Blok studentských filmů o Slovensku

Through a series of short films, we let the talents of the Bratislava film school have their say. Their testimony is all the more important to us because they represent a perceptive and critical emerging generation that we have not had the opportunity to see at the festival before. In his two reportage films – The Most Beautiful Corner in the World and Long Live Death – Róbert Mihály draws attention to the rising nationalism of Slovak society and the radicalisation of those propagating disinformation. In contrast, the film Confession formally, but inventively, delves into the director’s personal experience of sexual harassment in the bosom of the Church.

Nejkrásnější kout v širém světě / The Most Beautiful Corner in the World / Róbert Mihály / Slovensko / 2022 / 26 min.

After the massive invasion of Ukraine, a reporter for a fictional Slovak TV station visits nationalist groups to learn about the nature of local society.

At a TV studio’s casting call, applicants share their impressions of Slovakia. Ultimately a young Ukrainian woman gets the job. After the massive invasion of Ukraine, the fictional Slovak station’s reports take viewers on visits to nationalist groups, political rallies and cultural institutions, where various views on the country’s past and present collide.

Protests by opposition parties, supporters of the First Slovak Republic, and displays at the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising trigger debates filled with charges of fascism, showing how difficult this term is to interpret. The film reflects on the dynamic changes and deep contradictions in Slovak society as it searches for a path to transformation and unification.

Ať žije smrt / Long Live Death / Róbert Mihály / Slovensko / 2021 / 20 min.

A student documentary chronicling the far-right demonstrations that took place in Slovakia during the covid pandemic.

Bratislava’s celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Velvet Revolution brought a unique tribute to democracy. At a time of a growing pandemic, the streets were inundated by the far right and the disinformation scene.

Students from Bratislava’s film school went among the protesters to ask what freedom and democracy, so often mentioned in their speeches, mean to them, and to record the sentiments and opinions of this increasingly vocal part of the Slovak population. In an eloquent collage, director Róbert Mihály attempts to interpret these events in a broader context using remarks from Italian philosopher Umberto Eco’s lecture “Eternal Fascism”.

Zpověď / Confession / Rebeka Bizubová / Slovensko / 2024 / 29 min.

Through her personal documentary, Rebeka comes to terms with a case of sexual abuse by a priest, about which she speaks openly for the first time after many years.

Rebeka always felt safe in church. Then something happened and she never again went to confession. Years later, in a personal documentary, she reopens old wounds and speaks out regarding a case of sexual abuse about which only her best friend knew.

While the perpetrator should be held accountable for abusing his authority and violating a young girl’s virtue and dignity, it is Rebeka who feels shame, has difficulty establishing any intimate relationship, and hides the secret even from her own family.

But with the help of her friend Emílie, she finds the strength to relive the situation in her memories. Her graduate film project became a way for her to finally free herself from the weight of silence and to try and cope with a trauma that is extremely difficult to overcome.