Marko Škop is one of the emerging
talents of Slovak documentary
cinema. With his directorial debut Iné Svety
(Other Worlds), he won over audiences at
the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
in 2006. Last year the documentary Slepé
lásky (Blind Loves), which he helped
produce, returned from Cannes with
the Art Cinema Award, and his newest
production, Osadné, about a village in
eastern Slovakia, won the Crystal Globe
in its category at Vary this year.
You’ve said that Osadné is a “directed
documentary”, meaning that you
steered the story a bit. Can you
explain how you influenced it? How
important is it to you to maintain the
purity of the documentary form?
The most fascinating and beautiful thing
about documentary is the creativity and
freedom it gives you to use different
styles. When it came to Osadné, I hope
I stayed true to all ethical standards and
factual authenticity.
The project was actually conceived
one day when I was watching the news
and happened to catch a European MP
answering questions. I discovered that any
of these guys can invite up to 100 guests
to see the European Parliament.
At that time, Jarka Sabolová, who
writes for a Ruthenian [ethnic minority]
magazine told me about this village –
Osadné, in the very east of Slovakia – that
has a very good and active Orthodox
priest, a decent mayor and a tourist trail
funded by the EU.
I already knew Fedor Vico; we’d worked
together on Iné Svety. He, in turn, knows
the politician Milan Gaľa, and so we asked
Milan to visit Osadné. He accepted and
came, which I appreciated tremendously.
And then, he invited everyone to Brussels.
So, actually the only thing I set up was
inviting Milan Gal’a. After that, we just
filmed what happened.
I shot this documentary differently
from Iné Svety, in which I, myself, spoke
on camera. With Osadné, I wanted to
try something new; we combined shots
in a more classic documentary style, for
example. Also, the characters don’t talk
directly on camera. Instead I just gave
them the topics I wanted them to cover.
They went with it from there, and we
captured that.
You’ve participated in several projects
to support film distribution such as
Doc Alliance and Docu Talents from
the East. What do you think about
these systems? Are they helpful for
documentary makers, especially
young people in the industry?
I really appreciate what Czech institutions
are doing to support documentaries,
and especially what the Institute of
Documentary Film and the Jihlava
International Documentary Film Festival
have done to help educate young
filmmakers.
It’s generally much harder to finance
a documentary than a feature film.
What has your personal experience
been with this, and what would you
recommend?
As in any endeavour, starting out is always
tough. But I think the most important
thing is that the project get support from
the state, or from some state institution.
It’s also possible to finance films through
international co-productions, but that’s
very hard to do. I admire anyone who can
finance their film like that. Also, I’d like to
thank Hypermarket Film for helping us;
their support was essential.
You’ve described yourself as a “local
documentary filmmaker”. Do you have
any plans to make films abroad?
Yes, I can totally imagine filming abroad.
I’ve already shot in Kosovo after the war.
But it’s true that eastern Slovakia is a
subject that interests me a lot, and there’s
still plenty of inspiration for me there.
Your documentaries Iné Svety and
Osadné, as well as Slepé lásky, which
you co-produced, have been honoured
with prizes. Which filmmakers have
inspired you most?
In terms of Czech film, I’d have to say
Karel Vachek for his gifts as a philosopher
and an instructor and Helena Třeštíková
for her humanity and hard work. Looking
at the filmmakers of my generation, I’d
single out Miroslav Janek for his integrity
and creative abilities. And then there’s
Vít Klusák, Jan Gogola, Pavel Abrahám,
Lucie Králová, Filip Remunda and Martin
Mareček. I hope I didn’t forget anyone. •
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