01.01.2026
Lines | Free on ARTS.FILM
Image from the film Lines by Barbora Sliepková
FREE DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY ON ARTS.FILM
Lines depicts the everyday hustle and bustle of contemporary Bratislava, an exemplary post-socialist city whose inhabitants cope with the constant grind of urban construction, collapsing traffic and rising housing prices, in addition to their own woes. Blanka is a woman in her 50s, as alone in her apartment as in her life. Matuš, a young and motivated activist, hopes to become a municipal councillor despite his lack of marketing savvy. A cool real estate agent sells the dream of a happy life through Bratislava apartments. Two road workers paint traffic markings and when their shift is over, they drink beer in their boarding rooms and ponder the indifference of the city inhabitants. Danko, a queer music composer, lives in the city center with his mother in a modest flat. He takes long walks, listening to urban sounds, trying to capture the rhythm around him.
LINES by Barbora Sliepková - trailer (Eng) Feature Documentary
AWARDS
- Ji.hlava IDFF 2021:
Best World Documentary Film, Best Debut, Best Sound Design
- One World Slovakia 2021:
Special International Jury Prize
- Euganea Film Festival 2022:
Jury Award
- Arquiteturas Film Festival 2023:
Best Documentary Film
- Sun in a Net Awards 2022:
Best Music
The city as a central character
In Lines, Barbora Sliepková turns Bratislava into a central character.
The capital of Slovakia, Bratislava stretches along the Danube, at the crossroads of Austria and Hungary. A crossroads city since ancient times, it has undergone centuries of political and cultural transformation, from the Kingdom of Hungary to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then to the communist and post-communist eras.
Today, its streets combine historical heritage with rapidly changing neighborhoods, reflecting both its rich past and the turmoil of contemporary urban life.
Director’s statement
“I am fascinated by timeless city symphonies. They were part of the inspiration for my feature film debut Lines. I perceive Bratislava, the city where I as born and where I grew up, as a place of thick lines.
There are lines between public and private, past and present. In my conception, it is an exemplary post-socialist city. I notice the everyday, the rhythm and atmosphere of the city through the ordinary stories of its inhabitants. I also notice my place within this city. I am a timid person. As is known, during the creative process, a documentary filmmaker must step closer to people.[…] The protagonists of my film are my alter egos and they represent different relationships and attitudes towards their surroundings.”
- Barbora Sliepková
