1. What are your hopes and expectations from Emerging Producers?

As sources of financing in all European countries are limited, it is good to collaborate with people from abroad. From this point of view I find very interesting to get to know other producers from different countries, share my experience and learn about their experience. Maybe at some point in the future we can work together on some projects thanks to the Emerging Producers programme. The fact is that filmmaking in Slovakia is rather tough, and it is not easy to make movies by myself alone. In recent years I found that cooperation is crucial. I also find it very useful to meet other film professionals (festival representatives, buyers, TV programmers etc.) personally at the EP programme. I hope to get to more direct contact to the right people who are passionate about what we do. When the movies we make are finished, their participation and help will be very important in terms of promoting the movies to audiences. This I find very important.

2. What are YOU bringing to Emerging Producers?

I think that every personality coming to EP has been carefully chosen for what he or she does in this field. I am bringing my point of view and experience as an emerging producer from Slovakia, My approach is to produce movies that I personally find worthy to make, either because of the interesting topic for the wider audience, or even for a smaller audience if the topic is unique, never before made into a film (i.e., from the historical point of view, with the last living witnesses, useful for educational purposes, testimony from the former political regime, a creative opportunity for debutants, etc.) I work with experienced authors as well as emerging auteurs if the topic of the film is worthwhile, and I find the cooperation interesting from an interpersonal point of view. The circumstances of the project have to give me a deeper sense, as making movies in Slovakia is a hard work for the beginning producer. It is a sacrifice of the private life for work that becomes an inevitable part of your private life.

3. What is the position of documentary film in your country?

It depends on the point of view. According to statistics, Slovak cinemagoers do not prefer Slovak movies in general. That is why statistics from the distribution of these movies (and documentaries especially) is below average, and in fact very low. But on the international playing field, Slovak documentaries and some recent features have had festivals success. Names like Peter Kerekeš, Juraj Lehotský, Marko Škop, Jaro Vojtek, Miro Remo and others are known in professional film world representing Slovak documentaries as well as, for example, Mira Fornay and Zuzana Liova with recent success with their feature films. I think that bigger promotion of international success in our country would create greater viewer interest in our cinematography. I find it disappointing that most of Slovak viewers don’t care about Slovak films. It is a pity and a shame. That mirrors the whole approach of the society to the culture. But I think this should be a state agenda of Ministry of Culture to try to improve through a variety of tools.

4. What are the coproduction possibilities for documentary producers in your country?

Slovak Public TV broadcaster can coproduce several documentaries with money from the State Agreement as the sole coproducer with independent producers. Private TV broadcasters in Slovakia do not enter into coproductions with documentary producers at all, but HBO is open to cooperation on projects that fit their specific demands. Slovak private TV stations apriori don´t encourage cinematography, since they focus rather on the production of their own series. As for sponsors, the low audience potential discourages them from investing in film production. Financing from distributors under the minimum guarantee system is not an option in Slovakia. Neither are presales through vendors. The banking sector is not very open to this kind of project, and regional-based film financing is an unrealised utopia in Slovakia. Sometimes two Slovak entities become coproducers, for example a film school and a production company aiming to complete a movie under better conditions through in-kind co-production or financial coproduction.

5. What are your thoughts on the system of funding of documentary films today?

The Slovak Audiovisual Fund is the main financial source for independent filmmaking in Slovakia. There are some small funds like Grant Nadácie Tatrabanky supporting students or specific groups of people with small amounts of money. In Slovakia we have no local funds for filmmaking and no systematic support from the private sector for movie production.

Thanks to the foundation of the Slovak Audiovisual Fund (AVF), which has also served as an inspiration for our closest neighbours, the conditions for film production have improved considerably in our country. Among the most positive changes, I should certainly mention that the institution is more accessible to applicants than the Ministry of Culture, which previously was responsible for funding audiovisual projects. With the establishment of the Fund, more financial resources are invested in cinematography and the grants are not directly linked to the state budget. Despite some turbulence and media fuss that accompanied the initial process of adjusting the criteria and the system of operation, I think that after four years I can say that many producers consider the establishment of the AVF as a positive event. The Audiovisual Fund is the only real backer of cinematography.

Although Slovak public TV (RTVS) should also form part of the financing system, as its very essence is to support domestic audiovisual creativity, the conditions it sets for independent producers and authors are often unacceptable and, paradoxically, they often complicate the production process and represent a burden to producers because of the agenda tied to the process. This has been caused by the constantly changing management, strategic plans, financial conditions and bureaucracy.

I am thankful for the conditions we have now in Slovakia, but it always could be better. In this situation, making movies is very often a luxury that filmmakers cannot afford to do continuously without other source of incomes. More financial sources would help producers and authors do their job without creative restrictions and without the need to work on commercial projects.

6. Which producer is your inspiration and ideal?

I found answering this question most difficult. I admire every film producer because I know that it is very hard to produce documentaries in European conditions, especially in small European countries. It demands a sacrifice to the projects and in terms of a budget limits, it is sometimes inevitably necessary to be multifunctional as well.

 

Contact information:

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