5 amazing movies that will make you fall in love with the Slovak nature

5 amazing movies that will make you fall in love with the Slovak nature! Well, it should be mentioned in the beginning, Slovakia doesn’t have Hollywood! And as Slovak, I must say, I can’t remember any movie that would have been seen in every country in the world… but…

But in the last few years (2009 – 2017), 5 amazing movies about Slovak nature were filmed here and one of them was presented by National Geographic Channel in 118 countries around the world. And I am sure, you will also want to see them! All of them!

High Tatras National Park, Slovakia

1. Keeper of the Wilderness / Strážca divočiny (2009)

Let’s start with the first one a small group of smart people started with in 2009. Keeper of the Wilderness is a wonderful movie about 40 bears living in untouched nature of mysterious Tichá and Kôprová valleys situated right in the heart of High Tatras National Park in Slovakia.

Conservationist and filmmaker Erik Baláž spent 15 years documenting the lives of these exceptional animals so that together with Robert Rajchl finaly shot and show us how they behave in the real wilderness.

2. The Wolf Mountains / Vlčie hory (2013)

If you liked the previous movie, you will like this one even more! The Wolf Mountains is that movie which was presented by National Geographic Channel in 118 countries around the world.

If you thought there is no wilderness in Europe anymore, you were wrong! There are very few places where nature has remained truly “free”. Filmmakers Erik Baláž, Karol Kaliský and Jozef Fiala spent 500 days in the wild nature of Wolf Mountains, how the Eastern Carpathians was once called.

The movie was set on the territory of three national parks in three neighbouring states – the Poloniny National Park in Slovakia, the Bieszczady National Park in Poland and Uzhanian National Nature Park in Ukraine. And the result is really amazing!

3. Life in the clouds / Život v oblakoch (2016)

It would be a mistake if Erik Baláž and his team didn’t make another great documentary movie. This time about life high in the clouds of the High Tatras Mountains. Slovak nature at its best with bears, Eurasian lynx, chamois, and others!

For filmmakers (Erik Baláž, Jozef Fiala, Karol Kaliský, Adam Baštek), it was physically demanding and also dangerous to capture the life of animals throughout the year in the toughest weather conditions. They spent hundreds of days together with chamois on steep rocks to capture the most intense moments in their lives.

4. The Living River / Živá rieka (2017)

Crystal clear waters flowing from mountain lakes, waterfalls and the forests of Tichá and Kôprová valleys (High Tatras National Park) create one of the last wild Slovak rivers – Belá river. From the water insects, trouts hiding under the driftwood, to deer, wolves, bears coming to drink the water…

The river Belá is cold, wild and dangerous, but it’s also rich, generous and free. It’s here to remind us of how the Living River looks like. To inspire us to restore freedom to other rivers that have already lost their freedom.

5. The Immortal Forest / Nesmrteľný les (2017)

The last of the 5 unforgettable movies about Slovak nature is The Immortal Forest movie. The filmmakers spent more than 500 days in the forest to show us what the wildlife is about.

They stayed motionless in high altitude terrain for several days in every weather. Without the use of captive, feeding and other artificial influences. They filmed in the various places in the High Tatras National Park from the highest situated parts, through ancient forests to aquatic habitats…

So these were the best movies about Slovak nature! You should see them and then you surely fall in love with Slovak nature! There are no Hollywood tricks or special effects, but nature as it (fortunately) is.

You should find these movies on Youtube, but if you want to support filmmakers buy the movies and books directly from them on their website here: http://www.arollafilm.com/en/e-shop

And if you then decide to visit Slovak National Parks read this: National Parks of Slovakia and their best places to visit.