Box office rose some 20%, to record 12.2 million Euros, with admissions reaching 370,000, according to Slovak Film Institute (www.sfu.sk) data.

Tatrafilm release Bathory, a Slovak co-production directed by Slovak-born Juraj Jakubisko, accounted for over 425,000 admissions and box office of 1.6 million Euros.

Other Slovak films fared respectably. Continental Film (www.continental-film.sk) release Muzika attracted 34,000 admissions and 122,000 Euros at the box office. The awarded Blind Loves had over 11,000 admissions and box office approaching 20,000 Euros, a feat for a Slovak documentary in cinema distribution.

The results are most remarkable when compared with the market share of Slovak films over the previous three year; that ranged from 0.4% to 1.7%. Without a Bathory, the 2008 results are unlikely to be duplicated this year, but Slovak films are at last finding acceptance at home.