Film Archive

Velvet Terrorists

East of the West - Competition 2013 / Zamatoví teroristi / Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Croatia 2013

A film which hovers on the edge of documentary and fiction as it describes the efforts of certain individuals to rise up against the former regime. Stano, Fero and Vladimír were once branded as criminals yet, from today’s perspective, we look upon their often comical actions as expressions of a courage that was extremely rare amid the homogeneous mass of normalisation society.

Synopsis

Stano, Fero and Vladimír are three men who resisted the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Three true stories from the normalization era: Stano planned to blow up a speaker’s platform in a stadium on the night before the May Day celebrations. He got five years behind bars. Fero plotted to assassinate President Husák in the hope of unleashing an anti-communist revolution. He, too, ended up in prison. Vladimír engaged in repeated anti-regime activities, most of them involving the destruction of public billboards. He did several stints in jail. Three Slovak directors take a humorous look at the unique courage of these mavericks who managed to rise up from the anonymous and obedient masses. The filmmakers also consider the relevance of their ridiculously naïve terrorist acts – once called serious crimes but today possibly viewed as acts of heroism. An inventive combination of authenticity and staged scenes, Velvet Terrorists hovers between documentary and fiction.

About the film

87 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Ivan Ostrochovský, Pavol Pekarčík, Peter Kerekes / Screenplay Ivan Ostrochovský, Pavol Pekarčík, Peter Kerekes / Dir. of Photography Martin Kollár / Music Marián Čurko / Editor Marek Šulík, Zuzana Cseplo / Producer Peter Kerekes / Production Peter Kerekes s.r.o. / Contact Deckert Distribution
www: www.velvetterorists.com

About the director

Ivan Ostrochovský (b. 1972, Žilina) graduated from the department of audiovisual studies and documentary film at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU). His documentary work includes Lesser Evil (Menšie zlo, 2004) and Ilja (2009). Pavol Pekarčík (1972, Spišská Sobota) also studied at VŠMU, specifically under Dušan Hanák and Vlado Balco. He has collaborated with Ivan Ostrochovský on several films. His other works include several documentaries on mountain climbing, including Karakoram (2006) and Uli biaho (2007). Peter Kerekes (1973, Košice) studied film directing in Bratislava, and later lectured at VŠMU. Together with director Dušan Hanák, he co-founded a feature and documentary film studio. His directorial efforts include The Ballads and Legends of Ladomirová (Ladomírske morytáty a legendy, 1998), 66 Seasons (66 sezón, 2003) and Cooking History (Jak se vaří dějiny, 2008).