NH vod
Animals of the East
A documentary about the Love and Inseparable Friendship Between Animals and Humans.
Blanka (25 y/o) has been rescuing animals since she was a little girl—she shared her bed with an orphaned lamb and took an abused cow to her family’s backyard without hesitation. In the village of Zemplinska Siroka—a stone’s throw from the Slovak border with Ukraine, she managed to infect other children from the neighbourhood, a neighbour, and her father with enthusiasm to transform an illegal waste dump (formerly an abandoned farm) into a sanctuary for abused and handicapped animals. With her enthusiasm, she managed to attract other children from the neighbourhood and today together they take care of a sanctuary for abused and handicapped animals – the so-called “farm” animals, which can live a free social life and grow old peacefully. However, Blanka and the children Kubo and Emma have to deal with misunderstanding, unfriendly surroundings and narrow-minded legislation on a daily basis. Fortunately, they have each other and the animals with whom they provide a home for each other.
Pitching team
Andrej Kolencik
Andrej Kolencik is a film director, producer and a visual artist. In 2014 he was selected for Berlinale Talents. In 2015 he started his own production company called Admiral Films. The company's philosophy is to produce films in a sustainable and as environmentally friendly way as possible. Films he directed have been screened at hundreds of international film festivals and got dozens of awards.
Anna Durisikova
Anna Durisikova is a theatre director, performer, and translator. She got her PhD in literature and translation at Comenius University in Bratislava, and she is currently finishing her studies of theatre directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. As a director, she has staged numerous plays, and she is currently working on a play based on the memoirs of Herculine Barbin. She is focusing on the protection of animals and nature.
