Ivan Bukovčan
Writing
Known For

In a remote Slovak village in the closing days of World War II, a schoolteacher and his young wife find a wounded Russian parachutist in their front yard just as the Germans are coming in to occupy their village. As his wife readily becomes involved with anti-Nazi partisans, the schoolteacher collaborates with the Germans in fear.
The Coward

This dramatic story is situated in the town of Trnava of the 18th century. Painter Peter paints an altar-piece of the Martyrdom of St. Juliet and his model is a young girl. This is much disliked by the clergy who unjustly accuse the girl of witchcraft. She is saved from being burnt at a stake by the students of the Trnava University.
The Last Witch

The unhappy and desperate director of the Šúpala Zoo tries to sell a sick bear to a foreign tourist for shooting, because the purchase of other animals for the ZOO is only possible with anti-socialist currency, i.e. hard currency, and so the administrator does everything possible and impossible just to get them...
Tango pre medveďa

Two roommates – Ivan Trnovský, a university student from a wealthy family, and Petr Gazdík, a young composer, try to win the affections of a young teacher, Hanka. She teaches schoolchildren to ski, and Ivan arranges a Christmas stay with her in the Tatra Mountains, in a cottage under the Devil's Wall...
Čertova stena

A dramatic story of three friends happily spending time on their own in a mountain cottage in the High Tatras. On the arrival of the wife of one of them their perfect friendship is put to a test.
The Copper Tower

A dramatic story from the end of WW II and a remarkable contemplation of the value of true friendship, meaning and purpose oflife or the possibility to be humane even in inhuma ne conditions. In a frosty mountain setting a cruel struggle for life takes place. After a fight, two partisans return to their brigade carrying along a young German soldier as a captive. But suddenly, amidst the hopelessness of barren mountains. all protagonists find themselves in a liminal existential situation.
The Bells Toll for the Barefooted

The film captures the new events in the lives of the main characters of the film "The Copper Tower". After two years spent in prison because of smuggling they return to the Stratená dolina valley and plan a revenge on police lieutenant Pardek.
Eagle Feather

A Slovak detective story set in contemporary Bratislava and featuring ordinary people with their own everyday problems. The violent death of Olga Holešová places them under heavy suspicion of murder. A series of strange coincidences and circumstances complicate the investigators' work. Her husband's infidelity, the loss of a large sum of money that the treasurer Fiala is supposed to replace, a lawyer earning extra money by doing various odd jobs - all these are confusing clues, among which investigator Jakubec eventually finds a thread that will lead him to the correct solution to the case.
Smrť prichádza v daždi

Three friends, Emil, Vrabec and Mišo, spend every Sunday playing the lottery, each nursing a personal dream: Emil wants a Jawa 250 motorcycle, Vrabec hopes for a Pionier scooter and Mišo imagines funding a world tour. Frustrated by constant losses, they decide to maximize their stake in the next draw, convinced that more money will tip the odds in their favor. Their plan takes an unexpected turn when they meet attractive Eva Dvorčíková on a televised variety show - Eva has long been Mišo’s unspoken crush. To determine who will have the right to win her affection, the friends agree to draw lots, putting their bonds and ambitions to the test.
Šťastie príde v nedeľu
Television adaptation of Ivan Bukovčan's tragicomedy. The story of people who meet at a post-graduation party and discuss their lives. The meeting of graduates after 25 years is a space for mental cleansing of opinions and attitudes of the past years. Higher moral values convict the participants of distorting their characters and their own opinions.
Pštrosí večierok

Two female clerks using up their savings to enjoy a few days of carefree life, two plumbers looking for an erotic adventure, a building contractor determined to drink away all wages of his workers and a former major who became an alcoholic due to political persecution — these people meet in a ski resort bar somewhere in the High Tatras. During one night they gradually reveal their unfulfilled dreams, illusions and disappointments of ”average" people of those times.
Before Tonight Is Over

Existentialist drama based on the play of the same name by the Slovak writer Ivan Bukovčan. The story of ten apparently randomly selected people placed in a beer hall of a small town during the Nazi occupation of Slovakia. Slowly, facts begin to emerge, characters are drawn, and the story begins to gather a dangerous pace.
Until The Rooster Crows
No description available.
Takmer božský omyl

An unusual children's film set during World War II in Czechoslovakia, this compelling drama unfolds five different segments that present the war through the eyes of three youngsters. The three have a series of adventures which include saving a soldier from being captured by the Germans, helping out the resistance fighters, and meeting up with a young Russian woman trained in guerrilla warfare. As they learn more about life and danger, various circumstances constantly recall the reality of war itself. The title comes from a wounded pigeon under the care of one of the youngsters.
The Song of the Grey Pigeon
No description available.
Mladé srdcia

A comedy about five students who are un-justly suspected of trying to lose their virginity before their graduation. The five girls first try to defend themselves, but when they find out that nobody believes them - neither the school principal nor even their own parents - they decide to accomplish what they have been falsely accused of. And although their clumsy attempts are mostly comic, at one point they almost cause a big tragedy.
A Pact with the Devil

The first Slovakian colour film. A celebration of traditional Slovakian folklore and creativity expressed through a story of young love .
Homeland
No description available.
Luigiho srdce aneb Poprava tupým mečem

Strong-willed peasant girl Katka disobeys her father and heads to the city to work in a factory, where no one knows quite what to make of her.
Katka

The story of two friends and managers of a mountain hut. The central theme of the film is nature conservation and environmental protection. Friends Mišo and Dušan, who love the Tatras, try to preserve "their" valley as one of the last corners of nature untouched by tourism. They do it with sincere enthusiasm, but only with the means at hand. They settle accounts with sneaky hikers.