Flood () is a 2025 historical drama film directed and co-written by Martin Gonda in his feature directorial debut. It is the first fictional feature film in the Rusyn language, depicting the displacement of the Rusyn people due to the construction of the Starina reservoir.
The film had its world premiere at the 40th Mar del Plata International Film Festival on 7 November 2025. It was selected as the Slovak entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.
Premise The film is set in 1980 in the village of Ruské, whose Rusyn inhabitants are due to be resettled to make way for the construction of the Starina reservoir. Mara, a fifteen-year-old girl, intends to leave the village to become a pilot, despite her father's opposition.
Cast Sára Chripáková as Mara Jozef Pantlikáš as Alexander, Mara's father Vladimír Čema as Orthodox priest Katarína Babejová as Kata, Mara's friend Cyril Drozda Igor Latta Jevgenij Libezňuk Stanislav Pitoňák Michal Soltész Světlana Škovranová Vladimíra Štefániková
Production Development of the film began in 2019. It features a cast comprising mainly actors from the Alexander Duchnovič Theatre and non-professional actors. Principal photography took place in September and October 2023 in north-eastern Slovakia, in Medzilaborce, Čertižné, Snina, Humenné and Košice.
Release Flood had its world premiere at the 40th Mar del Plata International Film Festival on 7 November 2025, competing for the Golden Ástor. The film was featured in the Cinema of the World section of the 56th International Film Festival of India on 23 November 2025.
Following its international festival screenings, a series of preview screenings took place in eastern Slovakia. It was released in Slovak theaters on 4 December 2025.
Reception Martin Kudláč writing in Cineuropa noted that Gonda "departs from the dominant local approaches to communist-era stories, which often rely on nostalgia or depictions of oppression" and that Oliver Záhlava’s cinematography "avoids the stylisation typically associated with period films, opting instead for a more naturalistic depiction". Natalia Małecka-Nowak of Rusyn portal Lem described the film as one that "pins you to your seat", adding that "there is silence, tension and rawness here".
Several reviewers compared Flood to Katarína Gramatová's directorial debut Promise, I'll Be Fine.
Accolades Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Febiofest Bratislava Industry Days 30 March 2021 Best Febio Pitch AwardFlood Mar del Plata International Film Festival15 November 2025 Golden Ástor SIGNIS Award Sun in a Net Awards9 April 2026 Best Feature Film Best Director Martin Gonda Best Screenplay Martin Gonda, Martin Šuster and Dominika Udvorková Best Actress in Leading Role Sára Chripáková Best Supporting Actor Vladimír Čema Best Sound Bohumil Martinák, Ivan Ďurkech, Quentin Colette and Renaud Guillamin Best Stage Design Juraj Kuchárek Best Costumes Tatiana Figurová Best Visual Effects Tibor Meliš and Tomáš Srovnal Audience AwardFlood Zlín Film Festival 3 June 2026 Special Jury Award for a Feature Film in the Junior and Youth Category
See also List of submissions to the 99th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Slovak submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
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