The 2017 edition of Berlinale has been a success for Slovak films. Spoor by Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik have received the Silver Bear – Alfred Bauer Prize and Little Harbour by Iveta Grófová was awarded the Crystal Bear.

Spoor by Agnieszka Holland tells a story of Janina Duszejko, an elderly woman, who lives alone in the Klodzko Valley where a series of mysterious crimes are committed. As the director Agnieszka Holland said, the film could also be called: No Country for Old Women. Breaking the rules of storytelling and genre, the film shows not only cruelty to animals, but also to outsiders.

Holland's film was developed as an international project co-produced by Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden and Slovakia. The Slovak part is represented by recently founded production company nutprodukcia, backed by promising producer Jakub Viktorín and his Czech counterparts Pavla Kubečková and Tomáš Hrubý.

Little Harbour by Iveta Grófová was world-premeried within Generation Kplus, section devoted to children and young people. And it was the Children Jury that decided on awarding the film with the Crystal Bear: “We selected a film that is creative and authentic. It's about two children who create a little world of their own, rules. We found the story very moving and the actors are very believable too.“

Film is based on successful book The Fifth Boat by Monika Kompaníková, which has been awarded Slovak Book of the Year in 2010. Inspired by true events, it tells a story about two children whose innocent play will change their lives forever.

Since 1989, when I Love, You Love by Dušan Hanák won a Silver Bear, this is the first (majority) Slovak film awarded at Berlin IFF.

More on Slovak Cinema at Berlinale 2017: http://www.aic.sk/aic/en/news/slovakia-berlinale/whats-slovak-at-berlinale-2017.html

Spoor - AIC database link: http://www.aic.sk/slovak-films/19684.html
Little Harbour - AIC database link:  http://www.aic.sk/slovak-films/16770.html

published: 20.02.2017
updated: 28.02.2017