Mečiar / The Lust for Power

Dokumentarfilm, Slowakei / Tschechische Republik 2017, Regie: Tereza Nvotová, 90 Min., in englischer Sprache

Die Dokumentation folgt dem Werdegang des slowakischen Politikers Vladimír Mečiar. 1990 war er der erste frei gewählte Ministerpräsident – in den Jahren danach handelte er immer skrupelloser und autokratischer. Damit geht es auch um die hoch-aktuelle Frage, wie gefährdet Demokratie selbst nach der Revolution 1989 sein kann.
Nach dem Film ist ein Gespräch mit der Regisseurin Tereza Nvotová (angefragt) vorgesehen.
Moderation: Radoslav Raffaj, Universität Regensburg.

In Kooperation mit dem Filmfestival Cottbus.
Eintritt frei

About Tereza Nvotová
Tereza was born and grew up in Bratislava and currently lives in Prague. She is about to graduate from FAMU as with a Master’s in Direction. Filthy is her feature film debut. She also directs documentary movies for Czech and Slovak Public TV and has recently premiered her second feature documentary Mečiar about former Slovak PM Vladimir Mečiar in coproduction with HBO Europe. Tereza also writes and works as an actor in feature films.

Filmography
2017 Mečiar, feature documentary
2017 Filthy, feature film
2013 Discoland, short film (FAMU)
2011 Gypsy Superstar, short documentary
2010 In the Garage, short documentary
2010 Players, mid-length fiction film
2009 Take it Jeasy, feature documentary, HBO
2009 Artificial Insight, short film

Mečiar – The Lust for Power

An HBO Europe, PubRes and Negativ documentary made by the young director Tereza Nvotova (Take it Jeasy!) is the story of Slovak ex-politician Vladimir Meciar and the impact he’s had on Slovak society and her own life. The story begins in 1989 when she’s a one year old and the Velvet Revolution is about to bring down the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Following their victory, almost none of the revolutionary leaders want to occupy important government positions. They organize an open call for the position of Minister of Interior, and an unknown lawyer from a small town, Vladimir Meciar, vies for the job. He wins and proceeds to rise to the very top. While governing he becomes a benevolent dictator, ruling the country using tools of corruption, propaganda and organized crime. While events like the division of Czechoslovakia or the kidnapping of the President’s son unfold, Tereza and her friends are playing children’s games of politics casting Meciar in the lead role.
The documentary The Lust for Power doesn’t only cover one chapter in Slovak political history. It raises universal and very current questions, because Meciar-like political archetypes keep popping up all over the world. Are we ever going to find out, why we tend to put blind faith in authoritarian leaders?

So 1.12. 14:00 Uhr Ostentor Kino Adolf-Schmetzer-Straße 5

Programm