The Sun In a Net (1962)
A lyrical story of two young people who show pretended cynicism and rejection towards contemporary society in an attempt to hide their insecurities, lack of experience and fear of adult life. The film is celebrated as the beginning of the Chechoslovak New Wave.

The Organ (1964)
A drama set in the times of the wartime Slovak State. A young Polish deserter, who happens to be a gifted organist, hides from the fascists in a Franciscan monastery. His talent brings about a clash with the pettiness and close-mindedness of the local organist and choir leader.

Three Daughters (1967)
A classical motif of folk ballads about an ageing father and his three daughters is set against the backdrop of Czechoslovakia of the early 1950s. After his property has been expropriated, a former landowner seeks refuge with his daughters, whom he had sent to a convent.

The Devil Never Sleeps (1956)
This film is composed of three separate satirical stories written by Slovak playwright Peter Karvaš – The Sad Cadre, An Exemplary Case, and Generous Campaign. In a very humorous and poignant way, it reveals and challenges the shortcomings of contemporary society. The three parts are connected by the motive of an approval committee that watches the film in order to issue its eventual approval or, on the contrary, its disapproval of the film´s distribution in cinemas. The committee members, who recognize themselves in the characters on the screen, voice their comments during the intermissions between the screenings.

The Boxer and Death (1962)
Concentration camp commander Kraft finds out that prisoner Komínek is a former professional boxer. The prisoner is made Kraft´s exercise partner and unwillingly rises to a privileged position at the camp. His anger over the death of his friend and co-prisoner leads to open revolt.

Before Tonight Is Over (1965)
The female clerks enjoying a few carefree days, two plumbers looking for an erotic advanture, a building contractor spending his workers´ wages and an alcoholic, a former major, meet in a bar. A single night reveals the illusion and disappointments of "average" people.

Forty-Four Mutineers (1957)
A drama about a legendary rebellion of Slovak troops of the 71st regiment who rise against the officers of the Austro-Hungarian army stationed in the Serbian town of Kragujevac during World War One. The film is an open criticism of the absurdity of military conflicts and an expression of spontaneous resistance against aggression and violence. The story also pays homage to all those who found the courage to oppose the war regardless of the consequences and revolt against its ruthless and inhuman nature.

Captain Dabač (1959)
A psychological war drama about an officer of the Slovak Army who, following a personal tragedy, awakens to the cruelty of fascism during fights in the Ukraine. When he refuses to keep contributing to the evils of fascism by his army service, he is promptly punished. He escapes from prison and returns to Slovakia where he joins the movement of anti-fascist resistance. His is an individual and intimate rebellion, since despite of being a soldier himself, he starts to question even the partisan movement.

Jánošík I-II (1962-63)
One of the most popular pictures of Slovak cinema, the story of the legendary hero set against the social situation in Slovakia at the turn of the 17th - 18th century. Juro Jánošík (1688-1713) forms a band of brigands to start an anti-feudal resistance.

Copper Tower (1970)
Director Martin Hollý‘s first of the two films from the Stratena Valley is a story of adventure and romance set against the magnificent peaks of the High Tatras. The tragic story interspersed with humorous dialogues remains a popular movie up to this day.

Eagle Feather (1971)
A sequel to the Copper Tower, Eagle Feather continued the success of its predecessor in many ways. Two inseparable friends, Oldie and Valer, return from prison to the Stratena Valley to start a new, honorable life. But it will not be easy to gain the once lost trust of the locals.

Night Riders (1981)
Facing each other are two men believing in principles and unwilling to compromise. One is backed by a whole, if poor, village, the other by the law. It is a conflict that reaches its climax in the closing shoot-out. Instead of the Wild West, the gunshots go off on the Slovak-Polish border.

The Prime of Life (1967)
Juraj, a Slovak artist living in Prague, realizes that his life is passing without purpose. It is time for him to choose between two women, the city and the country, and creative work and practical craft. While he feels passionate about art, he knows he also has to earn a living.

Birdies, Orphans and Fools (1969)
Although this mosaic-like parable is set in an undefined space and time, the insane world which it depicts, a world without ideals, filled with violence, cynicism and hopelessness, strongly resembles the social atmosphere in Czechoslovakia after August 1968.

Sitting on a Branch I am Fine (1989)
This story of two inseparable friends – circus comedian Pepe and soldier Prengel – takes place shortly after the end of WW II. When their fates are intertwined by the discovery of hidden gold and the arrival of a Jewish girl, Esther, the three of them together start their search for happiness.

I LOVE, YOU LOVE (1980)
A tragicomic film about people from the social periphery. Director Dušan Hanák portrayed his characters with a sensitive understanding, without romanticizing. That was also why the film, similarly to Hanák’s previous works 322 and Pictures of the Old World, ended up on a shelf until 1988. Impressive performances are given by Czech actress Iva Janžurová, Polish actor Roman Klosowski and Serbian actor Milan Jelić. In 1989, the film won a Silver Bear for Best Directing from the IFF Berlin.

PINK DREAMS (1976)
An amiable picture about entering adulthood, great dreams, and the first – forbidden – love of a white postman, Jakub, and a pretty Gypsy girl, Jolanka. This is a poetic story, a mosaic of the playful world springing from the wild imagination of the village postman and its clash with the pragmatic mundane reality that finally beats the rosy dreams of the young protagonists. Director Dušan Hanák and screenwriter Dušan Dušek‘s most popular film has been cherished by critics as well as wide audiences at home and abroad.

322 (1969)
A story of a man threatened by a fatal illness evaluating his life (the number 322 in the film title stands for the diagnosis of one kind of cancer). He understands his illness as a form of punishment for the cruel deeds that he committed in the 1950s. In the face of reality and his efforts to purge himself he hits a barrier of indifference, lack of interest, and individual and collective selfishness. He has to find his own reconciliation with his illness and his past and present life.

A comedy about Šimon, an honest, clever confectioner. In practical life, the humble bachelor becomes an easy prey to his boss, his mother, and hords of women eager to get married. The story incorporates well-tested methods of nearly all major periods in the history of film comedy: from a lumiérish etude with the garden hose to a melancholic tramp to the menace of the streets Jacques Tati. Director Juraj Herz made a major contribution to the modest tradition of Slovak film comedy. 

A story of a family that after WWII moved to the south of Slovakia and acquired a prosperous butcher business left behind by a Hungarian emigrant. From the previous owner, the family also inherited a self-assured, greedy assistant who does not like to observe any firm moral principles. He assists the family in gaining wealth but in the long run, he causes the family´s moral dissolution. In his most successful feature film, director Zoro Záhon combined a complex drama with excellent acting performances, especially that of Hungarian actor Gábor Koncz in the lead role.  

A tragicomic story from a rural setting was based on the collection of short stories by Milka Zimková, who was also cast in the lead role. The lives of Johana Ovšená and her illegitimate daughter Pavlína seem to copy each other. Johana, a single mother, watches her daughter make the same mistake as she herself had made in the past. The makers of the film had very good knowledge of village life. Štefan Uher´s film is an authentic picture of the way of life, regional traditions, and mentality of people from eastern Slovakia.