Archive of films Exhibits or Stories from the Castle / Exponáty alebo Príbehy z kaštieľa

Slovak Republic
2013, 70 min

Section: Documentary Films - Competition
Year: 2013

From the loosely interwoven life stories of clients at an old people’s home in the Slovak town of Stupava, documentarist Pavol Korec pieces together a cheerful, light-hearted and, at the same time, highly compelling and varied mosaic portraying the fate of people "who have lost everything; all they have left is life.”

Synopsis

Time passes at its own gentle pace at a castle and its grounds located in the Slovak town of Stupava. Occasionally an athletic old guy whizzes past in his wheelchair; his determination and life creed – "anything’s possible if you apply yourself” – are cleverly articulated via the sound of racing cars. We see another wheelchair, whose elderly occupant was imprisoned for 15 years for shooting a policeman. The local old people’s home also provides refuge to a curious philosopher and inventor with a fondness for neologisms, a lawyer known as The Classic, the taciturn Liduška, who collects pigeons’ feathers, and Major František who’s always at the bottle. Loosely interweaving his characters’ life stories, Slovak documentarist Pavol Korec pieces together a colourful mosaic portraying the fate of people "who have lost everything; all they have left is life.” This subtle, light-hearted and, at the same time, highly compelling portrait of the "live exhibits” at the castle will strike a chord with viewers, also for its evocative atmosphere and superb scripting.

About the director

Pavol Korec (b. 1958, Partizánske, Czechoslovakia) began his film career as an assistant cameraman for STV Bratislava. After completing his studies at Comenius University’s Humanities Faculty in Bratislava (1982) he worked as an assistant director and producer for SFT Koliba. This was followed by a course in film and TV directing at the Academy of Performing Arts (1988-93). He had a short-term attachment at La Fémis in Paris in 1991–92. He is currently a free-lance director. Selected filmography – features: Morning (Ráno, 1993), Fake Hitchhiking (Falošný autostop, 1993), Trip to Paradise (Cesta do raja, 1994), Sunstroke (Úpal, 1995), Constellation of the Sword (Súhvezdie meča, 1995), Under the Surface (Pod hladinou, 2001). Documentaries: Workshop (Dielňa, 1994), Great Fortune (Veľké šťastie, 1996), Hero (Hrdina, 1997), Propeller (1999), This Is the Track (To ta trať, 2003), Decalogue 2010 (Desatoro 2010, 2009), Stalin’s Candles above Prešov (Stalinove sviečky nad Prešovem, 2011).

Contacts

Formats Pro Media s.r.o.
Saratovská 15, 841 02, Bratislava
Slovakia
Tel: +421 904 700 815, +420 911 172 090
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.formatspm.sk

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About the film

Color, DCP
International premiere

Section:	Documentary Films - Competition

Director:	Pavol Korec
Screenplay:	Pavol Korec, Jozef Kulačik
Dir. of Photography:	Ján Meliš
Music:	Ľubica Malachovská Čekovská
Editor:	Michal Kondrla
Producer:	Zuzana Balkóová, Judita Gembická
Production:	Formats Pro Media s.r.o.
Contact:	Formats Pro Media s.r.o.