'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' WINS CZECH AWARD

Matt Sarnecki has been awarded a Jury Award: Power of the Powerless by The Czech Film and Television Association FITES for his 2022 The Killing of a Journalist. The award acknowledges Sarnecki’s contribution to civil society, and he receives it for his writing and directing.

‘The Killing of a Journalist’ is a film about how the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová has inspired protests and influenced politics in Slovakia.

The jury note that “Sarnecki from a distance has deciphered the story of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová, placing the act in previously unknown societal context of the intersection between the mafia and Slovak politics.” They further notice that “The use of unique materials from the villa of the main suspect, businessman Marian Kočner, adds significant value to the documentary.”

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' & 'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' SCREENING AT DOCNYC

We are so happy that next week two of our films are screening at DOCNYC - America’s largest documentary film festival.

A House Made of Splinters by Simon Lereng Wilmont is in the Winners Circle section, and has two in-person screenings:
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 7:15 PM​ - Cinépolis Chelsea, Theater 2 (with director Q&A)
Thursday, November 17, 2022 2:15 PM​ - Cinépolis Chelsea

Director Simon Lereng Wilmont will be present for the screening on November 16.

The Killing of a Journalist by Matt Sarnecki is in the Investigations section, and has two in-person screenings:
Saturday, November 12, 2022 9:20 PM - Cinépolis Chelsea, Theater 1
Monday, November 14, 2022 11:45 AM - Cinépolis Chelsea

Both films also have online screenings for the duration of the festival.

For more info about tickets and passes, click here

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' WINS PRICE AT BERGEN INTERNATIONAL FILMFESTIVAL

More great festival news! 'The Killing Of A Journalist’ has won the Checkpoint - best human rights documentary price at Bergen International Filmfestival!

‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ is directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, editing is by Janus Billeskov Jansen, and music by Kristian Eidness. The film is co-produced with GotFat Productions in Aarhus, Denmark, and Frame Films in Czech Republic, with support from the West Danish Film Fund and Czech Film Fund. The Killing of a Journalist premiered at HotDocs 2022.

The jury’s statement:

“This year's Checkpoints winner captures the importance of speaking truth to power despite government oppression. By focusing on a fledgling democracy, the documentary brings a new perspective and nuance to an often overlooked theme and place. This explosive, well-soured and objective documentary keeps its viewers captivated. The film is beautifully produced and shot. 

At its core the film is about the struggle to save the soul of a nation. The documentary captures the reality of living in a captured mafia state and showcases the bravery of those who oppose a corrupt regime regardless of the consequences. It even shows how corruption's tentacles extend beyond national borders into revered institutions such as the European Union. A red thread that runs throughout the documentary is the importance of the freedom of the press. 

The jury selects this feature documentary not only for the reasons above but also for its potential impact, both in the country and its neighbours who live under similar conditions. 

This year's winner of Checkpoints 2022 is THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST.”

You can see the full list of jury statements from Bergen International Filmfestival 2022 here

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' RECEIVES SPECIAL MENTION AT ZFF

We have some great news to announce. ‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ by Matt Sarnecki received a Special Mention in the Documentary Competition at Zurich Film Festival this past weekend.

‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ is directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, editing is by Janus Billeskov Jansen, and music by Kristian Eidness. The film is co-produced with GotFat Productions in Aarhus, Denmark, and Frame Films in Czech Republic, with support from the West Danish Film Fund and Czech Film Fund. The Killing of a Journalist premiered at HotDocs 2022.

Click here to see the full list of the winners of a Golden Eye and Special Mention Awards from the 18th Zurich Film Festival.

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' AT ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL

We are happy to announce that Matt Sarnecki’s 'The Killing Of A Journalist' will be screened at Zurich Film Festival and is one out of 14 films in ZFF’s Documentary strand for a Golden Eye.

‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ explores the brutal murder of a young Slovakian investigative journalist and his fiancée. Their deaths inspire the biggest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism. The story takes an unexpected turn when a source leaks the secret murder case file to the murdered journalist’s colleagues which includes the computers and encrypted communications of the assassination’s alleged mastermind, a businessman closely connected to the country’s ruling party. Trawling these encrypted messages, journalists discover that their country has been captured by corrupt oligarchs, judges and law enforcement officials. A reckoning awaits.

The film is directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, editing is by Janus Billeskov Jansen, and music by Kristian Eidness. The film is co-produced with GotFat Productions in Aarhus, Denmark, and Frame Films in Czech Republic, with support from the West Danish Film Fund and Czech Film Fund. The Killing of a Journalist premiered at HotDocs 2022, screened at Karlovy Vary Int FF, and recently won the TRUTH DOX award at DokuFest.

Click here to see the rest of the films in the documentary competition

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' AT KVIFF

This year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is right around the corner, and we are happy to announce that our film ‘The Killing of a Journalist’ has been selected for the Special Screenings section, which represents an exclusive selection of international and Czech films presented as premieres and avant-premieres.

‘The Killing of a Journalist,’ directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, will have its European premiere on July 5, 2022.

The film explores the brutal murder of a young Slovakian investigative journalist and his fiancée. Their deaths inspire the biggest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism. The story takes an unexpected turn when a source leaks the secret murder case file to the murdered journalist’s colleagues which includes the computers and encrypted communications of the assassination’s alleged mastermind, a businessman closely connected to the country’s ruling party. Trawling these encrypted messages, journalists discover that their country has been captured by corrupt oligarchs, judges and law enforcement officials. A reckoning awaits.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic and one of the most prestigious festivals in Central and Eastern Europe. Every year, the festival presents more than 200 films from around the world, and regularly hosts famous and important filmmakers.

Click here to read more about the other films selected for the Special Screenings section.

WORLD PREMIERE AND SELECTION FOR MAIN COMPETITION AT HOTDOCS

The HotDocs film festival is just around the corner, and we are happy to announce that we have two films selected for the main competition this year.

‘The Killing of a Journalist,’ directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, will have its world premiere on May 1st 2022. The film explores the brutal murder of a young Slovakian investigative journalist and his fiancée. Their deaths inspire the biggest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism. The story takes an unexpected turn when a source leaks the secret murder case file to the murdered journalist’s colleagues which includes the computers and encrypted communications of the assassination’s alleged mastermind, a businessman closely connected to the country’s ruling party. Trawling these encrypted messages, journalists discover that their country has been captured by corrupt oligarchs, judges and law enforcement officials. A reckoning awaits.

Also screening in the main competition is ‘Outside’, directed by Olha Zhurba, and produced by Darya Bassell and Viktoria Khomenko for Moon Man. Anne Köhncke and Monica Hellström have co-produced for Final Cut for Real. In ‘Outside’, Roma, a 13-year old street kid neglected by his family and the state, becomes a poster boy for the Ukrainian Revolution in 2014. His story traverses the years he spent on the streets of revolutionary Kyiv and after his release from the orphanage, left to face the outside world with nothing. As Roma sets out to build an adult life, it seems that his future has already been decided. Through a series of phone calls with the film’s director he reflects on one main question: can you ever escape your childhood?

Outside had its world premiere at CPH:DOX in March, where it was selected for the main competition. 

Hot Docs was founded in 1993 by the Documentary Organization of Canada, a national association of independent documentary filmmakers and continues to be one of the most prestigious documentary film festivals, always focusing on promoting excellence in documentary production. Each year, Hot Docs presents over 200 cutting edge films from around the world.

To read more about the HotDocs 2022 programme click here.