One of the Slovak projects presented in the virtual industry strand of the recent Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was Lines [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Barbora Sliepková
ficha de la película], the feature debut by emerging talent Barbora Sliepková, from the young generation of filmmakers. She rose to prominence with her short documentary About My Sister in 2016.

Sliepková says in the director’s notes that she defines the docu-essay as an urban symphony, although she adds that she intends to plunge deeper into the personal stories of the protagonists, unlike other similar films like Koyaanisqatsi. She likens her approach to the protagonists to that taken by Viktor Kossakovsky in his ¡Vivan las antípodas! [+lee también:
tráiler
ficha de la película].

Sliepková’s urban symphony is set in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, capturing the city in transformation. The director observes the three main protagonists over the course of one year. She notes that she is on the lookout for motifs characteristic of post-socialist metropolises, while she also intends to create “a universal city-place communicating a certain experience and sphere”. The black-and-white film tackles the topics of architecture and urbanism, particularly at the crossroads of public and private spaces. The movie is visually inspired by Slovak conceptual art and photography.

Barbara Janiš Feglová, of Slovak production outfit HITCHHIKER Cinema, revealed during the presentation that the film was close to the final cut. According to the producer, Lines should be completed by the end of August, and the team is still looking for a sales agent. They remain open to getting a new partner on board that could help with some of the post-production work. The project won the Karlovy Vary Docs in Progress Award (see the news).

Lines is being produced by HITCHHIKER Cinema, and co-produced by Slovak company vidno and Radio and Television Slovakia. The Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Bratislava Region and Ars Bratislavensis supported the film.

You can watch the teaser below: