This week at CineLink Industry Days the Slovakian project Retuning was handed the DAFilms.com VoD Distribution Award. In the feature documentary, directed by feature debutant Sára Prokopová, as a new political establishment in Slovakia begins to reshape the public broadcaster, its employees face a turning point that raises questions about the future of public media and their role within it.
The synopsis further emphasises how, in 2024, a new political power in Slovakia triggers radical shifts to bring independent public media under control. Amidst deep uncertainty and growing censorship concerns, a strike committee forms within the institution. All the time, Prokopová’s camera witnesses the resistance of journalists who, overnight, are forced to defend their profession. This Quixotic struggle against the machinery of power shows how ordinary people standing up for shared values maintain their own integrity.
Retuning is produced by Tereza Tokárová of the Slovakian production company cinepunkt, who has been looking to close the film’s budget of approximately €70,900, as well as generate interest among the sales, distribution and festival professionals in attendance in Sarajevo.
She underlines the need to deliver Prokopová’s timely documentary. “When Sára first approached me…I immediately felt the urgency of the story,” she says. “Public service television is undergoing a profound transformation, and what is happening inside it reflects wider shifts in our society: the fragility of independent media, censorship, and political pressure. I believe this is one of the defining topics of our time, not only in Slovakia but across Europe.”
“Retuning is currently in post-production. To complete the film, we need to cover the remaining costs of post-production and the clearance of archive materials, which represent a significant part of the budget. Due to the film’s subject matter, we cannot apply for further support from public institutions such as the national film fund or Slovak Television — finding international partners is therefore crucial for us,” she adds.
“Although Retuning tells the story of Slovak public television, similar struggles over the independence and future of public media are unfolding in many countries around the world — which is why the film can resonate far beyond its local origins.”
Director Prokopová further articulates her sense of urgency in making this film. “Some films are born from fascination and creativity, some from frustration and an urgent need to react,” she stresses.
“The second reason was my reality in 2024 when Robert Fico returned to power – a prime minister whose previous government was marked by corruption allegations and the assassination of an investigative journalist and his fiancé,” she adds. “As the government began dismantling the rule of law by amending the Criminal Code and attacking culture and public sectors through radical legislative changes, I found myself working as an external director for RTVS, a key target institution. I started to document this gradual overhaul from within the strike committee, not knowing what the result of this ‘archive’ would be.”
“I never wanted to make an investigative documentary,” Prokopová further emphasises. “The goal was to give space to those who find the courage to stand up to this ‘colossus’ driven by arrogance and power. I wanted to show that every individual action matters, for if we do not act, no one else will.”
