Pictures

From the Old Country

A Film by Susan Marcinkus

Pictures From the Old Country chronicles the filmmaker's quest to uncover the mysteries of her Slovak identity and heritage, after they had been lost behind the Iron Curtain and her family's secrecy. Growing up during the Cold War, she is curious about the "strange" language her grandmother is speaking. Fantasizing that Grandmother must be a communist spy, she begins to ask questions that are never fully answered. Years later as an adult, she embarks on a journey that crosses continents and generations - leading her to family she had never before known in a country that was facing its own identity crisis. Along the way, not only does she gain a deeper understanding of her family roots - but discovers a beautiful land, a rich culture, and a profound sense of her own Slovak American identity.

       This award-winning film was shot entirely on location in Slovakia. It has had numerous airings on PBS television and has played at conferences and universities across the U.S. and Central Europe. It had its west coast debut at the American Film Institute, Los Angeles and its east coast debut at the Slovak Embassy in Washington, D.C. with the Slovak American Society of Washington. The film was produced with support from the FilmArts Foundation - San Francisco, CineWomen Documentarians - Los Angeles, the Wisconsin Slovak Historical Society and the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International.

Pictures From the Old Country is being distributed by The Cinema Guild, New York, NY.

For more information contact manifestfilms@aol.com  or 708.660.9320