Full-length documentary
Grey Zone
The medical term “grey zone” applies to babies born between the 22nd and 24th week of pregnancy. The likelihood of their survival is extremely low.
The Slovak Journey
The disturbing political developments in our neighbour to the east prompted us to look deeper into how the distinctive “Slovak journey” is reflected. Eight selected films by Slovak directors cover a wide range of topics related to current events – from increasing manifestations of xenophobia, including a longitudinal record of the Slovaks’ relationship with their cultural heritage, to the exposure of mafia practices at the highest political levels.
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.
Also deeply personal is the longitudinal film Grey Zone, which chronicles the life of its director, whose child is born prematurely with a number of disabilities. Her emotional testimony includes the common and utterly painful dilemmas of motherhood in an environment with inadequate health care.
In Question of the Future we experience the sharp disillusionment of today’s school leavers, who, because they see no prospects in their native country, choose to leave in droves on a one-way trip abroad. Zuzana Čaputová tried to help her country during her five years in office. The film Ms. President presents her personal and political positions, from a successful election campaign, through taking office, to the difficult decision not to run again. Her femininity – so unusual in politics – is a key aspect of the portrait of an exceptional personality in difficult times of government crises and the Covid pandemic.
