Velvet Generation
Velvet Generation provides an insight into the lives, accomplishments and everyday struggles of young members of the LGBTQIA+ community from Eastern Europe. Our main protagonists (Luky, Liberty and Anton) met at a local ball and found their community among dancers, drag queens and other queer performers. Each of them is unique and expresses what it means to be queer in a distinctive way. The search for their place in the modern world unfolds against the backdrop of an emerging Czech and Slovak ballroom scene.
The film begins at a small local ball in Bratislava, Slovakia. We meet all our protagonists there. Luky as a competitor in performance categories, Liberty as part of the crowd and a support for her friend and Anton as one of the judges. From there we'll see them grow up from irresponsible teenagers to independent young adults, we will follow their journey to discover their own voice or witness the bloom of queer love manifested in a beautiful realtionship. At the end, Luky, Liberty and Anton will go on a road trip to a big international ball in Paris together with the rest of their ballroom house. Compared to where we had seen them at the beginning of the movie, we will be able to understand just how much they have grown in between - as a community, as performers and as individuals.
The narrative focus will be mainly on personal stories of the protagonists and the ballroom will be used as a frame for their story arcs and also as a place, where they meet as performers and as a community as well.
The film begins at a small local ball in Bratislava, Slovakia. We meet all our protagonists there. Luky as a competitor in performance categories, Liberty as part of the crowd and a support for her friend and Anton as one of the judges. From there we'll see them grow up from irresponsible teenagers to independent young adults, we will follow their journey to discover their own voice or witness the bloom of queer love manifested in a beautiful realtionship. At the end, Luky, Liberty and Anton will go on a road trip to a big international ball in Paris together with the rest of their ballroom house. Compared to where we had seen them at the beginning of the movie, we will be able to understand just how much they have grown in between - as a community, as performers and as individuals.
The narrative focus will be mainly on personal stories of the protagonists and the ballroom will be used as a frame for their story arcs and also as a place, where they meet as performers and as a community as well.
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Sixteen-year-old Barbora Vránková is facing the most pivotal year of her life. As the newly crowned Czech women’s figure skating champion, she will now represent her country at the world championships.
Modern figure skating has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, with Russian women redefining the sport by landing unprecedented quadruple jumps. However, with Russian athletes banned from international competitions due to the war in Ukraine, this season presents a unique opportunity for skaters like Barbora. But it also raises a crucial question: what does the absence of such fierce competition mean for others?
Training at an elite ice rink in Egna, Italy, Barbora spends hours each day, six days a week, honing her craft alongside Europe’s top skaters. Her life is a delicate balancing act between the rigorous discipline of figure skating, homeschooling, and moments with her family. Her ten-year-younger sister, Thea, and her dog, Lucky—her constant companion—offer rare glimpses of comfort and normalcy.
As the jumps get higher, so do the stakes. The mounting physical and psychological pressure takes its toll. Surrounded by accomplished skaters who make it all look effortless, Barbora begins to doubt herself. Italian skater Gabriele Frangipani, who has mastered the quad, becomes a supportive presence, offering encouragement. Yet, even his help doesn’t seem to ease her growing fear.
With heightened expectations from coaches and parents, Barbora’s confidence starts to crack. The pressure becomes so overwhelming that she begins to struggle with even routine triple jumps, leaving her to confront the most significant challenge of her career—finding belief in herself.
Modern figure skating has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, with Russian women redefining the sport by landing unprecedented quadruple jumps. However, with Russian athletes banned from international competitions due to the war in Ukraine, this season presents a unique opportunity for skaters like Barbora. But it also raises a crucial question: what does the absence of such fierce competition mean for others?
Training at an elite ice rink in Egna, Italy, Barbora spends hours each day, six days a week, honing her craft alongside Europe’s top skaters. Her life is a delicate balancing act between the rigorous discipline of figure skating, homeschooling, and moments with her family. Her ten-year-younger sister, Thea, and her dog, Lucky—her constant companion—offer rare glimpses of comfort and normalcy.
As the jumps get higher, so do the stakes. The mounting physical and psychological pressure takes its toll. Surrounded by accomplished skaters who make it all look effortless, Barbora begins to doubt herself. Italian skater Gabriele Frangipani, who has mastered the quad, becomes a supportive presence, offering encouragement. Yet, even his help doesn’t seem to ease her growing fear.
With heightened expectations from coaches and parents, Barbora’s confidence starts to crack. The pressure becomes so overwhelming that she begins to struggle with even routine triple jumps, leaving her to confront the most significant challenge of her career—finding belief in herself.