Archive of films Velvet Terrorists / Zamatoví teroristi
Slovak Republic / Czech Republic / Croatia
2013, 87 min
Section:
East of the West - Competition
Year: 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 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).
Contacts
Deckert Distribution
Gottschedstr. 18, 04109, Leipzig
Germany
Tel: +49 341 215 6638
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.deckert-distribution.com
About the film
Color, DCP
World premiere
Section: | East of the West - Competition |
---|---|
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 |
Guests
Tereza Horská
Producer
Peter Kerekes
Film Director
Pavol Pekarčík
Film Director
Ivan Ostrochovský
Film Director, Producer
Filip Remunda
Film Director, Producer
František Bednár
Protagonist
Vladimír Hučín
Actor
Stanislav Kratochvíl
Actor
Martin Kollar
Director of Photography, Film Director
Zuzana Cséplo
Film Editor
Kristína Šnircová
Film Crew
Heino Deckert
Distributor, Producer, Sales Agent