Alica Bednáriková, a director and screenwriter, is the first Slovak to take part in the prestigious La Résidence programme, which is a Cannes Film Festival platform. During her residency in Paris, she worked on developing the script for her feature debut Attention Whores, a co-production between nutprodukcia (SK) and nutprodukce (CZ). The residency will culminate in a presentation before the CNC committee, which will take place during this year’s Cannes Film Festival at the Gray d’Albion Beach Hotel on Wednesday, May 13, from 3 p.m.
Alica, it is not your first time in Cannes. You presented your short Liquid Bread there in 2022 within La Cinef section. How has your professional life changed since then?
My professional life has changed quite a bit since then. Cannes was my first real contact with an international audience, and it made me realize the film can live beyond the place where it was made. After that, I had the chance to travel with it to a few festivals, meet people, and slowly build connections. It also led to opportunities I probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. This year feels different, more adult, in a way. I’m coming back to pitch my debut feature and staying longer, so I’m curious to experience Cannes more from the industry side and see what comes out of it.
As one of only six participants, you were part of La Résidence programme in Paris from October 2025 to February 2026. How would you describe this experience?
Without exaggeration, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had so far. I would wish it for every filmmaker. It’s a rare opportunity to step out of your usual environment and focus only on writing. What I valued the most were the people. You spend a lot of time with the other participating filmmakers, which creates a kind of small, temporary community, something you don’t usually get, since writing is mostly a solitary process. At the same time, having that space and time, with all the conversations along the way, made a big difference.
You were working there on your new film, your feature debut Attention Whores. How did the residency contribute to your project? Would it be the same project if you hadn’t been there? Did it change much?
It gave the project a real push and it gave me something that’s actually quite hard to find: time and space to really focus on the project. I was able to spend those months in Paris just working on the film, while also being constantly surrounded by cinema, which naturally feeds into the process. It also connected me with new people from the industry, which I think will be important for the project later on. I don’t think it would be exactly the same film if I hadn’t been there. It didn’t change completely, but it definitely became more clear and more grounded over time.
You also attended cocoPITCH Co-Production Market in Cottbus in November and Bratislava Industry Days in March with this project. Are there any outcomes from these platforms?
Cottbus was our first time pitching the project internationally, so we were really nervous but also curious about how it would be received. In the end, it turned out to be a very valuable experience. We met many people and received a lot of interest in the film, which felt really encouraging. It made the project feel more real outside of our own bubble. Also, thanks to the CoCo jury, my producer received an accreditation for the Marché du Film, which allows her to attend Festival de Cannes as well—something that means a lot for the project. By the time we got to Bratislava Industry Days, we felt much more at ease with pitching. We made many connections during the meetings, and time will tell what comes out of it, but it already felt like a big encouragement to keep going and make the film.
That being said, I still feel crazy intimidated about pitching in Cannes, but at least now I have a better sense of what to expect.
At what stage are you currently, and what can we look forward to with Attention Whores? Can you give us a teaser?
Right now we’re in a bit of a waiting stage. (smile) Even though we have been receiving strong international interest, we still cannot move forward, as we have been rejected several times by both—the Slovak and the Czech fund—which, sadly, is not an unusual story for many emerging directors. It seems the project hasn’t yet found its target audience within our funding committees.
But we’re not just waiting. We recently shot a short film based on the same idea. It works as a standalone piece, but also as a kind of proof of concept. At the same time, I’m continuing to develop a more polished version of the script.
The interview was conducted by Veronika Krejčová (National Cinematographic Centre of the SFI).
Presentation:
May 13 | 15:00 | Gray D’Albion Beach Hotel
