08/04/2016 - Shooting continues for Slovak director Tereza Nvotová’s feature debut, focusing on the sensitive issue of rape

Filthy by Tereza Nvotová

Budding Slovakian director Tereza Nvotová is in the middle of shooting her final project for the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU), Filthy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tereza Nvotová
film profile], which will also serve as her feature debut. For this project, she chose to look at the sensitive topic of rape and its repercussions, based on a script written by Barbora Námerová. The film's 17-year-old protagonist, Lena, a hurt and ashamed victim of rape, keeps her silence about what happened to her, which leads to her eventual suicide attempt and hospitalisation in a psychiatric clinic. In February, the film crew started work on the second phase of the production process, having filmed for a total of 29 days with 12 more scheduled in September, Peter Badač, the Slovakian co-producer for BFILM, confirmed. The movie is being shot on location in Slovakia, and post-production is expected to last until December, with a theatrical release slated for spring next year. 

Asked why the film appealed to him, Badač explained, “Despite the seriousness of the theme, the project really spoke to me with the lightness with which the script was written and the realism of the characters' actions. The authors undertook extensive research during development, looking into psychiatric wards, and victims of sexual crimes and their families. They do not focus solely on the act of rape itself, but look at other aspects of young girls’ lives – their first love, first sexual experience, nightlife and relationship with their parents. Language also plays an important role; the way characters talk, whether we like it or not, is a true representation of how young people are communicating amongst themselves today.” As well as being part of the director’s studies at FAMU, the project was also developed in part at the MIDPOINT scriptwriting workshop with American screenwriter and Columbia University professor Brandon Ward. “To get an outsider’s perspective on the project from an independent consultant, we sought out German dramaturge Susanne Biesinger, who consulted with us throughout the project,” Badač added. The filmmakers intend to present the project at forums in Karlovy Vary and Thessaloniki before eyeing a world premiere at a festival in spring 2017.

Filthy is being produced by Miloš Lochman, of Czech outfit Moloko Film, and co-produced by Badač for Slovakian production company BFILM, in partnership with FAMU itself. The project has received support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and the Czech State Cinematography Fund, while negotiations are currently under way to secure backing from television broadcasters.