Mariana Čengel Solčanská (born 14 February 1978) is a Slovak

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

Early life and education

Martina Solčanská was born on 14 February 1978 in

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...

. She studied political science and cultural studies at the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra as well as film directing at the

Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava The Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (, abbr. VŠMU) is a university founded on June 9, 1949. The university consists of three faculties: *''Theatre Faculty'' (Acting, Directing, Dramaturgy, Stage and Costume Design, Puppetry, Theatre Th ...

under the supervision of

Stanislav Párnický Stanislav Párnický (11 April 1945 – 31 March 2023) was a Slovak film and theatre director, scriptwriter, actor and pedagogue. Párnický was born on 11 April 1945 in Piešťany. In 1967 he graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in B ...

and Martin Šulík. In 2014 she obtained a doctorate in media studies from the Pan-European University.

Directing career

Following a string of short student movies, Solčanská full-length debut was the historical adventure movie ''The Legend of Flying Cyprian'' released in 2010, followed by TV film ''Autopsy''. In addition to directing, she authored the script of both movies. In 2013, she directed the social drama ''Love Me or Leave Me'' based on the script by Alena Bodingerová. In 2014, she directed and wrote the fairy tale ''Láska na Vlásku ,'' which became a hit in Slovak cinemas in spite of lukewarm reviews. In the second half of the 2010s, Solčanská directed several movies critical of political developments in Slovakia. She saw the turn towards more overt political messaging as her "civic duty" due to the political developments in the county. In 2017 she directed and wrote the movie ''Kidnapping'', depicting the crimes committed by the Slovak secret service under the authoritative government of

Vladimír Mečiar Vladimír Mečiar (; born 26 July 1942) is a Slovak former politician who served as the prime minister of Slovakia from June 1990 to May 1991, June 1992 to March 1994, and again from December 1994 to October 1998. He was the leader of the Movemen ...

in the 1990. In 2020 she followed up by the thriller ''Scumbag'' based on the novel by journalist Arpád Soltész. Both ''Kidnapping'' and ''Scumbag'' were among the most successful movies in Slovak cinemas since the independence of the country. In 2022, she wrote and directed the fairy tale ''The Enchanted Cave'' and directed the historical social drama ''The Chambermaid'', based on the script by Hana Lasicová. The Chambermaid became the first Slovak movie focusing on portraying a homosexual relationship. In 2023, Solčanská directed the fairytale ''Three Golden Ducats,'' which was originally supposed to be directed by her suddenly deceased mentor Párnický.

Writing career

Solčanská is known for writing scripts for a majority of her movies herself. In 2018 she published a historical novel ''Generál'' inspired by the life of

Milan Rastislav Štefánik Milan Rastislav Štefánik (; 21 July 1880 – 4 May 1919) was a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator and astronomer. During World War I, he served at the same time as a general in the French Army and as Minister of War for Czechoslovakia. ...

. In 2019, she published another novel inspired by the life of the outlaw

Juraj Jánošík Juraj Jánošík (first name also ''Juro'' or ''Jurko'', ; ''Hungarian: Jánosik György'', baptised 25 January 1688, died 17 March 1713) was a Slovak highwayman. Jánošík has been the main character of many Slovak novels, poems, and films. ...

. Since 2021, she has been a regular columnist for the daily

Sme ''Sme'' (stylized as ''SME'') or ''Denník Sme'' () is one of the widely-read mainstream broadsheets in Slovakia. Its website is one of the most-visited internet portals in Slovakia. Ownership status In June 2016, the Antimonopoly Office appro ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cengel Solcanska, Mariana 1978 births Living people Slovak writers Slovak screenwriters Slovak women film directors Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava alumni People from Nitra