BRATISLAVA: Martin Gonda’s debut feature Flood / Potopa has been selected as Slovakia’s contender for the 99th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
Set in the 1980’s, Flood tells the story of Mara, whose home valley is doomed due to the project of a new water reservoir. The villagers are forced to gradually leave their homes. Mara longs to leave the countryside and study in town, however, her father, who is a Ruthenian farmer, keeps her tied to the family land, which he refuses to let go of despite the end approaching.
Silverart (Slovakia) and CINEART TV Prague (Czech Republic) produced the film in coproduction with Polish Harine Films and Belgian Y-House, with support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Polish Film Institute, the Radio and Television Slovakia, the Minority Culture Fund, Creative Europe MEDIA, the Košice Self-Governing Region, the Czech Film Fund, and the Belgian Tax Shelter.
The film was prepped and shot applying the principles of green filming.
It premiered in the International Competition at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in November 2025, were it won the SIGNIS Award. It also won best screenplay, best leading actress (Sara Chripakova), and best supporting actor (Vladimir Cerna) at the 15th Sun in a Net awards in April 2026.
