreés become secondary. Slovak nurse, the widow of a Libyan physician, a HHere too, the dramaturgical and narrative progressive Muslim, against the backdrop of the sshortcomingsh – the fabricated character of the war confl ict in Libya. Kaboš managed to make a liline of ethnic origin or the staggering triple fi lm which is not primarily a war documentary, eendingn – are largely counterbalanced by the even though it includes authentic shots from the hhumour of the protagonist and his rapper front lines of the Libyan insurgents. It is rather a ccommono sense. Despite its weaknesses, I fi lm about the dual identity of one woman, about wwelcome Rytmus: A Dream from the Block to the European values which were not in any way SSlovak cinemas – it has the chance to attract weakened for this woman in deciding to convert iinton the cinemas even those who would not to Islam and, at the same time, it is a fi lm about ootherwiset go to see a Slovak fi lm. family, home, understanding and love. A somewhat diff erent case pertains for Anna The third fi lm does not belong to the war GGrusková’s fi lm Return to the Burning House documentary genre, either, even though its title (N(Návrat do horiaceho domu). It is a historical may lead one to think so. 5th Regiment – Mission poportrait of Haviva Reik, a representative of the Afghanistan (5. pluk – Misia Afganistan) is, 8 — 9 JeJewish resistance who returned to her native fi rst and foremost, a promotional fi lm aimed at improving the reputation of the Slovak soldiers like a “seven ages of woman” against the serving in elite troops in Afghanistan. The backdrop of the environment in which the fi lmmakers tried to give the fi lm a spectacular protagonists of the fi lm live, work or just waste audiovisual form but it never quite struck home. their time. Waiting was supposed to act as a The excessive use of music, the repetitive shots metaphor of the woman’s life and the waiting from the fi eld and, in particular, the bombastic room at the main railway station in Bratislava commentary, interminably disparaging the its metonymy. However, both the poles remained intelligences of audiences by questions such as empty, as Korec was not able to occupy them “Who would master such a job?”, “What do we with his conceptualised “staged observation”. really know about the situation in Afghanistan?” The protagonists of his fi lm are mere pawns, without providing more detailed visual or verbal stereotypes of women, not characters. The answers, transform the fi lm in an irritating and director shows them in reducing sections, superfi cial promotional video that renders the in sterile artifi cial situations and, even if he soldiers a disservice. lets them speak, they are allowed to express Essentially, only two fi lms released in Slovak themselves only on a partial phenomenon; cinemas in 2015 can be categorised as auteur therefore, they seem superfi cial – even though and creative documentaries that usually superfi ciality is here rather a directing method, need the big screen and a screening room not a quality of the women. The ambitiousness immersed in darkness to play out and to have of the fi lmmaker was evident in this case; their full eff ect. The fi rst of them, So Far, So however, it was probably greater than his Close (Tak ďaleko, tak blízko) made by Jaro directing abilities. Vojtek in 2014, was originally made to order In most countries, documentaries in cinema but, due to the author’s approach, the short distribution are not to be taken for granted at educational fi lm originally planned grew into a all. But here it was documentaries that, for a sensitive chronological portrait of four young long time, rescued the reputation of Slovak autistic people and their closest relatives. cinema. However, they were other types of Despite the seemingly simple construction, documentaries. They were able to fulfi l their own So Far, So Close has an exceptionally well- ambitions and to hold the attention of demanding thought-out structure. Moreover, it copes very audiences. Today, documentaries make up a half effi ciently with the editing and the musical of the domestic distribution titles. This relatively accompaniment. It even seeks to reveal the high proportion is also contingent on the fact that uncommunicative protagonists more closely support for full-length projects from public funds through emotions, which Vojtek senses in them depends, inter alia, on the interest expressed but which he himself often has to induce by by the distributor. And so, fi lms with a strong way of the fi lm equipment. Thus, Vojtek’s main viewer potential (the above-mentioned celebrity asset is rendering the audience susceptible portraits) as well as fi lms that lack this potential to the persons portrayed. Hence, the major get onto the cinema screens. Whereby the details of the protagonists’ faces cease to be primary objective of the latter fi lms is to extend an impenetrable façade of otherness and they our knowledge of current events in society, of become the gateway into an intimacy that would our own history or cultural values; in other otherwise have remained hidden. countries such fi lms would be broadcast only on The second fi lm, the staged documentary TV or, in the more deserving cases, screened at Waiting Room (Čakáreň) by Palo Korec can festivals. Not all of such fi lms released in 2015 essentially be regarded as an auteur and were defi cient. But even those that were the more creative documentary in its concept only. successful are still a bit smaller than the screens According to the fi lmmakers, the fi lm was in Slovak cinemas. supposed to be “a documentary mosaic of life which at times grows even into a cruel This work was supported by the Research and sociological probe into the current world”. Its Development Support Agency on the basis of over-arching structure was to create something Contract no. APVV-0797-12.  A Year of an Exceptional Première and also of Waiting g Maroš Brojo

TheT year 2015 in Slovak animated film passed mainly under the sign of the long-time

2015 IN ANIMATED FILM ddevelopment of new films, the domestic success of student films, no short film in ddistribution and the first Slovak full-length animated film since 1980. Hence, we have aadvanced in some areas, and retreated in others.

FestivalsFe were the ones that traditionally met the the best project in development entitled The End demandde of the animated fi lm for distribution; the (Koniec). latestla fi lms were presented at the Áčko Festival in The latest fi lms of 2015 were also presented. The BBratislava and the Fest Anča International Animation chalk animation Stability (Stabilita) by Daniela FeFestival in Žilina. The Áčko Festival presented in its Krajčová, which was premièred at the prominent cocompetition section new student fi lms of promising DOK Leipzig international festival, tells the story aauthors from the Animation Studio of the Film and of a woman who gains her independence and frees TeTelevision Faculty at the Academy of Performing herself from the claws of a dysfunctional family. AArts. The western slapstick Cowboyland (Kovbojsko) In turn, the video clips Breathing Sulphur (Dýchať byby Dávid Štumpf – a social critique of the inability of síru) by Marián Vredík and The Spirit of the City theth establishment to maintain order – won the Award (Duch mesta) by Andrej Kolenčík and Veronika forfo Best Animated Film. Kocourková demonstrate that even commercially The lyrical introspection Mila Fog by Marta commissioned projects can have an artistic value. PProkopová was in many ways reminiscent of After Stability, a second professional short TeTerrence Malick’s The Tree of Life; in it the animated fi lm also had its domestic première at aauthor displays her animistic fascination with the end of the year – Star Taxi (Hviezdny taxík) ththe beauty of nature and the entire universe. made by Igor Derevenec and Juraj Krumpolec. The TThe puppet fi lm Brother Deer (Braček Jelenček) project was almost ten years in preparation and mmade by Zuzana Žiaková based on the fairy tale the result is extremely imaginative, in both artistic bbyy Pavol Dobšinský, referred to another form of and animation terms, and a fresh adventure story coconnection to nature and to the inevitable demise about the destiny of a small boy travelling with a of life. mysterious taxi driver across the universe. A student fi lm also won a prize at the Fest Anča Last year, the fi rst Slovak full-length animated iinn the Slovak animated fi lm competition. The story fi lm since 1980 was also made. Director Jakub of loneliness and old age with a slightly macabre Kroner followed up his year-long successful web uundertone in the form of the return of a stuff ed pet, project LokalTV with his fi lm Lokalfi lmis. His fi lm HHalf Puppet (Half bábka) was made by the Belgian attracted over thirty thousand viewers to cinemas ststudent, Jasmine Elsen, as her graduation fi lm at in the fi rst week alone. Lokalfi lmis was based on the ththe Film and Television Faculty of the Academy well- established universe of LokalTV and it drew of Performing Arts. Dávid Štumpf received the on the popularity of well-known fi gures. However, ddistribution award for his Cowboyland and at the it struggled with the problem of unbalanced NNew Talents industry programme he received, dramaturgy and the variable attractiveness and 10 — 11 totogether with Michaela Mihályiová, the award for wittiness of the individual iconic characters. But, as an exclusively commercial project, Lokalfi lmis professional fi lms, but this should not be considered deserves appreciation for the ability of the as their gradual decline. There are many short fi lms fi lmmakers to fi nance the whole project from their as well as series currently in development or in the own funds. production phase. The low number of fi lms released In 2015, Slovak projects in development were in 2015 is only a manifestation of the relatively low successfully presented not only at the Fest Anča number of active fi lmmakers in correlation with the industry programme but also abroad. The following average time needed to produce an animated fi lm fi lms were presented at the most important in Slovakia. animation industry event for Central and Eastern Bfi lm is the key player in the area of production of Europe, the Visegrad Animation Forum (VAF) in short animated fi lms. A considerable proportion of Třeboň: Night Shift (Nočná) by director Andrej short animated fi lms are made under this company. Gregorčok, Once There Was a Sea (Bolo raz more) Currently, it represents mainly younger fi lmmakers, by Joanna Kożuch, and The Tots (Drobci) by Vanda such as Mária Oľhová, Dávid Štumpf, Martin Raýmanová, which was among the projects in the Smatana and Joanna Kożuch. production phase. Peter Budinský presented his A large number of series have been in production full-length fi lm in the development phase, Heart for a long time; however, they cannot, of course, of the Tower (Srdce veže) in Třeboň during Anifi lm be expected to be completed within one year. The and in Baden in Switzerland at the important production background, the size of the realisation Fantoche International Animation Film Festival. teams and the length of production diff er The series The Websters (Websterovci) by Katarína considerably case by case. In 2015, the second Kerekesová was looking for international partners series of Mimi and Lisa (Mimi & Líza) by Katarína at the most signifi cant European industry event Kerekesová (Fool Moon) was completed. It was for animated series, Cartoon Forum, in Toulouse broadcast by RTVS over Christmas. Kerekesová (France). Since 2015, Cowboyland and Half Puppet is producing a new project, The Websters, Vanda have been represented on the international market Raýmanová (Objectif) continues making The Tots by New Europe Film Sales which already previously (Drobci), Jaroslav Baran (Animoline) is collaborating represented The Last Bus (Posledný autobus) and in a Polish-Slovak co-production on the production Snow (Sneh). of the series Mr. Toti (Pán Toti), Jaroslav Niňaj Thanks to the the local Association of Animated (Polygon Production) is working on Greek Myths Film Producers’ participation in the organisation (Grécke báje), Ivan Popovič is continuing working of the VAF, Slovak fi lms were also eligible to apply on the cycle If I Only Had a Screw Loose! (Mať tak o for presentation in the Visegrad Animation Rallye koliesko viac!, My Studio) and its new episodes were selection which presents the most distinguished broadcasted by RTVS in December. young talents in the area of animated fi lm from The year 2015 in Slovak animated fi lm can be the V4 countries. Thus, together with six other characterised as a year of waiting; the continual fi lms from the V4 countries, Fongopolis by Joanna support provided to new short fi lms and series Kożuch and In Line by Kamila Kučíková, got into the by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund commissions and fi nal selection which travelled around the foreign the readiness of young fi lmmakers to continue fi lm markets in the form of a DVD and was screened making short auteur fi lms without being lured at more than fi fteen festivals abroad. into commercial projects may be regarded as Other countries showed quite remarkable interest the greatest success of this year. Equally, it turns in Slovak animation. Last year, Slovak animated out that other countries are also interested in fi lms were presented in Hungary at the Anilogue our animated fi lms. In addition to the traditional Festival, in Australia at the Melbourne International festivals and screenings, a professional commu- Animation Festival, in Ireland at the Visegrad nity is watching them and, for instance, Heart of Film Festival, in France at the À l’Est, du Nouveau the Tower, The Websters or The Tots are among the Film Festival and in the Czech Republic at the PAF promising projects. We have undoubtedly taken a Festival. step towards another positive development in the Short fi lms were maybe slightly remiss last area of short auteur fi lm, as well as television and year with regard to the number of completed full-length fi lms.  Rytmus: A Dream from the Block (Rytmus: Sídliskový sen) V photo: Itafi lm

2015: More Slovak Films and Also Viewers g Miro Ulman

LastL year we called 2014 a year of records of film distribution in Slovakia. However, many of theseth records did not last for even twelve months. Total attendance actually increased year-on- yeary by over 11 per cent and the share of domestic films in the total attendance was almost 7 perp cent in 2015, whereas the share of minority co-productions in the attendance at Slovak films dropsd year by year. The best-attended domestic film was yet again a documentary: this time DISTRIBUTION OF SLOVAK FILMS IN 2015 Rytmus:R A Dream from the Block (Rytmus: Sídliskový sen).

Rytmus:R A Dream from the Block made by it was 22nd). The fairy tale Seven Ravens (Sedem ddébuting director Miro Drobný maintained its zhavranelých bratov) made by Alice Nellis was the pposition in the TOP 10 fi lms in Slovakia until best-attended domestic feature fi lm with 45,471 eaearly in December. Only at the end of the year viewers. Home Care (Domácí péče, dir. S. Horák) wwas it demoted to the eleventh place by the with 4,315 viewers became the most successful lalatest Bond movie, Spectre, and the latest Star minority co-production in 2015. The fi lms were WWars. However, the 81,597 viewers it attracted distributed by 7 distribution companies, of which wwere enough to make it the ninth best-attended the Association of Slovak Film Clubs was the ddomestic fi lm over the era of independent most active with 7 domestic premières, and 4 SSlovakia and the second best-attended production companies released their fi lms in ddocumentary. cinema directly without collaborating with the With regard to production, 2015 was the most traditional distributors. pprolifi c year in the history of Slovakia with 30 full- The confi dence of audiences in domestic llengthe Slovak and co-production fi lms (of these productions is gradually building. The average onlyo 8 were minority co-productions). And the attendance per screening of a 100 per cent numbern of premières was also a record. Twenty- Slovak fi lm or majority co-production did drop fi vev Slovak full-length fi lms were released in from 41.56 viewers in 2014 to 30.26, but all the cicinema – 11 feature fi lms (of these only one was premièred domestic fi lms were attended by a minority co-production), 11 documentaries and 303,048 viewers, which represents a 6.7 per 3 animated fi lms. It is gratifying that Lokalfi lmis cent share of the total attendance. Vojtech by byby Jakub Kroner was also among them. This, Viktor Csudai (41.85 viewers) and Eva Nová by theth fi rst Slovak full-length animated fi lm since Marko Škop (41.76 viewers) achieved the highest 1980,19 was even the best-attended domestic fi lm average attendance per performance. The priorp to the première of the documentary on average attendance fee per domestic fi lm was Rytmus,R and it was eventually second among the EUR 4.61 which represents an increase of 39 12 —13 domesticd fi lms with 47,237 viewers (altogether cents on 2014.  DISTRIBUTION OF FIRST-RUN SLOVAK AND CO-PRODUCTION FILMS IN SLOVAKIA IN 2015

AVERAGE PRODUCTION COUNTRY NUMBER OF GROSS BOX AVERAGE DISTRIBUTION MOVIE TITLE DIRECTOR RELEASE DATE ADMISSIONS ATTENDANCE PER YEAR OF ORIGIN SCREENINGS OFFICE ADMISSION FEE COMPANY SCREENING Rytmus: A Dream from the Block 1. Miro Drobný 2015 SK 20. 8. 2015 2,049 81,597 402,348.64 € 39.82 4.93 € Itafi lm (Rytmus: Sídliskový sen) 2. Lokalfi lmis (Lokalfi lmis) Jakub Kroner 2015 SK 18. 6. 2015 1,773 47,237 235,872.98 € 26.64 4.99 € Continental fi lm Seven Ravens Magic Box 3. Alice Nellis 2015 SK/CZ 28. 5. 2015 1,601 45,471 178,310.67 € 28.40 3.92 € (Sedem zhavranelých bratov) Slovakia Spievankovo 5: Professions 4. Diana Novotná 2015 SK 29. 10. 2015 1,081 33,510 170,976.88 € 31.00 5.10 € TONADA (Spievankovo 5: O profesiách) 5. Vojtech (Vojtech) Viktor Csudai 2015 SK 17. 12. 2015 464 19,419 98,461.28 € 41.85 5.07 € Continental fi lm 6. Wilson City (Wilsonov) Tomáš Mašín 2015 SK/CZ 1. 10. 2015 775 19,334 102,111.17 € 24.95 5.28 € Forum Film 7. The Hostage (Rukojemník) Juraj Nvota 2014 SK/CZ 8. 1. 2015 660 17,048 84,289.23 € 25.83 4.94 € Bararcuda Movie 8. Eva Nová (Eva Nová) Marko Škop 2015 SK/CZ 19. 11. 2015 223 9,313 29,063.20 € 41.76 3.12 € ASFC 9. Anton Srholec (Anton Srholec) Alena Čermáková 2015 SK 8. 10. 2015 222 6,589 19,143.04 € 29.68 2.91 € ASFC 10. Suri (Suri) Pavol Barabáš 2015 SK 21. 5. 2015 139 4,694 11,259.79 € 33.77 2.40 € ASFC 11. Koza (Koza) Ivan Ostrochovský 2015 SK/CZ 10. 9. 2015 173 2,940 7,755.25 € 16.99 2.64 € ASFC 12. So Far, So Near (Tak ďaleko, tak blízko) Jaro Vojtek 2014 SK 2. 4. 2015 130 2,117 7,118.56 € 16.28 3.36 € Itafi lm 13. The Cleaner (Čistič) Peter Bebjak 2015 SK 15. 10. 2015 180 2,077 9,177.71 € 11.54 4.42 € Bontonfi lm Through the Eyes of the Photographer 14. Matej Mináč 2015 SK/CZ 17. 9. 2015 88 778 2,802.03 € 8.84 3.60 € Itafi lm (Očami fotografky) 5th Regiment - Mission Afghanistan 15. Peter Kaštíl 2014 SK 12. 3. 2015 55 637 2,813.07 € 11.58 4.42 € Bararcuda Movie (5. pluk - Misia Afganistan) Return to a Burning House 16. Anna Grusková 2014 SK 27. 1. 2015 27 395 838.38 € 14.63 2.12 € ANZIO (Návrat do horiaceho domu) 17. Waiting Room (Čakáreň) Palo Korec 2015 SK 29. 10. 2015 37 376 667.22 € 10.16 1.77 € ASFC 18. Colours of Sand (Farby piesku) Ladislav Kaboš 2015 SK 16. 9. 2015 14 367 722.25 € 26.21 1.97 € MEDIA FILM ALEF FILM & 19. Johanna s Mystery (Johankino tajomstvo) Juraj Nvota 2015 SK/CZ 18. 12. 2015 9 308 236.00 € 34.22 0.77 € MEDIA The Man who Changed Shanghai 20. Ladislav Kaboš 2010 SK 23. 9. 2015 8 169 310.50 € 21.13 1.84 € MEDIA FILM (Zmenil tvár Šanghaja) 21. Milan Čorba (Milan Čorba) Martin Šulík 2014 SK 30. 4. 2015 25 118 200.43 € 4.72 1.70 € ASFC TOTAL 100 % Slovak fi lms, majority and 50/50 co-productions 9,733 294,494 1,364,478.28 € 30.26 4.63 € 1. Home Care (Domácí péče) Slávek Horák 2015 CZ/SK 22. 10. 2015 290 4,315 19,089.13 € 14.88 4.42 € Forum Film 2. The Little Man (Malý pán) Radek Beran 2015 CZ/SK 30. 4. 2015 409 2,309 9,115.17 € 5.65 3.95 € Itafi lm 3. Mirage (Mirage) Szabolcs Hajdu 2014 HU/SK 19. 3. 2015 101 1,521 2,716.50 € 15.06 1.79 € ASFC Little from the Fish Shop (Malá z CZ/SK/ 4. Jan Balej 2015 3. 9. 2015 139 409 1,292.02 € 2.94 3.16 € Continental fi lm rybárne) DE TOTAL Minority co-productions 939 8,554 32,212.82 € 9.11 3.77 € TOTAL All Slovak and co-production fi lms 10,672 303,048 1,396,691.10 € 28.40 4.61 € Note: The fi lms are ranked in descending order based on the number of viewers. Source: Union of Film Distributors of the Slovak Republic (UFD SR) and individual distribution companies review The Face in the Main Role g Mária Ferenčuhová

It may seem at fi rst sight that Marko Škop’s feature début, Eva Nová, follows safely in theth tracks le by other documentary fi lmmakers making their début in feature fi lm – IvetaIv Grófová, Juraj Lehotský or Ivan Ostrochovský. Eva Nová also depicts a dysfunctio- nnal family, it has a strong social framework and is characterised by minimalist narration. HHowever, unlike the above directors, Škop works with professional actors and his fi lm hash a precisely constructed script. Thus, with his style of work, he rather gets closer to thoseth fi lmmakers who have graduated in feature fi lm directing or screenwriting – such as Mátyás Prikler and Zuzana Liová and their débuts Fine, Thanks (Ďakujem, dobre) and TheTh House (Dom).

DoesD this defi nition matter at all? There are important in life – job, love and family relations graduatesgr of directing who do not work with – and who, in addition to combating a heavy actorsac and the scripts of their fi lms are more or addiction, is trying to inject a new meaning into lessle inconsistent (Mira Fornay). However, Eva her life. NNová as another social fi lm with the theme of a Unlike the mostly young, helpless and socially ddysfunctionaly family encourages comparisons. marginalised protagonists of the above Slovak WWithin the context of the fi lms mentioned above, fi lms, Eva Nová is something of a déclassée EEvav Nová is actually new, mainly as regards the heroine. She is a woman with a past who ttypey of hero. constantly confronts her present life with what The protagonist of the fi lm is a sixty-something she had and what she has lost, who has certainly rrecoveringe alcoholic, the formerly famous made mistakes, succumbed to her weaknesses, aactressc Eva (Emília Vášáryová). She is the centre maybe to the circumstances, comfort, egoism popoint of the fi lm and she also determines its or self-love – we don’t know – and who will no frframe of reference. Most of the shots are semi- longer get anything for free. We learn all this cclose-ups,l composed on the centre as three about Eva gradually, from precisely administered ttypesy of views: the frontal view of Eva, her view of scanty dialogues, fi lled with innuendoes and ootherst and her refl ection in the mirror. Already, references to the past. frfrom these basic types of shots, it is possible However, Eva is not a protagonist stuck in ttoo deduce that neither family nor the social the memories of the past. On the contrary, she sisituation, determining the relations between is fi rmly anchored in the present day; she is ttheh main protagonists, are the main themes decisive and extremely strong-willed. As she ooff the fi lm but, fi rst and foremost, the crisis of has lost everything and she does not perceive 14 — 15 aann individual who has lost everything that is abstinence as her sole purpose in life, she tries V photo: Association of Slovak Film Clubs

to achieve something greater, more signifi cant: almost snobbish. She is not going to clean the to revive the broken and probably permanently house in sweatpants but in a blouse and skirt. damaged ties with her son. She subordinates Just like at home. Hence, she is proud and everything else to this objective: she is willing she can also be impulsive. She explodes only to humiliate herself and earn her living by three times over the course of the fi lm – each stacking the shelves in a hypermarket or as a time unfairly, even though the reasons for her cleaning lady. She even waives her right to her outbursts are understandable: fi rst she accuses inheritance when she realises that the social her sister who raised her son that she actually and fi nancial condition of her unemployed son stole her son from her and set him against may depend on this property. At fi rst sight, Eva her, then she snaps at her ex-lover who teases might seem passive, as if she just contritely her insensitively, albeit good-naturedly, and subordinated herself to the circumstances. She fi nally she attacks the pregnant partner of her endures humiliation almost without resistance. ex-husband. Eva very quickly regrets her fi rst If her son’s dignity is at stake, she is willing to two lapses and tries to atone for them; however, revise the limits of her own dignity. But let us she resorts to drinking after the third one. Only not forget that, fi rst and foremost, Eva Nová when Eva drinks is she properly relaxed, she is a consummate actress, she controls herself puts her mask aside and allows her emotions excellently and she suppresses her emotions – free rein. But it is at precisely this moment that she acts as a humble woman. It only emerges it would have been best for her to maintain in several scenes that, in reality, she is not her mask of determination and uncertain like that at all. When the cleaning ladies enter amiability: it just so happens that her son the house in the suburbs, her answer to the decides to visit her the following morning – his question whether she is “that actress” sounds wife has left him. g 16 — 17 review BY Nová Eva mother and son communicate for the fi the for communicate son and mother –the death and life of border the on – almost fl amniotic of asort becomes even it end, the in and, him with compete who men” “western those match to attempt son’s the to also but uppers, its on altogether not still fi is family the that fact the to reference avisible just not is it meanings; several itself to accretes which garden son’s her in pool fi And, identity. own one’s of loss the and aman of eyes the in refl of motif the insinuate room rest ladies the in “duel” their and “rivals” love the both of dresses red the identifi turn, In sister with. es Eva’s that amartyr of image the to also but piety her to just not refer sister Eva’s to belonging Mary Virgin the of statues The value. a symbolic have also they but purpose basic their serve only not props Further of alcoholic. the abstaining life the in cycle another of start the symbolises fl new of planting The rehab. in stint her fl withered The period. post-divorce depressing her to areference as serves Petržalka in apartment comfortless Eva’s precisely. her. with sympathise and chime to able more the all are they Then herself. Eva, of that to situation asimilar in means That a blackout. has who adrunkard of that to situation similar a –in hand second at them about know only and events past the witnessed not have they – as fi paradoxically, viewers, the but strong very is causality of impression the Hence, fi the in refer only lm. characters other which to and seen not has viewer the however, which, past distant the from one another of consequence the is situation Each atmosphere. the complement to simply chance”, “by originating images for nor script, the in coincidences for place no fi the in on is later There lm. explained gets fi at doesn’t, what Even characters. the of motivation and information necessary the all disclose gradually These situations. chosen precisely very of fiŠkop’s asequence on built been has lm owers signify a long period of absence during during absence of period along signify owers : Environments and props are chosen equally equally chosen are props and Environments that clear is it timing, this on based Also, František Krähenbiel ( Eva Nová Eva rst sight, appear to be justifi be to ed appear sight, rst nally, there is the swimming swimming the is there nally, , Slovakia/Czech Republic, 2015) 2015) Republic, , Slovakia/Czech _ CAST : Emília Vášáryová, Milan Ondrík, Anikó Vargová, Žofi a Martišová Žofia Martišová Vargová, Anikó Ondrík, Milan Vášáryová, Emília nd themselves uid in which which in uid rst time. rst nancially nancially owers owers _ ection SCRIPT

AND

DIRECTED precise editor, František Krähenbiel. František editor, precise mastered it magnifi it cently. mastered has Vášáryová Emília lead, Škop’s Under master. to able be never would she says Nová Eva that acting fi minimalist Škop’s of aconcerto is lm certain: is however, thing, One gaze. determined and asad with face impenetrable but humble, her of mask the behind remains and was Nová Eva reality, in how, neither And mended. be still can ago time along broken was that something whether discover Wenever clear. is everything that fi mean the in doesn’t together that lm, script. the into fl to life allow they and music), with kitschy even (or artifi fabricated cially sterile, seemed otherwise have could which script developed eff the mitigate to managed they way this In dailies. like look sometimes they that away such in out fade to shots many allowed Krähenbiel editor his and Škop Moreover, time. of passage realistic the of impression aspecial created he sound fi to approach this With lm Lidl. in heard be to likely more is that noise shopping a neutral into fi ads, and always is jingles with reality, lled in which, Tesco subsumed –Škop sounds and voices surrounding the or city the of bustle and hustle the of background the against heard fi his of dialogues The are lm environments. real of sounds the on more concentrate to able was he way That twice. just maybe heard is image the within music the even and image the of frame the of outside music use he did fi the of once Not accuracy lm. and austerity the to fi contributes specifi most music, lm, cally the in expression of means several accord, of script the edited who Liová Zuzana was it coincidence: no is similarity The script. developed elaborately Liová’s Zuzana only to, fi referred Slovak already lms tuned socially the of Out structure. thought-out well- exceptionally an with drama a chamber renders environments and motivations But even though everything meshes perfectly perfectly meshes everything though even But own his of up, gave Škop Marko that fact The causality, with work consistent Such

BY : Marko Škop The House The Eva Nová

_ DIRECTOR ect of the mathematically mathematically the of ect

(Dom) had a comparably acomparably had (Dom) _ LENGTH

with the mathematically

OF

PHOTOGRAPHY : 106 min. 106  : Ján Meliš Meliš Ján Eva Nová Nová Eva _ ow EDITED

V photo: Bontonfi lm review

A Slovak Genre Film g Zuzana Mojžišová

There can be no doubt that events experienced in early childhood sometimes determine the entire subsequent life of a given human being. The world’s complexity is demonstrated by the fact that ugly, sad and traumatic situations have a far more destructive impact on the future than those that are essentially agreeable, joyful and kind have the capacity to be constructive and life-enriching. An evil character from a Disney fairy tale, a crude neighbour, a father’s excessively searching gaze directed at the mother, unusual sounds on the stairway to the cellar or a spiteful remark dropped incidentally by a classmate sitting at the same bench at school become blots on the soul, no matter what the mind and experience say.

Probably, nobody will dispute that the environment city where the hideous is never in short supply, where in which we grow up and live infl uences us to a great entire square kilometres are hideous, where you extent. I don’t have people, relations, the political need to make a great eff ort and close one eye if you or social ambience of the country in mind here but are seeking to look at something nice with the other. rather the actual physical environment – houses, But whatever has a bad side also has a good side. It entrances, stairwells, corridors, streets, bridges, is quite easy to make grim urban fi lms in our capital underpasses, passageways, tunnels, building sites, city, maybe without the architect even having to lift parking lots, industrial complexes, garage areas, a fi nger. abandoned buildings with disrupted amenities… You are probably familiar with the truism that in These could also be mountains, meadows, forests, novels, novellas and stories the fi rst sentence is trees, brooks, gardens, parks, ponds, pastures always the most important one. And then the next or fi elds, but they are not. Because here we two, three, or four subsequent sentences. If they are are in Bratislava and in this city even the most good, the author has achieved the most important irreplaceable treasures are covered in concrete. In a thing, the reader has taken the bait. After that the g authorau “only” has to take care that the reader doesn’t something in common with Tomáš – they follow sslipl off the hook. We are a tad more lenient in the a strange profession, they are strange, but also ccasea of a fi lm, we have got used to giving it more time precise, they don’t usually lose their head…) ttoo get going. But sometimes just a few seconds are As for fi lm genres, Slovak cinema has been suff ering eenoughn and… we are into it. from chronic anaemia from early childhood. From this

review A seedy, stark narrow corridor in a concrete perspective, the director Peter Bebjak plays the role aapartmentp building. It is empty. A door leading to of rescuer – he gives local fi lms blood transfusions aann apartment. There are people behind this door. A – crime, horror, thriller transfusions. Genre ones. wwoman and a man if we can distinguish the voices Even though it didn’t look like that at the outset, after wwell. The man is shouting furiously. The woman is his terrifi c début with Apricot Island (Marhuľový bebegging for mercy. We are not able to make out every ostrov), although the TV series Bebjak made prior to wword but the underlying emotion is clear. After the that had hinted at quite a lot (City of Shadows/Mesto ararguing has continued for a while a loud sound is tieňov, Anděl C.I.D./Kriminálka Anděl, Dr. Ludsky/Dr. heheard, then a thud and silence. Cut. The corridor in Ludsky; these were later complemented by e.g. First ttheh apartment building. The door to the apartment Department Cases/Případy 1. oddělení or the current is open. Light fl ows through the door. A woman is Gendarmes from Luhačovice/Četníci z Luhačovic). sstandingt in the doorway. She is silently regarding a And then it happened that, after an intimate drama ssmallm boy who is kneeling on the fl oor and wiping of one woman, a father and two sons set in the south ththe fl oor of the corridor with a cloth. This is how of Slovakia, fi lled with sunshine, came Evil (Zlo). A ttheh latest fi lm by Slovak director Peter Bebjak The Blair Witch Project-type of horror movie, presumably CleanerCl (Čistič) begins. According to the author, it inspired by his work on the TV documentary series wasw inspired by several situations from life. “I lived about paranormal phenomena Mysteries SK (Záhady onon a street where terrible shouting was constantly SK) in which three young men making reports on heardhe from one apartment. Everyone living on inexplicable, occult matters fi nd themselves in a thatth street witnessed domestic violence, the police really spooky house. And now we have The Cleaner. werew called several times, but nothing changed. An urban thriller – and, in my view, we have never had EventuallyEv it stopped…” But the main protagonist of that before. theth story, Tomáš, now adult, is forever marked by the Wardrobes are important for Tomáš. Not pastpa – for it was he behind that door, not in front of it just money but a whole human being can hide likelik the camera. Actually, right until the fi nal credits inside them. In order, from their depths via a (or(o rather until the wonderfully mastered fi nale a few narrow opening, (signifi cantly aff ecting the momentsm before them), but that is for eternity…. cinematographer’s strategy when shooting many Tomáš works. At any hour of the day or night. His scenes of the fi lm), to observe human relations that mobilem phone rings, he gets instructions, jumps on he would not otherwise have unveiled. Tomáš spends hishi bicycle, rides across the city, meets two guys as little time as possible in the outside world, he whow give him keys, exchange a few words. Tomáš just rides quickly through the city on his bicycle, he entersen apartments, houses, he puts on a surgical spends very little time shopping, he always conceals maskm and cleans whatever is found to be dirty. He himself under his hood. And his household is so is a cleaner. A cleaner of places where, just a few clean he could eat off the fl oor. And sometimes he hoursho ago, a human being or maybe a four-legged also hides under the bed (and then legs appear in petpe has passed away. (Do they die peacefully? Or the visible section of reality – Kristína’s legs, those suffsu er a violent death?) Tomáš is good at his work. It of her brother Adam, a life-long loser, the legs of a suitssu his nature and his childhood mental trauma. He guy with a suitcase, the legs of the furniture). Tomáš earnsea more than he spends. He stores the rest in a has been hiding since his childhood, convinced that paperpa box in his wardrobe. (When the word “cleaner” a good hiding place can save your life. Because then is mentioned, two characters come to the viewer’s the others don’t see you. mind.m Viktor from Besson’s Nikita as portrayed by The Cleaner is very sparing with its words; when JeanJe Reno, and then the absolutely unforgettable transferring emotions and information to the HarveyH Keitel in the role of Winston Wolf in Quentin audience it rather – and quite successfully – relies 18 — 19 Tarantino’sTa Pulp Fiction. And they really do have more on images as means of expression. Words are not really wasted in this fi lm; however, everything In one interview, director Peter Bebjak talked about necessary is easily read: something from the past, where he sees the diff erences between his television something about the motivations… And we learn and fi lm works: “In the fact that a television project all this gradually, some plots are untangled bit by is subordinated to fi gures (and success with viewer bit and with an element of surprise (for instance, ratings) and all the other components of production the one about the location where Tomáš’s mother’s are adjusted to this. As for the fi lms that I have made phone calls are coming from, or the one explaining for cinema (and also because we produced them why the main protagonist buys so many decorative in DNA) – it is about the freedom of creativity. It is candles). However, sparse dialogue does not mean only limited by the funds that we manage to scrape an impoverished sound track. Music – just as in together for the given fi lm – they then determine Bebjak’s previous fi lms – enters into the action, it how many days of fi lming there will be, how much communicates, not only sounds. Last but not least: remuneration will be paid, technology used, etc. The ambient sounds, sounds coming from behind the fi lmmakers have to answer to themselves for the walls where we cannot see, voices of people, the work they do.” As regards The Cleaner, I think that, in more ruffl ed, the more upsetting, devastating for essence, their conscience can be clear.  Tomáš. Coincidences assault our reality day by day, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad one. Peter Bebjak (1970, Partizánske) We live with coincidences in symbiosis whether we He studied acting and directing at the Academy like it or not. That’s life. But fi lm is not life. One has of Performing Arts in Bratislava. In 2001, he to handle coincidences very carefully in fi lm because established D.N.A. Production together with it may happen that they will be perceived as a Rastislav Šesták. This production company clumsy mistake on the part of the auteur, as a crude completed several television projects, such as deliberate act… There is a range of coincidences in Greatest Criminal Cases in the History of Slovakia The Cleaner also – the clothes shop. Kristína works (Najväčšie kriminálne prípady Slovenska), City of Shadows (Mesto tieňov), Dr. Ludsky (Dr. Ludsky) and there, candles are sold there, Adam’s grandmother First Department Cases (Případy 1. oddělení). He dies at that time; moreover, they commission the made his full-length feature fi lm début in 2011 with funeral from the funeral service where Tomáš Apricot Island (Marhuľový ostrov) which won the works… Audience experience confi rms that one has Grand Prix at the fi lm festival in Rouen, France. In to handle coincidences just as carefully as possible 2012, his horror movie Evil (Zlo) was premièred and as those that move the action forward. The Cleaner The Cleaner (Čistič) is his third full-length fi lm in cinema distribution. relaxed its guard for a moment.

The Cleaner (Čistič, Slovakia, 2015) _DIRECTED BY: Peter Bebjak _SCRIPT: P. Bebjak, Peter Gašparík _DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Martin Žiaran _MUSIC: Juraj Dobrakov _CAST: Noël Czuczor, Rebeka Poláková, Kamil Kollárik, Éva Bandor, Jana Oľhová, Eugen Libezňuk _LENGTH: 94 min.

V photo: Bontonfi lm photo: Association of Slovak Film Clubs

The Waiting Rooms of Palo Korec g Pavel Branko REVIEW AA er several fi lms on various themes, the author has fi nally found himself in the theme ofo waiting or, sometimes, rather in the concept of the interact. Waiting for anything, fromfr Godot to the right partner for tango argentino. Korec’s Exhibits or Stories from theth Castle (Exponáty alebo príbehy z kaštieľa) are kneaded from the same sort of clay asa Waiting Room (Čakáreň); however, the determination by senior age in the former foreshadowsfo not only a diff erent journey, but also a joint fi nal destination. Just like ExhibitsEx or Stories from the Castle, Waiting Room also builds on a concentrated unity ofo the space where all the destinies either meet or intersect, but the seven female protagonistsp represent a generational cross-section from teenage to old age – apart f romr the last one which is only waiting for death.

TheTh protagonists of Waiting Room are not waiting the stock-taking of a wasted life, now framed behind forfo death but life seems to be passing through their broken glass. The word kaput that the old cleaning fi ngersn in various ways in the selected phase. It is lady uses to comment on one of the keepsakes that spannedsp by the metaphorical keystone of a colourful doesn’t work, does not relate solely to that. The ball.ba Right at the beginning a little girl is playing with touching, nostalgic friendship with a fl ock of pigeons theth ball on the seashore, but when the ball falls into with habits that she has learned to know so well over theth water and the wind blows it along the shore, the the years of co-existence, is just a balm on the lonely girlgi just walks helplessly along. The water is shallow, dance with the broom. In this life-phase you cannot theth ball is driven within her reach, just dip her feet a await too much. bitbi and get the ball back. However, the girl does not By contrast, the young skiver, very nearly a sexy pluckpl up the courage to make the step into the water young lady, has her life before her and it’s entirely andan in no time the ball is far removed, the chance is up to her what she will make of it. As it seems, she missed.m At the end of the movie a photo of the girl doesn’t care and, with her stubborn attitude to her 20 —21 withw the ball appears between the amassed junk, yielding, resigned mother, she is not a refl ection of rebels without a cause (not even with a cause), she gambler burdened down by life, who hangs around is just killing time, gently and with a half-childish the station and kills time with the one-armed bandit, charm, because she is fed up with the scheme her constantly calls back on her mobile phone to some mother is pushing her into, but she really doesn’t place where she has a husband (or partner) and a know what she wants. Is killing time waiting? If so, crying baby from the life she rejected. Hence, into the what for? For chances are not thrown away here, existing bonds that she escaped from and with which this is a life at random, day by day, equipped with she no longer wants to have anything in common. a skateboard which gives the illusion of having But now, after her escape, she shrinks to a wreck butterfl y wings. This episode, brilliantly directed, shot shaken by the waves of life in the waiting room where and acted, can give one the shivers. nothing really awaits her. Another, actually the key protagonist – the city Her opposite pole represent two “women of and its main railway station – dominates the fi lm sorrowful countenance” – the mother of a seriously right from the beginning. Their image as presented retarded daughter drags around her prisoner’s by Ján Meliš has dynamics and a changing, dense ball in a tidy little fl at; she could put her away in atmosphere, where familiar corners become an institution but she doesn’t even think of it and, illuminated with novelty and intimacy, and the voluntarily and with full comprehension, carries her hustle and bustle within the station complex, a cross which defi es any chance for a change. More, part of everyday life, suddenly transforms it into she even manages to fi nd a space of escape from the a social megamachine which by its never-ending treadmill with a cigarette, where her burden cannot fl ow appears to off er hundreds of possibilities and follow her and where, after returning, she carries on opportunities. Only if behind that vibration, the creating opportunities for moments of contentment stopping and moving of trains, above the maze of for the uneven pair. tracks and the slow-moving wagons and engines, The second one is probably a teacher in retirement fl attened by the telephoto lens, a railway signal age with a big heart, about which her son doesn’t (sometimes even two) wouldn’t catch the eye from care, so she gives it whole away at a desolate Roma time to time in the right corner; a signal which always settlement, bustling about with children (and shows red, thereby immediately denying what has adults) not in a waiting room, but on a blind track been off ered. of vegetating and idling. Experience tells her she And so we follow, generation after generation, cannot achieve a lot there, but these frolicking, snatches from the lives of women of steadily uncontrollable kids look forward to seeing her and increasing age and diff erent attitudes who are, the ageing woman will return again tomorrow, and however, linked by one thing – they live alone in the day after tomorrow… But now, after a shift far their women’s lot wherein men have no access, the away from civilisation, she sits at her computer and protagonists do not relate to men even as potential sends out a call into the unknown depths of the web: partners and sons and, if there are any men, they I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, but I love… sex. Hence, have no place in their hearts for them. In today’s she yearns for something that her body and soul over-sexualised world this exclusion of men from the obviously lack for years, but haven’t given up on yet. fi eld of interest defi es understanding and the motif She is the only one who, even though aging, has of the tango, one of the most erotic of all dances, found the courage to dip her feet and reach for the seems to endorse this obstacle to understanding. At ball. fi rst the tango appears only beneath the surface, in Nothing like that refl ects the story of a pretty woman the form of hints, until it surfaces fully in the story in her thirties who could immediately play a look-alike of an elegant, attractive, nevertheless withdrawn of Barbra Streisand in her younger days and who now clerk, in order to dominate in the end the whole fi eld earns her living as a waitress, without any interest, in a “Márquez-esque” scene which transforms the and, with interest, makes bizarre photographic railway station waiting room into a semi-fairy-tale creations with her friend as a model. In the virtual dance fl oor, a place where all those meet who have waiting room, maybe she is the one who is closest to previously just passed each other by. bring the waiting to some eff ect – or pushing her way However, even this exclusion of men from the play to it – but the continuous delineation of the theme paradoxically shows an opposite pole. The cynical does not allow one to look behind the horizon of the g 22 — 23 REVIEW towards the residential housesandlargercomplexes donotslant rather thebeautyofviewscity;shots mostly glow withcolours, thepanoramas emphasise in thedark.Theexteriors (eventhe nightscenes) so-called t surrounding only suspected, invisible to theeye. section ofspace outofdarknessandleaves all that is etudes rippedoutoftime.Like whenarefl least in part, shiftstoleast thepositionofvictims. inpart, the resulting image oftheprotagonists mostly, at usually derivedfrom thelivingconditions,whereby basic axiomofsocial dramas where themisfortuneis distinguishes thisrichandmanifold mosaicfrom the circumstances outoftheirreach. Thisiswhat the protagonistsrather than forms ofwaitingoridlinggrow from themind-setsof fi does aptly characterise theirinhabitants,wedonot the precisely shaded atmosphere oftheinteriors this socially layered livingin.Although cityisworth environs in Dušan Hanák.Inanutshell, theimage oftheexternal to besoexpressive andfunctional insomemovies by generations too. fi initiated bytheGeneration 90ofSlovak documentary by creative acting. Thislife-giving stream was of master soplastically ascouldhardly beachieved for themandtailor-made for themunderthebaton out for non-actors whomodelthecharacters drawn that themakers almost have nochoicebutto reach so evidently inspired byunshaped,immediate reality productive andprofuse stream where thefi dream-like tango. Butyoustill needtwoto tango… female orchestra whichultimately results inasemi- character plays inapurely herunmistakable part but incomplete group emerges,where portrait each beautifully melancholicandnotspecially enjoyable, actively creates space for herself-realisation. Thus,a aside thetypeofambitious,modernwomanwho and generational sequence.Thisway theauthorput the varietyofitsrather passive,traditional forms but notat all uncritical tribute to womanhoodin nd any external depressing factor either. Hence,the lmmakers anditobviously enthrals theyounger Regina Husveth, Sára Miklášová, Theodor Durmik, Miška Melišová Melišová Miška Durmik, Theodor Miklášová, Sára Husveth, Regina _ Room Waiting Nevertheless Nevertheless Thus, With itspoetics, MUSIC : Ľubica Malachovská Čekovská Ľubica Malachovská Waiting Room unnel moviewheremuchw Waiting Room aesthetics ofugliness ( Čakáreň Waiting Room Waiting Room , Slovakia, 2015) 2015) , Slovakia, presents asilent, empathic, rather demonstrates that from so-c is not in the least a is notintheleast a _ CAST belongs to a which turned out whichturned out _ : Zuzana Smékalová, Monika Neksová, Barbara Slamková, Zuzana Kmeťová, Timea Husveth, Husveth, Timea Kmeťová, Zuzana Slamková, Barbara Neksová, Monika Smékalová, Zuzana SCRIPT ould take place ould take place alled ector rips a ector ripsa

AND ction is

DIRECTED objective objective

BY : Palo Korec _ LENGTH Vladimír Branko) (collaboration onthetranslation: Pavel Branko, the impossible. which donotexclude thepossibilityofreaching for about to blow away. Attale least inasongorfairy dippingone’sfeet for theballworth the windisjust common experience,that, after all, itprobably is fi until hewhispersinthemagical oratorio ofthe with theslowly increasing undercurrent oftango station oflife where hecaughtupwithhisheroines poet juxtaposesthoseinteracts at thegenerational this aprioriprecludesbuttheauthoras abigheart, resignation, orevensometimesdepression. Noneof with aprevailing passiveness,withdrawnness, episodes are fi this lineevencloser towards fi exceeding theaccount oftheetudes. of non-creations grew together into acoherent whole, adapt to itsomuchthat theircreations ontheverge put themselves intheshoesoftheiralter egoandto actors to original spontaneity. Thegiftto let them closer to fi or Stories from theCastle shifting thelinebetweenfi nale, where thelonely destiniesfi Palo Korec Palo Documentary FilmFestival.Documentary had itspremière at theJihlava International distribution, andlastyear (Exponáty alebo príbehy zkaštieľa)wasincinema documentary and feature fi at F.E.M.I.S Paris. Hemade several documentaries In1991-1992Arts. hewasawarded ascholarship Television Directing at theAcademy ofPerforming and production assistant.Hestudied Filmand in Bratislava heworked asassistantdirector the Philosophical Faculty ofComenius University Television inBratislava. After graduating from outasacameraHe started assistantintheSlovak With hisfi Palo Korec, whojoinedthestream withhis : 72 min. _ DIRECTOR ction, ashesensedhisgiftto inspire non- lm

OF

lled withtheaura ofreal livesimbued (1958, Partizánske) lms; three yearsago hisfull-length

Waiting Room PHOTOGRAPHY Exhibits orStories from theCastle : Ján Meliš Meliš Ján , ction andnon-fi

played alucky hand Waiting Room thedirector moved ction. Theindividual _ nally joinina EDITED

BY : ction a bit ction abit Peter Kordač Kordač Peter , which , which Exhibits Exhibits Sun in a Net Awards Association of Slovak Film Clubs. Simultaneously, an interactive workshop, the Film Cabinet for with Novelties Children for pupils and teachers of fi rst- to fi fth- graders at primary schools is organised in Cinema The National Sun in a Net Awards, which have Lumière in Bratislava as well as in other Slovak been awarded by the Slovak Film and Television towns and cities. Its lecturers explain to the pupils Academy (SFTA) every two years, will hereon be Slovak animated fi lm and its creators, as well as awarded annually. In this way the Academy reacts the principles of animation. to the stabilisation of the situation in the Slovak audiovisual environment as, after the Slovak Audiovisual Fund was established and began Evaluation NEWS SECTION providing support to fi lm production in 2010, the of Slovak Films in Film.sk production of domestic fi lms has increased. At the same time, the SFTA wants to link the Sun in The monthly Film.sk publishes scores for the a Net Awards with a screening of domestic fi lms Slovak full-length feature fi lms to be released entitled Slovak Film Week. The second edition of in cinemas in the given year. The score is put this event connected with a refl ection on Slovak together by eight Slovak fi lm scientists and fi lm production will be held on 11-17 April and the critics. In two rounds, they also evaluated the National Sun in a Net Awards will be handed out domestic fi lms which were screened in cinemas at a ceremony on 16 April in Bratislava. The SFTA in 2015. All in all, they assessed 18 fi lms and will assess the fi lms that were made and released gave the highest score to the documentary So in 2014 and 2015, and it will make its decisions on Far, So Close (Tak ďaleko, tak blízko, dir. Jaro laureates in thirteen categories. The fourteenth Vojtek) which was made in 2014. The feature will be the award for exceptional contribution to début of documentary fi lmmaker Marko Škop, Slovak cinema. Eva Nová, was ranked second and Koza (Koza, dir. Ivan Ostrochovský) was third. The last mentioned fi lm had its world première a year Audience Expeditions ago in the Forum section of the Berlin IFF. to the History of Film

Paths of Adulthood is the name of the new Staff Changes in the National semester of the educational series on the history of Cinematographic Centre cinema entitled Film Cabinet which was launched on 4 February in Cinema Lumière. The series will of the SFI cover the period of the 1960s up to the present day. The introductory lecture on the French New The Department of Film Events of the National Wave and its transformation was complemented Cinematographic Centre of the Slovak Film by a screening of François Truff aut’s fi lm Jules and Institute, which focuses on the presentation of Jim. Viewers who enrolled in the Film Cabinet will Slovak cinema abroad and also collaborates with take part in the following lectures up to the end fi lm events in Slovakia, has new staff members. of May 2016: Czechoslovak New Wave, The Genre The Department’s long-standing staff member, Panopticon of Juraj Herz, Italy Post Neorealism, Viera Ďuricová, retired and her place was taken The Transcendental Style of Andrei Tarkovsky, New by Imelda Selková as of 1 January 2016. Last year, German Film, New Hollywood, Dogma 95, Monty Kristína Aschenbrennerová also started work in Python and the Contemporary Slovak Feature the Department. Staff changes also occurred last Film. A lecturer’s introduction will be given prior year in the Audiovisual Information Centre of the to every projection and a discussion will be held SFI; currently Miro Ulman and Soňa Balážová are afterwards. The Film Cabinet series, which came its staff members. The National Cinematographic into existence three years ago, is prepared by the Centre is headed by Alexandra Strelková as its Slovak Film Institute in collaboration with the director. V photo: Miro Nôta interview

I Can’t Run Away From Myself g Mariana Jaremková

After making or producing internationally successful documentaries (Other Worlds, Osadné), director Marko Škop made yet another début. His first feature film Eva Nová had its world première in September last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Award. The film was distributed in Slovak cinemas in November 2015. Škop has been living in Zagreb 24 — 25 24 for several years where he has also managed to “settle down” as a filmmaker. Where is your work concentrated now – in Croatia or that might get to be made in the coming years. In Slovakia? Croatia, it’s a story of a forty-something divorcée – In Slovakia, but I travel a lot to and fro. who has to fi ght for every bit of happiness. In Slovakia, it’s a reconstruction of dramatic historical Did it take you long to get into fi lmmaking in Croatia? events. Negotiations are going on for both projects What was your fi rst project? with regard to whether and how they might be – The very fi rst off er came from a festival organised made. We’ll see, maybe in a year or two I’ll be by the Croatian-American producer, Branko Lustig. I making television fi lms again. led a workshop for foreign students; two short fi lms were the outcome. Then I decided to learn Croatian. So, you don’t perceive working for TV as something People are very keen on socialising in Zagreb, they that will make you give up some of your fi lmmaking go out together, there is a kafi č – café on every artistic ambitions? corner. All my friends in Zagreb speak English, – Not at all. I consider it important that the work be but the locals always switch back to their native meaningful, and that is what many television formats language after a while. If I wanted to take part in the in documentary and feature fi lms off er. For instance, I’d debate, I needed to speak Croatian. Our languages love to make a travelogue around the Croatian islands, are similar, so it went smoothly and, of course, about their specifi c, unique features, the diff erences everyone appreciated my learning Croatian. between them. That’s a dream morsel for me and one that I might get to make. As for the word “ambition”, Did they know your documentaries? I really don’t like it, it’s so double-edged. I’ve met – The Croatian ZagrebDox and Kosovan Prizren authors in my life who were transformed into walking are the largest documentary fi lm festivals in the ambitions, as if the success and they themselves had Balkans. I was a member of the Jury in Prizren and become more important than the actual testimony Osadné was the opening fi lm of ZagrebDox. The itself. This attitude does not radiate any positive energy. networking was very natural. You are in a position to compare the available funds In Croatia, you worked on the TV series In Treatment and the audiences in Croatia with those in our which is known in our country as Terapia. How did country. How does it look like with state support and you get into this project? It was made for HBO in the the interest of the audiences in domestic production? Czech Republic; how was it with the Croatian version? – The Croatian Audiovisual Centre HAVC operates – The public service TV made it in Croatia. My wife with a similar budget to that of the Slovak Audiovisual was involved in the project as one of the producers Fund. The country has approximately the same size and she brought me into the discussions when she of population and not quite so many cinemas. HAVC needed help with casting. The TV management was maintains a reasonable proportion between support satisfi ed with my work and they off ered me the job for fi lms successful with audiences and fi lms for the of second director. My Croatian colleague Tomica demanding viewer, they have blockbusters, such Rukavina directed 27 episodes, I directed 18. New as The Priest’s Children by Vinko Brešan and fi lms faces appeared in the series together with Croatia’s successful at festivals – The High Sun by director biggest stars, such as Ana Karič, Goran Bogdan, Dalibor Matanič gained an award in Cannes last year. Nina Violič and Elvis Bošnjak. It was a lovely job and Croatian cinematography is intensely alive. a good school for working with the actors. It is very diffi cult to make an exclusively domestic Many renowned fi lmmakers work for television, title – co-productions are often necessary. What is for instance for the already mentioned HBO, where your experience so far? What are your priorities when they get the chance to make high-quality fi lms, TV looking for a co-producer? series that are almost comparable with cinema fi lms, – I consider natural co-productions to be the best, for wherein they have greater creative freedom. Several instance, when you’re shooting in a diff erent country of them have almost become cult fi lms or series. How due to specifi c unique locations. It is most convenient do you, as a fi lmmaker, view television fi lms? to make Slovak fi lms with a smaller budget at home – I’m involved in the development of two TV fi lms but, since a fi lm costs a lot, money from a partner is g very useful, for instance for post-production. Trust is a after her and we look at the granddaughter and key factor in co-productions, hence I try to work with wonder if she’ll be just like her grandmother. I’m friends and people on a similar frequency. convinced that in many aspects she will be.

You managed to build up a successful company A certain auteur’s gesture is linked to your previous with your friends which still operates without major fi lms. How is it in the case of Eva Nová? interview changes and it is a guarantee of quality. What do you – With each fi lm I try to create something new, to touch now, after a few years, think about the decision to upon something else, but I will always be present establish your own production company? And what is somehow. We cannot run away from ourselves, this is its place in the current Slovak media environment? what Eva Nová is also about. – Artileria is a company of authors of fi lms. Our main initiative is to make fi lms and each one of us does Your previous documentaries Other Worlds (Iné something else as well as working on joint projects. svety) and Osadné (Osadné) were linked with the Ján Meliš and František Krähenbiel were a great Šariš Region, or with the north-eastern border of support for me at one moment when I wanted to give Slovakia, even though the problems of other regions up on Eva Nová because we didn’t receive support for surfaced through these fi lms too. Are these regions the project in the development phase and I hit rock still close and equally attractive to you from the bottom. Along with Zuzana Liová, they persuaded documentary fi lmmaker’s perspective? Do you see me to carry on struggling, and I am very grateful other burning issues in them that you are continually to them for that. Film production is a complicated thinking about? process and sometimes as a producer you are really – I’ll always be interested in the theme of the local in ready to top yourself but, on the other hand, there’s the global and equally in Eastern Slovakia. Half of always joy when you get great satisfaction from what Eva Nová was shot in Eastern Slovakia – in Pečovská you do. Even though it might sound pathetic, I was Nová Ves and in several towns – Lipany, Prešov and happy during the shooting of Eva Nová itself and I Sabinov. We lived in a hotel in Sabinov that used to am honestly delighted with the fi lm. I wanted to talk have a cinema. My parents used to go to this cinema. about the importance of conscious decisions in life. The Shop on Main Street (journalist’s note: winner of I see many misunderstandings around me that are the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film caused by the fact that we let many things take their made by directors Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos) was own course, that people allow themselves to be led made several decades ago in Sabinov, people still by what they are experiencing at the moment and remember the shooting of the fi lm with Jozef Kroner do not think about the consequences for others. Our and the town gave us a big welcome. Mr. Baňas, mistakes have the greatest impact on our nearest and mayor of Pečovská Nová Ves, created a completely dearest, on our family. Harm and misunderstandings homely atmosphere for us. Local people were cast create tensions in relations that can accumulate as extras, actors from Prešov appeared in several over the course of years. At the same time, I was roles. Even though Eva Nová could have taken interested in the theme of mental transferrals from place anywhere in Slovakia, we made the fi lm in the parents to children. We not only replicate the physical country of my childhood where I feel very good. appearance of our ancestors, but also their mentality, their behavioural patterns. Within this small area, in some cases Slovak cinema is paying the price for the unwillingness to collaborate There is a scene in the fi lm where Eva Nová tells her (with the exception of the generation of documentary granddaughter at one moment: “You don’t have to fi lmmakers that you belong to and who collaborate repeat anything after me,” and the girl’s toy repeats closely, help each other). What do you think about the same thing exactly in a mechanical voice: “You the Slovak fi lm environment after all those years, don’t have to repeat anything after me.” You inserted all those fi lms, achievements and, what is most a comic moment in the emotionally tense situation… important, from a certain distance as you live abroad? – Eva then comes to a halt, she is taken aback – Every environment is created by individuals and by the repeating toy and she says: “And still it is it is a refl ection of specifi c people. Of course, it is 26 — 27 26 repeating…”, the toy again automatically repeats most aff ected by those who have the power to make decisions. There will always be a confl ict of interests; that is how it is, all over the world, not just in Croatia, but also in France which is a well-developed fi lm country. The situation has certainly improved considerably in our country thanks to the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and the Radio and Television of Slovakia. I regard it as right to allocate the largest possible space to quality, whether it be a high- quality audience fi lm or a high-quality auteur fi lm. But it seems that, in our country, whatever previous fi lm the author might have made counts for nothing, i.e. in determining the author’s potential for further results, good or bad.

That means that previous successful fi lms don’t guarantee anything? – It’s a shame because a great deal of energy is discarded along the way.

Documentary fi lmmakers who have decided to make feature fi lms, claim that greater freedom is one of the reasons why they did so. Was that your case also? – Every author has internal themes that he/she is interested in and looks for ways of depicting them as eff ectively as possible. I decided on a feature fi lm in the case of Eva Nová because of the possibility to dig deep in the depiction of tense unresolved relations. Of course, the same can be achieved in documentary fi lm but the immersion in the intimacy of a family with generational transferrals involves all the characters present, even small children; if I’d had real people, I (1974, Prešov) Marko Škop would have come up against limits, my own human limits. I defi nitely felt more free with a feature fi lm, but He studied journalism at the Philosophical the converse might be true for the next theme and Faculty of Comenius University and a documentary would be the appropriate means of documentary fi lmmaking at the Academy allowing me to say things the right way. of Performing Arts in Bratislava. Together with director Juraj Johanides, he made the The fi lm had its world première at the Toronto Film mid-length documentary Celebration of Festival. How did viewers react to Eva Nová? And how a Lonely Palm (Slávnosť osamelej palmy, did you enjoy the festival? 2005); immediately afterwards on his own he – The North American audience experiences fi lms a bit directed the full-length documentary Other diff erently from the European one. In Toronto, people Worlds (Iné svety, 2006) for which he received, expressed themselves out loud, you could feel it in the for instance, the Audience Award and the air when they rooted for Eva Nová or they murmured Special Mention at the Karlovy Vary IFF and no, don’t do that! I was a bit taken aback as the account the Talent Dove at the DOK Leipzig Festival for is quite hard. On the other hand, it served to indicate to Documentary and Animated Films. In 2009, me that the viewers were able to identify themselves he made the documentary Osadné which won with the characters. Even after the discussion had the Best Documentary Award at the Karlovy fi nished, many people still came up to share their Vary IFF. experiences with me in person. 

V photo: Miro Nôta TOPIC RTVS as the Partner of Slovak Films g Zuzana Sotáková

InI the troubled 1990s and at the start of the new millennium only a few Slovak films wwere made and the participation of the public-service TV in co-productions was also lolow. However, the productivity of Slovak cinema has recently increased and its support bby the Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) has also revived.

OverO the course of 24 years (1990 – 2014) 195 Slovak on co-productions are made on the basis of the fi lms were made, 81 of which were co-produced applications submitted. “This management set byby the Slovak public-service television. While standard rules. Every single application or idea has upu to 2011 the number of fi lm co-productions of to go through an evaluation system. Projects have RTVSR ranged from one to fi ve projects per annum, to be enrolled in the Central Register of Ideas where subsequentlysu their number increased. Appreciably. the proposals are then distributed among individual In 2013, the RTVS supported 11 cinema fi lms, dramaturges. They prepare the evaluation process. inin 2014, one more. At the same time, the RTVS These projects are subsequently evaluated at strengthenedst the promotion of co-productions on a public forum, i.e. at a dramaturgical council. itsit TV screens. They are evaluated in a complex manner – the In the past two years (2014 and 2015) a total of idea, artistic level, budget or the way the project 43 fi lms – 17 feature fi lms and 26 documentaries will be implemented. If the council recommends – got on the co-production list of the RTVS. Not the project, it progresses to the fi nal phase where alla of them are full-length and some are primarily it is evaluated in the grand programme council. destinedd for television broadcasting, but more than This decides whether or not the RTVS will get halfh of them are related to cinema distribution. involved in the co-production, or if the project will ForF these 43 titles from the given period, the co- be postponed,” explains Tibor Búza. According to productionp input of the RTVS was almost four this system the proponent of the idea should get millionm Euro (EUR 3,985,438). The highest input was a response from RTVS no later than twelve weeks providedp to Mariana Čengel Solčanská’s fairy tale from entry in the Register. LoveL in Your Soul (Láska na vlásku, EUR 738,377) “The fi lmmakers who submitted their ideas to whichw achieved a high rating even when broadcast the Register can continually see the stage of the ono RTVS. However, in this case the RTVS did not just evaluation and who is evaluating the project. providep a fi nancial input, but a non-fi nancial one There are strict rules now determining the aas well. Within it, the public-service TV was able approval procedure,” continues Búza. The change to off er their own studios, props, costumes, post- also aff ected the number of applications in the pproduction capacities, etc. Register which has increased. “This is primarily When in mid-2012 a new management starting due to the fact that the rules have changed and the wworking in the RTVS headed by the General fi lmmakers appreciate it. We don’t have a problem DDirector Václav Mika and the Programme Director with saying no when necessary, but we will present of the TV part of RTVS, Tibor Búza, the Central a clear argument why we don’t want to get involved 28 — 29 28 RRegister of Ideas was established and decisions in a particular project. We always try to give a relevant response to everyone and I have to say that for Wilson City (Wilsonov) which in my view will be the ideas undergo a really harsh evaluation. I think successful with audiences,” continues Tibor Búza. that the RTVS dramaturgy is currently at a very As for projects in development, for instance, the decent level,” explains the Programme Director of documentary about the primary photographer of the TV. According to the RTVS, in 2014, altogether The Beatles, Dežo Hoff man who came up with the 32 projects submitted to the Register, 20 of which concept of jumping bands and who brought top were feature fi lms, were assessed. Last year, it was personalities of the music world to the Bratislava 28 projects (24 feature fi lms). Lyre, is interesting. According to Búza, interest in “As the RTVS is the only relevant additional this project is already tremendous, even foreign TVs source of funds in Slovakia in addition to the Slovak are interested in it. With regard to other projects in Audiovisual Fund, co-productions with the RTVS development, a spectacular documentary about are in many cases essential for the producer,” states Slovakia on the occasion of Slovakia’s Presidency producer Barbara Harumová Hessová. On the basis of the Council of the European Union should be of her experience, she appreciates the approach of mentioned. the individual staff members of the documentary “The involvement of the RTVS in many co- dramaturge in the RTVS but, at the same time, production projects often results in the rights she emphasises that there is always room for to sell the licence. Currently, the RTVS features improvement in the collaboration with the TV. as a relevant producer and co-producer and it Compared with the past, director and independent also strengthens its position by returning to the producer Peter Kerekes also recorded a more international selling markets MIPCOM and MIPTV helpful approach on the part of the TV, even though in Cannes. This also extends the co-production he names weaker points too. He would, for instance, collaboration to the sale of licences abroad. Last welcome a shorter period from the submission of year’s presence at the autumn MIPCOM market the project, through its assessment and evaluation brought success in the forms of sales of licences for to the provision of funds. “It would be good if the broadcasting of two fairy tales across the Polish this process could be accelerated even more but territory, Love in Your Soul and Seven Ravens, the TV would have to have a budget secured for which were successfully broadcast by Polish PULS a longer period in advance. There is a lot to be TV over Christmas,” said Juraj Kadáš, the RTVS PR wished for in order to be satisfi ed, but that requires Manager. a stable management that will not change after However, in addition to fi lms, the public-service every election, on the one hand, and also intensive TV has ambitions to enter the international market pressure exerted by producers on the other hand.” with its own projects. “We would like to off er With regard to feature and documentary fi lms our programmes there and even now, we have that had their premières in cinemas last year, several requirements, so we are preparing the fi rst the RTVS co-produced, for instance, Eva Nová packages that we are going to sell abroad. We have by director Marko Škop, Seven Ravens (Sedem some backlogs in this respect, but when the current zhavranelých bratov) by Alice Nellis and Koza management started working in the TV, nothing (Koza) by Ivan Ostrochovský. As for fi lms that will was here and we had to set up everything anew. be released in cinemas (and on television) the RTVS For instance, we have to arrange M/E tracks for the co-produced, for instance, Agave (Agáva) directed purpose of sales. Approximately 90 per cent of older by Ondrej Šulaj, Red Captain (Červený kapitán) projects from four-fi ve years ago don’t have them by Michal Kollár and the documentary Coolture at all, because no one reckoned with the possibility (Cooltúra) by Miro Remo. The aim of the RTVS is that they would be sold abroad. Nowadays we to support fi lms with diff erent audience potential. make projects prepared for these tracks, for “My Dog Killer (Môj pes Killer) is an excellent art instance the second season of the dramatic TV fi lm that we got involved in at the last moment. We series The Colonnade (Kolonáda) or Secret Lives are interested in fi lms that score highly at festivals (Tajné životy),” adds the Programme Director of the but another thing is that we are going to try to TV part of RTVS, Tibor Búza. The RTVS will also support audience fi lms as well, as was applicable take part in the MIPCOM fair in April 2016.  Stanko (Stanko) V photo: AH Production NEW FILMS

2016 Premières? Genre Reinforcement g Daniel Bernát

SlovakS cinema has recently been characterised by an increasing productivity and its genre ddiversity is also developing. It seems that this is also true of the current year. This article ppresents a selection of the films with their premières planned in 2016.

DirectorD Michal Kollár’s psychological thriller Agave (Agáva) directed by the experienced Slovak RedR Captain (Červený kapitán) will receive its screenwriter Ondrej Šulaj will be premièred by the premièrep in March. Its story returns to the troubled end of March. He also was inspired by literature – a 1990s,19 to the period shortly after the fall of prose work by the distinguished writer Ladislav communismco when the decision on the break-up of Ballek – and in this story he returns to the period CzechoslovakiaC was made. Red Captain is one of immediately after World War II, shortly before the a few Slovak feature fi lms to refl ect on this period communists assumed total power over the state. fi lled with naïve ideas of a better future, but also “I like to take chances and do things that are also a copingco with a great many new impetuses and challenge for me. Ballek’s prose is such a challenge challenges,ch often onerous, and with the obtrusive – with its theme of searching for certainties in the burdenb of the past. Director Kollár depicts all post-war world, the seemingly trifl ing story against thisth against the backdrop of the investigation of a the background of a love triangle, the atmosphere murderm referring to the former State Security. The of a southern sultry hot summer scented with fi lm is based on a book by the successful Slovak acacias which opens and irritates the minds of the authora of detective stories, Dominik Dán, and it is a people living in a border town…” said Ondrej Šulaj. Slovak-Czech-PolishS co-production. The present time plays an important role in The political thriller Kidnapping (Únos) is also the road movie Stanko. In it director Rasťo Boroš bbased on a novel by Dominik Dán. It plunges follows the fates of two young people from the ddeep into intricate Mafi a networks, in which edges of society on their journey together to Italy. sesecret service employees and high-ranking state The story also touches upon the topic of traffi cking offi cials are also involved. The fi lm was made by with girls, but the major focus of the fi lm is MMariana Čengel Solčanská who is one of the most friendship. “Each of the main protagonists follows 30 —31 pproductive fi lmmakers in Slovakia. their own idea of happiness. But in reality they need something else. Someone to care for them. In the As for minority Slovak co-productions planned to story, I wanted to show the consequences brought have their premières in 2016, let us at least mention about by such a relation. Mainly, responsibility Little Crusader (Križiačik, dir. Václav Kadrnka), for the other and the consequences of the lie told characterised by its makers as a medieval road by one of them to manipulate the other for his movie based on the poems of Jaroslav Vrchlický; own benefi t,” says Rasťo Boroš in explaining his the historical drama Masaryk (Masaryk, dir. Julius intentions. He cast non-actors in the main roles. Ševčík) about Czech diplomat Jan Masaryk and the Little Jarka from the novel She Is a Harbour events associated with the Munich Agreement; the (Piata loď) doesn’t have an easy life either. She omnibus animated fi lm Deadly Stories (Smrteľné is not yet even a teenager and her inner world is historky, dir. Jan Bubeníček) where each story already marked by experiences that augment her is related to a diff erent genre and technological confusion. Director Iveta Grófová was inspired by treatment, and the 3D animated family fi lm the book by Monika Kompaníková. She herself Oddsockeaters (Lichožrúti, dir. Galina Miklínová). made her fi lm début in 2012 with Made in Ash Naturally, some new Slovak documentaries (Až do mesta Aš) which was successful at fi lm will also have their cinema releases. Several of festivals. She collaborated with Marek Leščák them focus on personalities from various areas on the script of She Is a Harbour and the Slovak- of art: for instance, director Juraj Johanides on Czech-Hungarian fi lm was also supported by the underground band Bez ladu a skladu which Eurimages. is referred to in the title of his fi lm Bez Ladu a The road movie of director György Kristóf OUT Skladu. From Socialism to Capitalism (Bez ladu (Vychladnutie) is under way in an extensive a skladu. Od socializmu ku kapitalizmu); director international co-production. Last year, the project Patrik Lančarič took to task the Slovak poet and fi gured at the Cinéfondation – L ’Atelier in Cannes, Minister of Culture in the period of the communist which focused on fi fteen of the most promising normalisation, Miroslav Válek (the fi lm Válek); projects from all over the world. Kristóf tells the Juraj Nvota focused his attention on artist Alex story of a fi fty-year-old man who takes off on a Mlynárčik (Elsewhere/Inde); in turn, the Slovak- journey from Slovakia all over Eastern Europe on a Czech pair of fi lmmakers Robert Kirchhoff and quest to fi nd a job and make his dream come true – Filip Remunda investigate fame and transience to catch a big fi sh. in Steam on the River (Para nad riekou) through The premières of two fi lms with Slovakia as a musicians Laco Déczi, Ľubomír Tamaškovič and minority co-producer are linked to this year’s Ján Jankeje. Berlin IFF. As a young woman, Olga Hepnarová Okhwan’s Mission Impossible (Okhwan) tells the killed eight people in Prague in 1973 and was remarkable story of Okhwan Yoon, a South Korean subsequently executed. The existential drama I, who used to be a successful businessman until he Olga Hepnarová (Ja, Olga Hepnarová) attempts opted for a totally diff erent life-project – he set to capture the kind of person she was without off on an epic bicycle journey around the world in downplaying her crimes. Olga came from an order to help to reunify the Korean peninsula. His underprivileged family background, she was personality and journey were mapped by director isolated and unable to build normal relations Marek Mackovič who had already introduced with other people; the débuting directors Tomáš Okhwan thanks to a short episode in the Life in a Weinreb and Petr Kazda tried to look into her Day project (2011) produced by Ridley Scott. mind and discover what led up to her committing The young fi lmmaker Mária Rumanová considers the said crime. The Berlin IFF also included the identity of the East Slovak border town Čierna the co-production fi lm In Your Dreams! (Ani ve nad Tisou and the local people in her creative snu!) in its programme. It examines the world of documentary Sunrise Hotel (Hotel Úsvit). And, contemporary young people living in the city. In following our earlier reference to refl ecting on the the story, director Petr Oukropec focuses on the period shortly after the fall of communism through sprightly teenager Laura who would like to get to thrillers, documentaries such as Sunrise Hotel can join a parkour gang and, at the same time, deals off er authentic testimonies of life in contemporary with her fi rst big love. Slovakia.  PROJECTS OF THE SFI

Digitisation Is Not Over, We Are Going Still Further g Simona Nôtová

The national Digital Audiovision project, aimed at the digitisation of the Slovak audiovisual heritage, ended on 30 November 2015. However, that does not mean the end of digitisation because the archives of the Slovak Film Institute (SFI) and its partner in this project, the Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS), contain many works that both institutions will carryygg on digitising.

TheTh project will be retained until 2020. “The SFI high-quality form in digitised cinemas in Slovakia hhasa undertaken to digitise at least a further fi fty and abroad. iteitems in each subsequent year. This entails feature, However, it requires a great deal of time, work and ananimated, documentary fi lms and newsreels,” said the cooperation of several experts to achieve the PPetere Dubecký, the General Director of the Slovak digital form of a work. For instance, the digitisation FiFilm Institute. “We anticipate that, within the retention of Forget Mozart (Zabudnite na Mozarta, dir. peperiod, 7,200 audio and 950 video items will be Miloslav Luther) in the SFI’s newly built digitisation didigitised every year,” added Andrej Doležal, the Director workplace in the basement of Cinema Lumière took of the Technical Implementation Section of the RTVS. a full eight months from the preparatory works Within the project, by 30 November 2015 the SFI through the digitisation and restoration of the image hahad digitised 1,001 cultural items, 600 of which and soundtracks up to the production of the DCP arare newsreels, 198 animated, 158 documentary digital cinema master and the master for long-term anand 45 feature fi lms. All in all, this represents 900 archiving. In all, 136,025 frames were digitised in kikilometres of fi lm material. The screening of a the fi lm and 46 expert staff – scanning, retouching rerestored and digitised fi lm is an important event for experts, editors, a colourist, a sound-master, fi lm ttheh fi lmmakers. Thanks to the Digital Audiovision archivists and other experts – took part in the entire 32 — 33 prproject it will be possible to screen their works in a process in a three-shift operation. V photo: SFI/Miro Nôta

Films come to the SFI digitisation workplace assessment we have guarantors of the laboratory after the laboratory process from the systematic process, guarantors for the image and guarantors for restoration and rescue project which has been the sound. They are either the fi lmmakers who made ongoing since 2004. Only after thorough diagnostics these fi lms or directors of photography suggested of the image and soundtracks do the experts start the by the Association of Slovak Cinematographers. retouching operation. And how do experts proceed They remember the original atmospheres very in the restoration of fi lms with regard also to the fact well. They know what type of material they shot that the works were made in various periods and on on, what turned out well and what not so well in fi lm materials of varying quality? “In this process the laboratories, what types of lighting fi xtures and it is very important to determine the reference fi lm lighting they used…” It is essential that every digitised print for the verifi cation projections; the quality of and restored fi lm should conform to the appearance the digitised fi lm and the output digital master in the it had at the time it was made. image and sound tracks are assessed on the basis of The RTVS, as a partner in the project, digitised this copy… If the fi lm is characterised by a specifi c 60,649 items at its digitisation workplace up to 30 granularity, we try to maintain it. If the image is November 2015. Up to 51,799 of them are audio items characterised by a certain colour or tone, again we with authentic folklore and folk music programmes try to maintain it. If the sound has its characteristic on analogue media, literary programmes of all expression, we also maintain it. Just as every genres on magnetic media, historic sound documents director of photography had his own signature, so and items from the music fund. The remaining 8,850 the signature of a sound-master is also discernible items were video items, specifi cally journalistic and and can help us a lot when searching for the documentary works, and dramatic programmes. common features and dissimilarities of the individual The biggest digitisation project in the area of fi lms,” explains Peter Csordás, a digitisation expert audiovision in Slovakia was supported from the and quality and control manager of the Digital European Union structural funds. The SFI carried Audiovision project. And he immediately adds that, out this project with its partner RTVS from 2011. In when working with these fi lms, consultations with October 2015, the original amount of the grant, EUR the fi lmmakers themselves are important to assess 24,089,940.37 was adjusted to EUR 20,883,676.22, i.e. what the auteur intention of the fi lmmakers was EUR 13,221,891.76 for the SFI and EUR 7,661,784.46 and what was caused, for instance, by imperfections for the RTVS. Altogether, 77 staff members worked on in the recording material. “In particular, for this the project in the SFI and 52 in the RTVS.  Digitisation Has INTERVIEW a Multi-level Signifi cance g Mariana Jaremková

ManyM experts with a variety of specialisations took part in the Digital Audiovision (DA) pproject. Mária Ferenčuhová, Eva Filová, Petra Hanáková and Eva Šošková collaborated iinn the project as film historians – curators. In the following interview they clarify their rrespectivee involvement in the project but they mainly discuss the outcome of the ddigitisation of the audiovisual heritage for film experts, filmmakers, historians and the vviewing public.

HowH did your work as fi lm historians – curators in Cinema Lumière. She was the one who selected fi t within the Digital Audiovision project and what the basic themes which showed the diff erent ways area its outputs? in which short fi lms were made and produced in – Mária Ferenčuhová: I was the fi rst one to get comparison with full-length feature fi lms. iinvolvedn in the project in November 2012 when – Eva Filová: I worked on a separate systematic ddiscussions were held in the Slovak Film Institute research which consisted of several components. aas to which of the plethora of short documentaries First the area to be examined had to be chosen shshould be digitised. My original ambition was – I opted for a big package of non-fi ction fi lms to watch all the available fi lms without any with the theme of the Slovak National Uprising exexceptions and to choose those that refl ect the which were mostly made to political order in pperiod “fi lm operation”, with fi lms made to order, the Short Film Studio in 1945 – 1989 and which wwith works that were schematic, conformist, and, quite naturally moved away from the centre of course, those that were innovative for their of interest after the change of regime. This pperiod in terms of theme or form. However, that entailed more than a hundred fi lms which, from wwas not a task for one person and so Eva Filová a total production of 3,300 fi lms, is no negligible aand Petra Hanáková became involved in the number. After a time it became necessary to pproject. The three of us then divided the fi lms by look at them from a diff erent perspective, not ththeme. At the same time, Eva Šošková joined us. just the ideological one. To my surprise, many of SShe had already dealt with animated fi lm in her them would pass even today as an exceptional ddoctoral research. Paradoxically, due to lack of testimony of the given period, an interesting titime, I left the project shortly afterwards. The investigation of tragic events or an inventive ooutputs of my research were mainly scientifi c handling of archive materials. It was necessary ststudies that were published in Kino-Ikon, others in to watch all the fi lms thoroughly, to take notes, tuturn in the monographs Film and History 4 (Film to check and possibly make their original a dějiny 4) and Documentary Film in V4 Countries annotations more accurate, to write down the key (D(Dokumentárny fi lm v krajinách V4). Among words, to search for an adequate, representative otother things, in my outputs I tried to note how the still and a fi lm extract approximately one- oopinion of Slovak short documentaries changed minute-long. During this initial work extending iinn the individual periods. Eva Filová then chose over several months, I started placing the 34 — 35 fi lms with a similar mind-set that were screened processed fi lms into the emerging categories and Eva Filová V photo: Miro Nôta

to write a study that gradually developed, until the SFI’s archive are unusually rich – what we it turned into four consecutive parts in Kino- are familiar with is just the tip of the iceberg, Ikon. As the research was started in the year especially in the documentary fi lm segment. If of the 70th anniversary of the Slovak National I may take the liberty to answer the question of Uprising, further activities outside of the project “outcomes” with a single word, then I will say: were spontaneously added: a selection of the knowledge. It was a unique opportunity to get to ten best documentaries for .týždeň magazine, know and to examine fi lms that were up to then the August block of fi lms in Cinema Lumière unknown, and to subsequently mediate them, within the Shorts from the Archive series, the for instance in the texts that I am writing now selection and matching of short fi lms screened and publishing for Nástup (newsreels during the prior to full-length fi lms for the entire August First Slovak Republic), in the introductions to Filmotheque of Cinema Lumière, a block of short screenings for the 4 Elements Film Seminar or fi lms for the Brno 16 Festival. I presented the while programming the fi lms for the Fluid Muse last selection of fi lms with the characteristic title exhibition where, thanks to my working for both “The International Nature of the Slovak National institutions, I naturally linked the collaboration Uprising” in summer 2015 to the foreign students between the SFI and the Slovak National Gallery. of the Summer School of Slovak Language and – Eva Šošková: I dealt with animated fi lm in Culture at the Philosophical Faculty of Comenius the project and my main job consisted of several University. steps. I received the list of fi lms to be digitised – Petra Hanáková: My job was to perform and I wrote a protocol for every fi lm I watched. I background research: to watch, analyse recorded the key words based on the theme and and describe the fi lms, to pick out their characters, I wrote down the genre, the use of “substitutional” fragments and static shots, to speech, the animation technique, for whom the create collections and reference notions, partly fi lm was intended, etc. I evaluated the protocol also to choose fi lms for digitisation. Originally, and collated blocks of fi lms with a common I was supposed to deal mainly with Nástup (i.e. theme, I created fi lm profi les of the fi lmmakers the beginning of newsreels) and – as I am also and specifi ed who the fi lm was intended for. an art historian – with fi lm on art, but eventually Such blocks of fi lms could, for instance, be part I got “sucked up” by the work and it moved me of retrospectives at fi lm festivals. An extensive in another direction also. The collections of study capturing the periodisation of the history g Eva Šošková V photo: Miro Nôta INTERVIEW

of animated fi lm, the extent of auteurship of the who deal with political history approach the fi lms and an analysis of the fi lm styles, the work archives quite diff erently. SK CINEMA is a useful of the fi lmmakers with the theme and genre, tool for all these types of searches or research. anda a quantitative evaluation of the animation – Eva Filová: For a historian, it is important techniques,te constituted the verbal evaluation of to have the broadest possible fi eld of vision theth research using the protocols. unveiled. Because working with a limited amount of material might lead to a misleading HowH will the digitisation project aff ect work generalisation, to the repetition of the same titles withw fi lm archives and what could be its greatest and the same names. I consider digitisation to impactim for fi lm historians on the one hand, and be not just a useful restoration of the cultural fi lmmakers on the other? heritage, but especially the long-term process – Mária Ferenčuhová: In my view, a readily of making all available materials accessible availableav and compendious database plays a key – documents, photographs, complete fi lms or role.ro When the SK CINEMA fi lm portal was put into their parts, fi lm posters and magazines. A lot operation,o this made it possible to comfortably of information can be found even now in the SFI searchse for fi lms based on various keys. Hence, it is databases via the SK CINEMA portal. If I deal theth fi rst contact with the fi lm archive, even though with a fi lmmaker, I am glad to be able to locate historiansh and fi lmmakers approach the archives the available relevant and verifi ed materials, quiteq diff erently. Filmmakers are often looking for not simply those on “Wikipedia”. Digitisation a specifi c type of shot, a specifi c historical fi gure represents a certain satisfaction for a fi lmmaker, oor a recording of a specifi c event, many times that due attention is paid to his fi lm and that it ppurely as an illustration. Film historians mostly was not just abandoned somewhere in a box. aapproach an archive with regard to the issue – Eva Šošková: The basic property of digitised exexamined, with expectations or hypotheses which data is their capacity to be disseminated and ththey check by means of fi lm. They do not look for then their accessibility. Accordingly, digitised a specifi c type of shot, they seek what materials audiovisual materials are destined to get readily 36 — 37 36 wwere made on the given theme. And the historians to the people who are interested in them. Making Mária Ferenčuhová V photo: archive of Mária Ferenčuhová

less familiar and unknown fi lms accessible will recent years also demonstrates that intersections broaden the exploring horizons to historians, of fi lm with other forms of art are attractive and and for fi lmmakers digitisation will technically carry a lot of information. simplify the use of archive materials in their fi lms. – Eva Filová: Defi nitely, a connection between fi lm, fi lm history and social sciences is missing Can digitisation support interdisciplinary work here. It could, for instance, be benefi cial for a with fi lm in the areas of art and science? Will political scientist examining normalisation to see a fi lm recording for instance become a more how Husák’s status as a key fi gure of the Slovak frequently used source for historians? National Uprising was strengthened in the period – Mária Ferenčuhová: Relations between non-fi ction production. We encounter fi lm in institutional historiography and fi lm have been museums and galleries more frequently. my favourite topic for a long time now, so I will – Petra Hanáková: Defi nitely yes. This way answer this part of the question especially. Unlike, fi lm is more available for use. Thanks to the SK for instance, German historians who have been CINEMA databases, which are older than the “discovering” fi lm sources gradually from the Digital Audiovision project itself, nevertheless, 1950s onwards, through the French and Anglo thanks to the project they are also copiously Saxon historians who joined them by the end of fi lled with data, it is possible to work with fi lms the 1960s, the Slovak ones have until recently “more operatively”. Thus, the researcher (from almost hardly ever worked with fi lm sources at any discipline) sees and can readily search for all. Only in the last decade, mainly thanks to the what is available in the funds and in what form. I younger generation of historians and thanks to hope it will help because, in my view, historians in the orientation of research towards the history of particular work with audiovisual material and its representations and cultural memory, works based analysis disconcertingly little. Today, interest in on the analysis of fi lm sources have also started to the Slovak State is booming but which historian emerge. Digitisation will simplify the work for these has ever watched the period newsreels? historians considerably. The intermediary nature – Eva Šošková: That is related to how accessible of curator work in the Slovak National Gallery in it is, so it could be. However, everything depends g Petra Hanáková V photo: Cinema Lumière INTERVIEW

ono its systematisation and whether some data will – Eva Šošková: As for the general public, I see the beb made accessible electronically. importance mainly in the provision of fi lms for ret- rospectives at festivals and the further dissemina- WhatW in your view are the benefi ts of DA for the tion of audiovisual material by means of interesting generalg public, what possibilities are opening up DVD compilations (in the case of short fi lms). in this respect and how could they be used? – Mária Ferenčuhová: Thanks to digitisation the Can digitisation make it easier for foreign fi lm SlovakS public can, for instance, fi nally discover experts to gain access to our fi lm archives theth less prominent treasures of Slovak cinema, and thus stimulate their interest in our suchsu as short fi lms. cinematography? – Eva Filová: I hope that digitised materials will – Mária Ferenčuhová: That essentially depends justju be made more widely accessible. Not only in on whether the databases but also the materials theth form of projections in digitised cinemas and made accessible will be, so to speak, “foreign-user- DVDsD and Blu-ray Discs issued, but mainly via the friendly”. The SK CINEMA fi lm portal does not yet Internet:In thematic collections, interesting “stories” have an English version. However, curator outputs of fi lms and virtual exhibitions of photographs and can have it more easily and their availability on the posters.p web can clearly arouse such interest. – Petra Hanáková: At the level of hardware – Petra Hanáková: Here again I consider aestheticsa – because it was mainly full- www.skcinema.sk to be the best gateway but, of lengthle feature fi lms that underwent the “big course, also the publication of restored/digitised digitisation”,d i.e. not only transcription but also works on structured (i.e. with bonuses and a comprehensive restoration – our fi lms will be several language versions) and “fi ctitious” DVDs, “cleaner”“c and “more colourful”, it will be easier but maybe fi nally also curator work with an “on to distribute them in cinemas (that are also demand” format. graduallyg being digitised thanks to support from – Eva Šošková: It can, but everything again theth Slovak Audiovisual Fund). Therefore, they will depends on the systematisation of this material (hopefully!)(h be a more solid and present part of and the access of foreign experts to it, for instance 38 — 39 ouro cultural awareness. without needing to physically visit the archive.  At Home with a Film

g Daniel Bernát

TheT Slovak Film Institute also carries out publishing activities and, in addition to publications,p it offers DVDs and Blu-ray Discs with Slovak films on the market.

In 2002, the Slovak Film Institute (SFI) issued the SFI; in it its author, Ivan Stadtrucker, details itsit fi rst DVD with Dušan Hanák’s Pictures of the trends in the development of the public- theth Old World (Obrazy starého sveta). Since service television from 1956 to 1989. In addition, thenth the SFI has off ered audiences many other the SFI continues to publish the monthly

SFI publishing activities fi lms on DVD, but last year it also launched its Film.sk and to collaborate in the publication of fi rst Blu-ray Disc on the market. This contained the magazine for science on fi lm and moving MartinM Hollý’s drama Signum Laudis (1980) images Kino-Ikon. whichw is set on the Russian front at the end of On the occasion of Slovakia’s Presidency of WorldW War I. The protagonist is the Austro- the Council of the European Union in the second HungarianH Corporal Hoferik. “It is the story half of 2016, the SFI plans to issue a collection of of a human being who became a soldier. The ten Slovak fi lms on BDs. The collection contains storyst of a soldier who had all the opportunities fi lms made over a period of several decades, to become a human being, but militarism and wherein The Sun in a Net (Slnko v sieti, dir. Štefan itsit mechanisms prevented him from doing so,” Uher), The Boxer and Death (Boxer a smrť, saidsa director Hollý. Among others, his fi lm dir. Peter Solan), Birdies, Orphans, and Fools wonw the Special Jury Prize at the Karlovy Vary (Vtáčkovia, siroty a blázni, dir. Juraj Jakubisko), InternationalIn Film Festival. It was issued on I Love, You Love (Ja milujem, ty miluješ, dir. BDB with subtitles in English and four other Dušan Hanák) and A Path Across the Danube languages.la (Chodník cez Dunaj, dir. Miloslav Luther) were At the end of last year, the SFI re-issued a DVD made in the period of state cinematography of withw Slovak fi lms of the 1980s, Another Love socialist Czechoslovakia, while Everything I Like (Iná(I láska, dir. Dušan Trančík) and The Southern (Všetko čo mám rád, dir. Martin Šulík), Paper MailM (Južná pošta, dir. Stanislav Párnický). As Heads (Papierové hlavy, dir. Dušan Hanák), The forfo last year’s new books, the SFI published Film Power of Good: Nicholas Winton (Sila ľudskosti asa Free Verse (Film ako voľný verš) written by – Nicholas Winton, dir. Matej Mináč), Blind Loves theth prestigious representative of Slovak cinema (Slepé lásky, dir. Juraj Lehotský) and Soul at ofo the 1960s, Eduard Grečner, director of the Peace (Pokoj v duši, dir. Vladimír Balko) were fi l m s Dragon’s Return (Drak sa vracia) or Nylon made after the fall of communism. The above MoonM (Nylonový mesiac). In the present volume fi lms refl ect the auteur, thematic and stylistic heh deals with personalities of domestic and diversity of Slovak cinema; several of these fi lms foreignfo fi lm, specifi c works, but also with the won prestigious world awards (for instance, the naturen of various historical periods and their Silver Bear from the Berlin IFF for Best Director relationre to fi lm art. The SFI was also involved in for I Love, You Love or the International Emmy theth publication of another book of essays, this Award for Best Documentary for The Power of timeti about the Slovak language and its use in Good: Nicholas Winton) or they managed to theth media; The Pitfalls and Highpoints of the appeal to a broad domestic audience as was the LanguageL (Úskalia a slasti jazyka) was written case of Soul at Peace (2009). The collection of byby the renowned fi lm publicist Pavel Branko. The fi lms on BDs will be launched in English, French, HistoryH of Slovak Television (Dejiny slovenskej German, Spanish, Italian and Russian language televízie)te was also issued in collaboration with versions.  Slovak Films on British DVDs g Daniel Bernát

SlovakS cinema can appeal to foreign audiences also, thanks to the DVD production of ththe British publisher Second Run, in collaboration with the Slovak Film Institute. Last yyear, Pictures of the Old World (Obrazy starého sveta) and The Dragon’s Return (Drak sa vvracia) were added to the collection of these DVDs. SFI AND SECOND RUN DVD

TheT documentary Pictures of the Old World was White Lies put it in the TOP 20 DVD and Blu-ray madem in 1972 by director Dušan Hanák who was titles of 2015. inspiredin by Martin Martinček’s photographic series This chart also included another DVD with a Slovak anda who also collaborated with photographer fi lm from Second Run – The Dragon’s Return (Drak sa VladimírV Vavrek. In his fi lm Hanák steps into the vracia). The black-and-white feature fi lm by director personalp spaces of old people from the mountain Eduard Grečner, based on the novel by Dobroslav regions,re he talks about their diffi cult lives but, at Chrobák, tells the story of a man’s forlorn attempt theth same time, he unveils their inner resilience to return to the environment and community which anda the variety of their personalities. “I admired betrayed and rejected him. It is a simple story but thoseth old people for several reasons. They lived depicted in a way that enhances its magnitude and ono the brink of society, sometimes excluded even signifi cance. The fi lm is remarkable especially for fromfr the village community, and their wisdom was the way in which Grečner manages to make the inner relatedre to their inner strength and positive thinking. states of his characters and the atmosphere of their TheyT had humour and universal humanity,” said relations visible by working with the image and music, DušanD Hanák about the protagonists of Pictures sounds or silence, with a limited use of dialogues. In ofof the Old World. His fi lm was suppressed for this respect, The Dragon’s Return also excels thanks manym years and it was a long time before it gained to the director of photography, Vincent Rosinec adequatead attention when, for instance, it won the and the composer Ilja Zeljenka. “Grečner had been LosL Angeles Film Critics Association Award for dazzled by the book’s lyrical qualities, but he was BestB Documentary or the Special Mention in the also daunted by the challenge of transposing those DocumentaryD Category at the 1989 European qualities to fi lm, of rendering visually the interior, FilmF Awards. Second Run launched Pictures of ‘invisible’ realities that the novella captures poetically. theth Old World on DVD on the Anglophone market ... The fi lm’s audio-visual realization achieves a inin February last year. Several short fi lms by distinctive poetry of its own, balancing the tactile and DušanD Hanák and a booklet with an essay by fi lm concrete with the stylised and near-abstract,” wrote ththeoretician Jonathan Owen were included with the Jonathan Owen in an essay which is included in the DDVD. “If the objects and surfaces presented are very booklet. The DVD also contains an introduction to the cconspicuouslyo the physical components of an ‘old fi lm by British fi lm critic and historian Peter Hames, wworld’, they are also tactile and alive in their dense, author of Best of Slovak Film 1921 – 1991, which was ggrainy textures. ... But of all its objets trouvés, published by the Slovak Film Institute. nnone are more potent, revealing or emphatically In the past, Second Run issued a DVD with the ppresented than the subjects’ faces, photographed Slovak fi lms The Sun in a Net (Slnko v sieti, dir. wwith great attention in the still and moving shots Štefan Uher, 1962) and Birdies, Orphans and Fools aalike,” wrote Owen. The DVD received positive (Vtáčkovia, siroty a blázni, dir. Juraj Jakubisko, 40 rresponsee in foreign media and the magazine Little 1969).  CINEMA OF THE SLOVAK FILM INSTITUTE

ŠPITÁLSKA UL. 4 BRATISLAVA

www.aic.sk/kinolumiere / www.navstevnik.sk