27/03/2025 - The industry event introduced Slovak projects in development, production or post-production by emerging domestic filmmakers, with documentaries predominating over fiction works

The tenth edition of Febiofest’s Bratislava Industry Days (24-25 March), Slovakia's principal industry platform for upcoming domestic films, recently unveiled its latest line-up. Marking its anniversary, the event broadened its scope to present 16 projects across various formats, including a selection from Central Europe which featured Maté Konkol’s hybrid docufiction Books Are Our Weapons from Hungary (see the report), the Polish dramedy Against the Grain by Katarzyna Trzaska, the Ukrainian chamber drama Curtain by Valeria Sochyvets and Wirbel by Czech director Tomáš Hubáček (see the news). Among the Slovak works in progress, documentaries predominated over fiction, with the edition introducing plenty of emerging local talent.

We outline the Slovak feature-length projects below:

Rasťo Šesták and Rastislav Steranka during the pitch for Duchoň (© Robert Tappert)

Duchoň – Peter Bebjak
Slovak genre filmmaker Peter Bebjak (The Line [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrey Yermak
interview: Peter Bebjak
film profile], The Auschwitz Report [+see also:
trailer
interview: Peter Bebjak
film profile]) is in post-production with this biographical music drama sporting a retro vibe, which chronicles the life of Slovak 1970s pop icon Karol Duchoň. Set against the backdrop of a pivotal New Year’s Eve TV programme in 1984, the film captures the singer’s rise from humble beginnings to stardom, his turbulent career and the personal demons that plagued him. The domestic theatrical release is slated for 31 July 2025. Supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the producers are seeking festival exposure and sales agents. Despite focusing on a local subject, the film’s producer, Rasťo Šesták, of D.N.A. Production, believes the movie can be of interest to international audiences, as it deals with fame, love and a famous performer’s collaboration with the political regime.

Denis Dobrovoda during the pitch for The Consequences of Truth (© Robert Tappert)

The Consequences of Truth – Denis Dobrovoda
Denis Dobrovoda, of the documentary The Cathedral [+see also:
trailer
film profile], is in post-production with his follow-up project The Consequences of Truth, which lifts the lid on the life of Alfred Wetzler, a Slovak Jewish hero who alerted the world to the Nazi extermination machinery and helped save nearly 150,000 lives. Despite his heroic efforts, Wetzler was persecuted and erased from history by his own communist government after the war. The documentary combines never-before-seen archival footage, interviews with historians and friends of Wetzler, and creative reenactments to reimagine the significant moments in his life. The final cut will be ready by the end of 2025, and Slovak Television and Radio and Czech Television are already on board. Boasting support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Claims Conference and Jewish Story Partners, the production team is seeking industry platforms, festivals and sales agents.

Prometea - Kristína Žilinčárová
Slovak filmmaker Kristína Žilinčárová is in script preparation on her feature debut, Prometea, a documentary essay about equine cloning, exploring its emotional and philosophical implications. The film follows the story of a polo player whose best horse unexpectedly dies in its prime. Instead of accepting the loss, he turns to cloning, creating over 100 replicas of his beloved animal. However, Žilinčárová revealed that she will be following two more thematic threads in the film. The documentary will be a combination of archival footage, deep-fake footage and actual footage. Principal photography is planned for later this year, with the premiere estimated at the end of 2026. The project’s producer, Michaela Kalinská, of NINJA Film, is looking for co-producers, industry platforms, festivals, and sales agents and partners in Italy and Argentina, where the shooting will unfold.

Soft Hours – Anna Gyimesi
Soft Hours is a psychological drama about Ilona, a woman in her late fifties who has spent the past decade mourning the disappearance of her son, Tóbiás. When her ex-husband becomes a father again, Ilona's unresolved grief resurfaces. She becomes fixated on Leon, a young amusement-park worker, and arranges for him to impersonate her son. Soft Hours, currently in development, explores the societal pressures surrounding motherhood and identity. The character-driven drama, which will be Gyimesi’s feature-length fiction debut, is being made as a Hungarian-Slovak-French co-production, and the director plans to shoot on the Hungarian-Slovak border. Slovak producer Barbara Janišová Feglová, of HITCHHIKER Cinema, is looking for additional co-producing partners.

Wasteland Chronicles – Viera Čakányová, Lucia Kašová, Barbora Sliepková
Wasteland Chronicles is a hybrid documentary focusing on Slovakia's environmental crises – specifically, the three largest and most hazardous toxic waste sites in the country. Through the perspectives of three female directors, the film highlights the ecological disasters caused by dysfunctional bureaucracy, short-term policies and a general failure to address long-term environmental challenges. The film, currently in post-production, is set to be released in 2025/2026. It has already piqued interest at several prominent workshops and forums, including the 2024 Ji.hlava New Vision Forum (see the news), and is seeking festival exposure and sales agents.

Dreaming Differences – Kateřina Hroníková
Emerging filmmaker Kateřina Hroníková is developing her feature-length fiction debut, Dreaming Differences, a near-future sci-fi drama. The story follows Peter, a man in his fifties who, after losing his job, undergoes the Rouse procedure, a radical treatment that eliminates the need for sleep. As his relationship with Ema evolves, she grapples with grief, and Peter realises that sleeplessness offers no real escape from his inner turmoil. The film examines societal pressure, the pursuit of productivity and the illusion of fulfilment under capitalism. Hroníková cites The Lobster [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile] and the series Severance as tonal references. Principal photography is tentatively set for 2026, with a release expected in 2028. Slovak producer Nataša Jurčová Findrová, of Murmur Films, is currently seeking co-producers.

Andrej Kolenčík during the pitch for Animals of the East (© Robert Tappert)

Animals of the East – Anna Ďurišíková, Andrej Kolenčík
Animals of the East is a poetic coming-of-age documentary co-directed by Anna Ďurišíková, marking her feature debut, and Andrej Kolenčík, who also serves as a producer. The film centres on Blanka, a young woman who has been rescuing abused and injured animals since childhood. In her village, she has inspired other children to help her create a sanctuary for farm animals, offering them a peaceful life free from exploitation. The documentary follows Blanka’s dedication to the sanctuary and the challenges she faces, including limited public support and restrictive legislation. Aimed primarily at viewers aged between 12 and 16, the film is currently in production, with a release expected in February 2026. The team is seeking co-producers, industry platforms, festivals, broadcasters and sales agents.