The documentary Glorious Utopia / Krásna utópia by Marek Moučka, which is currently in production, was awarded the Best Febio Pitch Award and it was also selected for the Pop Up Film Residency Visegrad programme, while the documentary Slava / Sláva by Soňa G. Lutherová (in development stage) was awarded the Cineuropa Work in Progress Award.
WORK IN PROGRESS PROJECTS SHOWCASED AT BRATISLAVA INDUSTRY DAYS 2024:
Projects in Development and Preproduction:
Crunk / Rauš (Slovakia, Czech Republic)
Igor Vodráška’s feature film tells the story of a young university dropout from a small town. After beating up the wrong Neo-Nazi in an attempt to revenge the rape of a girl he had a crush on, he flees the town and sets of on a journey where he confronts his bad conscience and troubled past. He soon learns that he’s not alone in feeling that something is wrong with how society is incrementally becoming violent and far right. In search of his personal absolution, he joins an underground Antifa movement where he must face his own dark-self to finally find peace.
The film is produced by ART4 and coproduced by Czech´s love.FRAME.
„Right now we are in the development phase. We have a very detailed technical script and we are finishing with the casting and locations. The shooting is planned for the end of 2024. We applied for support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and we are in negotiations with the Radio and Television Slovakia. We are looking for a production partner with financial support and we can offer collaboration in creative positions as music composer, costume designer and editor“, said producer Miša Jelenek from ART4.
Last Minute (Slovakia, Czech Republic)
The short animated film directed by Joanna Kozuch was inspired by the current situation on the Turkish-Greek coast. Through the eyes of a young man, an employee of a beach cleaning company, who gets up every day at 4 a.m. to clean up the remnants of clothes that the sea has washed ashore overnight, the film tells the story of migrants. In the film, we see what he doesn't see. Or we see what he doesn't want to see. His point of view on this situation represents the point of view of the whole world.
The film is produced by plackartnyj in coproduction with MAUR film.
„The overall budget of the film is 250,000 EUR.The development has already been supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and we are applying to the Czech fund. There is space for a third coproducer, who can be responsible for picture and sound postproduction. We would like to finish the film by the end of 2025 and we are also looking for a sales agent“, said the script editor Barbora Budinská.
Slava / Sláva (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany)
Soňa G. Lutherová’s documentary follows the story of the 43-year-old independent artist and cultural nomad Sláva Daubnerová, who gives her plays a unique character. Her artistic approach differs from her older male colleagues, and art answers all her personal worries and doubts.
The film is produced by AZYL Production and Filmkolektiv.
„The film is in the middle of the development phase. We are eager to showcase the project at forums and festivals as a work in progress and also as a completed film. The 27 shooting days are planned from the autumn of 2024 until the beginning of 2026. We are looking for coproducers interested in a creative cooperation“, said executive producer Nataša Ďuricová.
World of Walls / Svet stien (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Belgium, South Africa)
Lucia Kašová’s documentary takes place in an unspecified country that is being destroyed by ongoing environmental disasters, but located in today’s South Africa. The rich are living inside strictly protected luxury estates with secure infrastructure, while the rest of the world survives on scarce resources. People knew these catastrophes were coming, but ignored the fact. The dystopian reality is revealed through the eyes of Lorraine and Elizabeth, two girls living on the opposite sides of the wall.
The film is produced by guča films and coproduced by Czech´s Claw, Harald House from Belgium and South African´s Audio room company.
„We are in the preproduction stage with 40 shooting days planned to start in a few months. With the support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Czech Film Fund and Creative Europe MEDIA we have already covered 60% of the 450,000 EUR estimated budget. The completion of the film is planned for the middle of 2025, and we are looking for broadcasters, sales agents, distributors and all kinds of partners who are attracted to our story“, said producer Matej Sotník from guča films.
Project in Production:
Glorious Utopia / Krásna utópia (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Sweden)
This documentary by Marek Moučka observes the citizens and kings of fictitious micro-states all over the world. While visiting their physical and mental territories, they are confronted with actual social events.
The film is produced by Silverart.
„We are currently in the production stage and so far we have received support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and Creative Europe MEDIA. As we are telling a story about Elgaland-Vargaland, the microstate created by Swedish artists, we are looking for coproduction partners from the Scandinavian region. Having a Czech protagonist, Robert Jelinek, presenting his state Sabotage, opens up coproduction possibilities in V4 countries. We are already cooperating with Martin Řezníček from the DOCUfilm Praha company, and in Sweden we have started to cooperate with Mario Adamson from Sisyfos Film Production“, said producer Tomáš Gič from Silverart.
Projects in Postproduction:
Anesthesia / Anestéza (Slovakia)
Jaro Vojtek’s feature film tells the story of anesthesiologist David, whose life changes in an instant when he causes the death of a young boy. To find forgiveness he visits the boy’s family and also starts a spiritual pilgrimage where his life and faith will be confronted by the pilgrims and villagers. In a tragicomic struggle, he even seeks the meaning of the next life. Will he succeed in forgiving himself so that he too can be forgiven?
The film is produced by MPhilms.
„Currently we are few weeks before the picture lock. The completion of the film is planned for the next two or three months. We are looking for sales agents and festivals“, said Mátyás Prikler from MPhilms.
Ms. President / Prezidentka (Slovakia, Czech Republic)
Marek Šulík’s documentary follows the journey of a progressive-minded woman as the president in a country shaped by a post-socialist legacy and long ruled only by men. What challenges await her? Zuzana Čaputová is on a mission to change the world’s toxicity through her decency and kindness. Addressing the void in portraying contemporary politics in Slovakia and Central Europe, the film captures the challenges faced by Slovakia’s first female president. It also bridges the gap between politicians and citizens, providing insights into the shaping of public services.
The film is produced by HITCHHIKER Cinema in coproduction with Czech´s Aerofilms.
„We are currently in postproduction. The editing should be wrapped within a few weeks and the completion of the film is planned for the end of June 2024.With the support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and the Czech Film Fund we have already covered 93% of the estimated 430,000 EUR budget. Our priority now is to find sales agents and film festivals,“ said producer Barbara Janišová Féglová from HITCHHIKER Cinema.
Promise, I'll Be Fine / Sľubujem, budem v pohode (Slovakia, Czech Republic)
Katarína Gramatová’s feature film‘s story of 15-year-old Enrique and his mother Martina was brought out from an extensive observation of the relationships within the community of ‘hungry valley’, specifically the village of Utekáč. Enrique hopes for his mother to return home so they can be together, instead of being apart due to her job. Living with his grandmother in a village, Enrique obeys his mother’s requests in the hope that they’ll save enough money to reunite. But everyone in the village knows something that he doesn’t.
The film is produced by DRYEYE Film and coproduced by Nochi film from the Czech Republic as well as the Radio and Television Slovakia.
„We are expecting to finish the postproduction by early summer, so we can start submitting the film for festivals. We still have some gap in funding, and we are looking for sales agents and broadcasters. We are open to communicate with anyone who is interested to go on this journey with us,“ said producer Julie Marková Žáčková from Nochi film.
Tskaltubo (Slovakia)
This documentary by Andrea Kalinová tells the story of Tskaltubo, the most famous spa during the Soviet Union era. After this country’s collapse and the subsequent war between Abkhazia and Georgia, the spa became the territory’s largest refugee camp (approximately 6,000 people). After 30 years, the government decided to make Tskaltubo a famous resort again, and thus moved most of the displaced people to a new housing estate in the suburbs. The film follows the last residents of one of the sanatoriums, who opted to stay there for as long as possible, despite the trying conditions.
Super film is producing.
„We have been working on this project for four years. All the material was shot in the autumn of 2023 and we are currently in the postproduction stage. For now, we are looking mainly for sales agents, festivals and possible partners for coproduction“, said Monika Lošťáková from Super film.
Venus in Retrograde / Venuša v retrográde (Slovakia)
This short fiction film by Štefánia Lovasová is conceived as a video footage made by two sisters. The 17-years old Aňa and her litle sister Maťa portray their escape from the real world through their phone while living with their mother, who is escaping the same world through the use of alcohol. Their nice memories are interwoven with the family’s struggles.
The film is produced by NINJA FILM.
„We are in the late postproduction stage, working on the finishing touches on the final edit. We are mainly looking for sales agents and film festivals or potential partners who will help us to get our film to the audience“, said producer Michaela Kaliská from NINJA FILM.
