The film looks at the ways that people whose relatives or close friends used to collaborate with the secret police are seeking to come to terms with their past.
“This issue goes largely ignored in Slovakia nowadays,” Žigová told FNE. “I was shocked to see that people my age, that is those who were around 15 when the 1989 Velvet Revolution came about, are still unwilling to talk about our country’s Communist past. I understand why many in my parents’ generation choose to keep silent, but if those who are today in their thirties do the same, it is a serious problem.”
Žigová felt she had to bring this topic onscreen, all the more so when she discovered her own family had connections with the former Communist intelligence agency.
“I believe exploring our past is a necessary precondition for understanding who we are and where we are heading,” she remarked. “Therefore, the film might be of interest to an international audience: silence and secrets are not only associated with Communist taboos; many a family has an elephant in the room, even though it may be less ‘explosive’ than the one I am talking about.”
Shooting required some 20 days over the course of two years, but the director is considering extra filming session. She is in talks with a German TV channel over acquisition.
Salto Mortale is produced by Kollektiv (www.anabelazigova.net) and coproduced by the US-based Inside Out Media Productions and the Nation’s Memory Institute (www.upn.gov.sk). The budget is 60,000 EUR. The project received 20,000 EUR from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund (www.avf.sk).
Contact information:
Kollektiv
Björnsonova 5
811 05 Bratislava
Tel: +421 907 155 791
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
