FIRST SLOVAK PRIDE, 29min,. Slovakia
Directed by Roman Strá?ai
What is PRIDE? How it came about in Slovakia? Was the 2010 PRIDE parade in Bratislava the first one in Slovakia? Activists from the 2010 PRIDE team as well as Hana Fabry, Jaroslav Gyurik, which where present in queer activism in the early 90s talk about important events which led to the creation of the first PRIDE parade in Slovakia.

https://www.romanstranai.com/project/prvy-slovensky-pride

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I shoot and document Pride parades in Slovakia since 2013 and almost every year I shoot and edit a short video for the Pride festival. For some time I played with the idea of creating something more meaningful than just simple edits of the Pride parades to music, so when Richard Fekete, one of the organizers of the first Pride in Slovakia came to me with an idea of interviewing the team behind the first one in Slovakia in 2010, it sparked in me the need to learn more about the history of queer activism in the country. When I eventually persuaded the activists which were present in creation of queer activism in the early 90s, it was a great opportunity to merge the history of the queer movement with the creation of the first Pride and subsequent Prides using my own footage I gathered over the years.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
From the initial idea it took something like a year and half to finish, working on it on and off of course as I had to do other jobs to pay the bills.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Slovak Prides

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
There were a lot of obstacles, like getting my hands on photographs and other media from the 90s or getting interviews of the activists since some unfortunately already passed away and some left the country.
The biggest one was probably just telling a clear narrative with a hopeful message at the end, despite all the negativity that surrounds the queer community in Slovakia. We had to go through a lot of difficulties over the years, internally between the activists, but also externally, from politicians, catholic church to neo-Nazis and lately a terrorist attack at a queer bar in the capital city, Bratislava. It was important to me to give a positive, hopeful message to the audience.
We need to keep being heard. These things are not happening only in Slovakia, but around the world as well, so I just wanted to say that despite all of this, that we are still here, and we will be here and that won’t change.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was really surprised and thrilled watching the audience feedback, it’s my first festival audience abroad, so I will remember that and definitely draw energy from it.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I loved movies since very young age. Experiencing all those stories, environments and characters was very entertaining and stirred emotions in me, which had a profound personal impact.
Later in life, I was looking for means how to get to those emotions closer through acting, but unsuccessfully. At the same time, I was also really interested in photography and when I got my first digital camera on my birthday, which was able to shoot video, I started playing with that. I began to find stories in everything around me and when I shot a video of the Pride parade in Bratislava in 2013, that excited a lot of people I didn’t know at all. That feeling was foreign to me and it ignited my passion for films again, but this time from the other side of the camera.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Apart from those I edit, it would probably be The Matrix by Lana and Lilly Wachowski.

 
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I’m pretty new to the festival experience as a whole, as I have been working mainly in the commercial industry until now, but I’m always looking for opportunities and ways to meet, connect and get to know other filmmakers and people from the industry.
Filmmaking can sometimes get pretty lonely when you’re not shooting, especially directors, we are like islands. We should change that.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Couple of months ago I didn’t know about the platform at all, only after talking with other indie directors I learned about it and it was a great relief to learn, that I don’t have to search for all the films festivals around the globe using Google search and send e-mails to every single one. It’s a huge time and energy saver, especially when you’re just starting out and do all kinds of things yourself.
I just wish more film festivals would be on the platform, especially the queer film festivals from Slovakia and Czech Republic.

10. What is your favorite meal?
It’s probably a good vegan burger with fries, coleslaw, mayo and Coke.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
My biggest passion were always sci-fi movies, so right now I’m focusing on writing a short sci-fi film, finally! It’s film about a family with a transgender parent. The idea came to me while I was shooting a short documentary on a family like that. I feel this topic is quite hidden and very underrepresented in media, which is something I fight with since the early Pride parade videos, which are all about a positive representation of the community.