Punkchart films

A documentary about the present and the past of Čierna nad Tisou, a border town in the south-east of Slovakia, once the "Golden Gate of Socialism".

A grittily realistic tale of prostitution at an Eastern European border town

A country awakens from a deep winter sleep. An incomprehensible and absurd world slowly unfolds before the camera, imbued with strangeness, even though we are familiar with its sounds, rhythms and colours.

Mischievously self-assured Mára and somewhat eccentric Heduš set out into the frozen wastes in search of adventure – by car, naturally. After all, Mára’s turning fifteen soon. A road movie about the flies that occasionally buzz around even in winter, and a story that tells of the elusive bond of boyhood friendship and the irrepressible desire to experience something, even if you don't exactly know what.

A film essay, a personal story, a tribute to the mothers and families of premature babies, at-risk newborns and the vulnerable disadvantaged.

A massive segment of the Sun has broken off and is heading for Earth, whose surface is slowly heating up to an unbearable level. A strange mood pervades a debilitated world: anything could happen, virtually anywhere, without warning. Even in a sleepy town, where an 18-year-old lad gets stranded on his way to the family cottage. The fact is that no-one knows at what temperature the human character starts to melt...

Lesya has committed a crime of passion which brings her a seven-year sentence in one of Odesa’s women’s correctional facilities. She has just given birth to her first child, and now she is entering a world populated only by women: inmates, nurses and wardens, women of all ages, wives and widows, daughters, sisters, pregnant women, and women with children too. If not for the color of the uniform, it would sometimes be hard to tell who is who.

Martin Kollár’s acclaimed cinematography reigns resplendent in the silent story of a man waiting for important surgery. Discovering he's facing the possibility of only having a few months left to live, Ján Kollár embarks on a journey with no destination and only a deadline.

Incomplete thoughts and fragments of dialogue, diverse music interrupted by rushes and glitches, and the seemingly confused, unanchored camera, create a disturbing, philosophical reflection on the limits of anthropocentric thinking.

A drug-addicted punk, Kwicka, lives with his companion and son in a dilapidated sublet. His alternative way of life collides with harsh reality when he receives a letter from social services warning that his child will be taken away. Kwicka tries to make things right, but his impulsive behaviour turns his rescue efforts into a free fall.

Sonia Maletzová's documentary film portrait follows the legend of the Czechoslovak music scene, rock keyboardist Marian Varga (1947-2017), at the end of his life, when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. It captures the great introvert and avid smoker during his last performances, when he slowly began to lose his breath.

On a cold February morning, 12-year-old Niki and his family arrive at the Kharkiv metro station to take shelter from the terrifying war raging outside. For Niki's family, daylight is synonymous with mortal danger, and the boy is not allowed to leave the station premises, living under the constant glow of their neon lights. While aimlessly wandering around the abandoned cars and full platforms, Niki meets Vika (11), and a new world opens up to him. As their bond strengthens, the children find the courage once again to feel the sun on their faces.

Miroslav Válek was a Slovak poet whose sensitive and intimate work clashed with his political engagement in the communist party. How to approach this discrepancy, how to cope with it? Can one read poems while disregarding their author?

This year’s gallery of artistically inspiring portraits of uncompromising eccentrics (among them The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld, Robert Richardson: The White Devil and A Pint of Ink) features another unobtrusive stand-out in the shape of Igor Luther, a key figure of Slovak and European cinematography. Ivan Ostrochovský’s perspective is rare, dynamic and also meditative, while Luther himself co-authored the project during the last few months of his life. Works such as Juraj Jakubisko’s Birds, Orphans and Fools, Volker Schlöndorff’s The Tin Drum and Andrzej Wajda’s Danton, in the persuasive words of their creators, wouldn't have the same timeless energy today if it weren't for Luther's visionary endeavours.

The film captures a period in the life of figure skater Ondrej Nepela, when in 1972 he returns with a gold medal from the Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, marking the peak of his sporting career. At home, he is greeted not only with fame but also with the realities of the communist regime. Everyone treats him like a celebrity, but the sensitive Ondrej longs above all for an escape from this uncomfortable golden cage. He wants to live freely and in harmony with who he feels he truly is. Yet at the last moment, his promised chance to leave for a professional ice revue is forbidden, and he is ordered to compete in another World Championship. Disappointed, Nepela must find new motivation and also come to terms with the tragic death of his best friend, figure skater Hana Mašková.

For 25 years, Richard Müller has been a key figure in the Czech and Slovak music industry. Despite quitting music once, he returned to the stage while battling untreated manic depression and drug use. The documentary offers an intimate look at his artistic journey and personal struggles, amidst constant fan and tabloid attention. Filmed over three years with over 200 hours of footage, it includes home videos shot by Müller. It follows the tradition of Czech artistic documentaries like Amy and Nick Cave: 20,000 Days on Earth, exploring themes of inspiration and loneliness.

The Hanuliaks, a couple from Slovakia, have decided to bring up their son according to Kamevéda, a complex approach to developing the child’s motor abilities and intellect. Unique in its depth of focus, this reflection on child-rearing documents a year in the life of four-year-old Miško, where not a minute is wasted since there is no room for boredom and moments of rest are merely preparation for the next achievement.

Probably the most famous Czech traveler of today, Dan Přibáň, has undertaken his most challenging expedition yet. The crews of two yellow Trabants, a Polish Fiat (aka Maluch), a Čezeta, a Jawa, and even two wheelchairs set off from Perth, Australia, and during their six-month adventure traveled through East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.