The Ballad of Piargy reigns supreme at Slovakia’s Sun in a Net Awards

by Martin Kudláč

21/04/2023 - Ivo Trajkov's film notched up 12 wins, while young rising talent Michal Blaško netted Best Director and Best Film for his feature-length debut, the social drama Victim

The Ballad of Piargy reigns supreme at Slovakia’s Sun in a Net Awards

Producer Jakub Viktórin (left) and director Michal Blaško (centre) accepting their Award for Best Film for Victim (© Zdenko Hanout)

The Slovak Film and Television Academy (SFTA) has unveiled the winners of the Sun in a Net Film Awards. Ivo Trajkov's period drama interwoven with folk horror The Ballad of Piargy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] led the nominations, receiving an impressive 16 nods, followed closely by Tereza Nvotová's Nightsiren [+see also:
film review
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interview: Tereza Nvotová
film profile] with nine nominations. Michal Blaško's Victim [+see also:
film review
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interview: Michal Blaško
film profile] and Peter Bebjak's Shadowplay both garnered six nominations apiece. The 2023 nominees included a diverse selection of 12 fiction feature films, seven documentaries and five animated flicks. In a notable first, the SFTA expanded the selection to encompass television films, miniseries and series, with academy members voting on five titles within this new category.

As anticipated, The Ballad of Piargy dominated the awards ceremony, securing 12 accolades, including numerous acting and technical honours. However, the film was not given the coveted Best Film Award. According to the SFTA, the best Slovak film of 2022 was Michal Blaško's feature-length debut, the social drama Victim, which also earned him Best Director. The Best Animation Award was presented to Peter Budinský's ambitious feature-length 3D adventure Journey to Yourland [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. Meanwhile, Patrik Lančarič clinched the Best Documentary Award with Dezo Hoffmann – Photographer of the Beatles, a portrait of the renowned Slovak photographer and photojournalist who snapped the Fab Four, among many others.

The newly established category for small-screen productions, Best Television Film, Miniseries or Series, shone the spotlight on Peter Bebjak's television film Jozef Mak (see the news). Much like The Ballad of Piargy, it is a literary adaptation of a well-known domestic work. Bebjak, a particularly prolific director, has made his mark on both the small and the big screen.

Last year, Wanda Adamík Hrycová addressed the invasion of Ukraine during the ceremony (see the news), whereas this year, Bebjak commented, “Just because we do not know how to work and function with otherness, that otherness should not be condemned,” alluding to the deadly attack on the LGBTQ+ community in October 2022 that shocked the nation.

Here is the list of full winners:

Best Film
Victim [+see also:
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interview: Michal Blaško
film profile] - Michal Blaško (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Germany)

Best Documentary
Dezo Hoffmann – Photographer of the Beatles - Patrik Lančarič

Best Animated Film
Journey to Yourland [+see also:
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Best Director
Michal Blaško - Victim

Best Script
Jana Skořepová, Ivo Trajkov - The Ballad of Piargy [+see also:
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trailer
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Best Cinematography
Peter Bencsík - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Editing
Michal Reich - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Sound
Juraj Baláž, Ivo Heger - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Music
Pjoni and Rob – Nightsiren [+see also:
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interview: Tereza Nvotová
film profile] (Czech Republic/Slovakia/France)

Best Production Design
Tomáš Berka - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Costumes
Anita Hroššová - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Make-up
Anita Hroššová - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Visual Effects
Jaromír Pesr, Michal Plička - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Actress
Judit Pecháček - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Supporting Actress
Jana Kvantiková - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Actor
Attila Mokos - The Ballad of Piargy

Best Supporting Actor
Attila Mokos - Goldilocks and the Glorious Losers