Otec (Father)

A tragic mistake destroys a man’s life, isolating him in guilt and shaking his marriage. Now facing prison, can he find a path to forgiveness? Can love survive what no heart was built to endure?

For me, the language of the film is just as important as the story. I couldn’t imagine telling this one in a conventional episodic structure — it would feel like flipping through a photo album from a funeral. No one wants to see that. What I aimed for instead was something immersive, experiential — almost like a video game, but grounded in very different circumstances, ones that draw us deeper into ourselves. I wanted the audience to fully connect with the main character, to live his life without interruption or distance. The long takes give them no choice. Of course, it was a huge challenge for everyone, because we needed technical precision that went hand in hand with the emotional authenticity of the actors.
Milan Ondrík told me it was the most difficult role he’s ever played, and I believe him. He had to live through anyone’s worst nightmare. In twenty-minute takes, he couldn’t fake it — he had to become it.
Emotionally intense material is like fuel for me. If I can feel it, it keeps me going; it drives every aspect of my filmmaking. With this story — inspired by real events that happened to the best friend of my co-writer Dušan Budzak — I was most curious about the situations we rarely see in films or biographies: the moments in between. The ones when we’re not in control, when no one’s watching, and we’re our real selves. During the shoot, I realised this isn’t a film about a tragedy. It’s a love story. The kind of love that happens when you lose everything.

PRODUCTION 1:
DANAE Production s.r.o. - Veronika Paštéková, Anton Skreko
Šoltésovej 14
811 08 Bratislava-Staré Mesto, Slovakia
Tel: +421 910 523352
E-mail: veronika.pastekova@gmail.com
Web: http://www.danaeproduction.sk
Social Media: danae_production - Instagram, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557558360165 - Facebook

PRODUCTION 2:
Moloko Film, s.r.o. – Miloš Lochman, Karel Chvojka
U Vorlíků 367/3
160 00 Praha 6 – Bubeneč, Czechia
Tel: +420 603 477 707
E-mail: milos@molokofilm.com
Web: http://www.molokofilm.com/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/molokofilm - Facebook

PRODUCTION 3:
Lava Films SP. Z O.O. - Marta Gmosińska, Mariusz Włodarski
Stefana Jaracza 82/19
90-243 Łódź, Poland
Tel: +48 782 668 551
E-mail: marta@lavafilms.pl
Web: http://www.lavafilms.pl/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/lavafilms.pl - Instagram, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063789031973 - Facebook

WORLD SALES:
Intramovies - Geremia Biagiotti
Via E. Manfredi, 15
00197 Roma, Italia
Tel: +39 0645777930
E-mail: sales@intramovies.com
Web: http://www.intramovies.com/
Social Media: intramovies - Facebook, intramovies - Instagram, intramovies - LinkedIn, intramovies - YouTube

ITALIAN DISTRIBUTOR:
Fandango S.p.A. - Eduardo De Mennato, Gianluca Pignataro, Francesca Esposito Viale Gorizia, 19 00198 Roma, Italia Tel: +39 06852185 E-mail: eduardo.demennato@fandango.it, gianluca.pignataro@fandango.it, francesca.esposito@fandango.it

PRESS OFFICE:
Barbara Van Lombeek - The PR Factory
Belgium
Tel: + 82 486 54 64 80
E-mail: barbara@theprfactory.com
Ulteriori addetti: Marie-France Dupagne - mariefrance@theprfactory.com;
Eugénie Malinjod - eugenie@theprfactory.com;
Veronique - Hariga - veronique@theprfactory.com

ITALIAN PRESS OFFICE:
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E-mail: info@mariannagiorgi.it