Departures (and Returns) of Slovak Filmmakers

The fall of communism opened up the borders and presented new opportunities; however, prior to 1989 Slovak filmmakers had never made any secret of their desire to work abroad and experience how things were done in the more experienced “western” world. Under the previous regime, it was mainly cinematographers who were among the “globetrotters”, as it was easier for them to travel abroad than for directors. Igor Luther made a substantial mark on the world; he emigrated in 1969 and made films with Schlöndorff and Wajda. Cinematographer Dodo Šimončič spent many years in Germany… How and where do the filmmakers of younger generations make their mark?

One of the most successful Slovaks abroad is actutually a cinematographer – Ivan Ábel. He’s a forty-something who started out at the Koliba Studios in Bratislava as an animator and gradually gained a reputation abroad as a cinematographer of music video clips and commercials. Among his greatest successes we should mention the making of the video clip to Heaven by Depeche Mode, but he also worked on a visually playful video clip for the Icelandic singer, Björk, which was made by the well-known French director Michel Gondry. The list of Ábel’s projects is truly impressive – he collaborated in the making of video clips for The Strokes (Under Cover of Darkness), Regina Spektor (Us, All the Rowboats, Samson), Battles (Atlas), Kanye West (Heard ‘Em Say), Interpol (C’mere) or Jamie Lidell (Another Day). And he did not just confine himself to music and commercials. In 2013 he worked as camera operator on Buried Alive by the favourite American comedian Aziz Ansari, and he made the short film Paradise Motel with director John Gutierrez.

Peter Veverka is another successful Slovak abroad. He has succeeded in gaining a foothold right at the centre of western cinematography, in Los Angeles, where he works as producer and assistant director. This graduate of the Department of Production at the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava started out with films like When You Ain’t Got Nothing (…ani smrt nebere) and he also worked on Vladimír Balco’s film Rivers of Babylon. His first direct encounter with Hollywood came with Peacemaker in 1997 – an action thriller with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman which was shot in Bratislava. Today, Veverka is a producer who has collaborated on several blockbusters – for instance, he worked on A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), the fifth film in the popular Die Hard series, on the film adaptation of the computer game Max Payne and on the remake of the famous horror classic The Omen under the same name. However, in 1999 he collaborated with Michal Struss on the Slovak animated film In the Box (V kocke) nominated for a Student Academy Award and in 2005, he made Cheers! (Nazdravíčko!) with animator Ivana Laučíková.

Filip Šustek also got a sniff at big foreign films; he participated as digital compositor/senior compositor in such projects as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Theory of Everything or Exodus: Gods and Kings.

There are many other Slovaks who have worked abroad, whether as directors, documentary filmmakers, cinematographers or producers. Documentary filmmakers, in particular, are “drawn” abroad and it is interesting to note that, when abroad, they like to make films thematically linked to their homeland, the issue of departure or change. Mišo Suchý is one of these filmmakers. He emigrated to the USA shortly before the fall of the Iron Curtain, hence he comes well before the young generation of filmmakers. He has made a career as documentary filmmaker and university teacher on the other side of the Atlantic; his films have been screened all over the world. He screened his graduation film I Have Come a Long Way (Džavas mange dlugone dromeha – Šiel som dlhou cestou) in the Centre Georges-Pompidou in Paris. He also presented the documentary with the typical name Home Movie (2003) in Slovakia and in it he talks about his emigration experience and about how he feels as a Slovak living in the USA. He dedicated the film to his son and he presented it with the subtitle A Diary for My American-Born Son (Denník pre môjho syna narodeného v Amerike). Last year, he expressed his thoughts on his native land in a short contribution to the omnibus film made by ten directors Slovakia 2.0 (Slovensko 2.0).

The renowned visual artist Ondrej Rudavský also joined the project entitled Slovakia 2.0; he too emigrated to America in the 1980s. In addition to making various types of films, he also won recognition in video clips; he has collaborated with such performers as Moby or Dead Can Dance. Rudavský has won many awards, including the Golden Eagle Award, Monitor Award, Grammy nomination and the MTV Video Music Award for the video clip Kiko and the Lavender Moon for Los Lobos.

Anabela Žigová also travelled abroad; last year she premièred her co-production documentary Salto Mortale in Slovakia. After wandering around Europe she settled in New York where she successfully pursues her career of sculptor, scenographer, producer, director and documentary filmmaker. Žigová studied scenography in Slovakia and she continued her studies in Paris where she graduated from l’École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts. She became fully engaged with film during her studies at the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York. She also came to film through the producer, Ben Barenholtz who, for instance, collaborated on projects of the Coen brothers. Barenholtz helped her to make her first film Forever (Navždy) which was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in Lower Manhattan. Žigová’s new documentary Salto Mortale concerns her inquiry into her father’s past – he collaborated with the communist State Security (secret police).

The departure abroad also attracts the youngest generation of fresh university graduates. They start at home to be quickly taken away by the world. For instance, as soon as he graduated in direction from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Matúš Krajňák allowed himself to be enticed by the creative atmosphere of the Berlin Film Academy. As a Berliner he was a member of the Berlin Film Festival Jury in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino Section. And he continues his career as director. He collaborates with German TV companies and recently made the short film Monologues (Monológy).

The United Kingdom continues to be the most popular destination for students and graduates. The novice filmmaker Katarína Compľová did not stay at home for long. After studying film science for a year at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava she transferred to the British Falmouth University where she studied direction. She focused on experimental film and she has presented her works at several European festivals. The short film Silent Rooms (Tiché izby) was her feature début, about the life of two friends from Eastern Europe in London.

Michael Angelov also took to studying in England; after graduating from the Department of Documentary Filmmaking at the Academy of Performing Arts, he enrolled at the prestigious Goldsmiths, University of London, where he made his graduation film The Pig Star – for instance, he won the Best Documentary Short Film Award with this film at Fest 2013 in Espinho, Portugal. And the name of the director, Peter Magát is also linked to the UK. This year he should present in cinemas his own contribution to the Slovak omnibus film Fear (Strach). He made the short feature film Wee King of Nowhere in the UK – the story of a small boy who gets lost in London and is taken in by a wandering poet.

The number of Slovaks successful abroad is growing steadily. The documentary filmmaker, Diana Fabiánová, shuttles between her fellow countrymen, Marko Škop collaborates with Croatian TV where he made the local version of the HBO series In Treatment… And we haven’t mentioned the filmmakers who have managed to make their mark in the neighbouring Czech Republic.

Vladana Hrivnáková, Daniel Bernát