Matej Smolnik was a painter, writer and, above all, a musician. His sudden and tragic death at 23 triggered numerous questions and stirred many controversies. Why did he burn almost all of his paintings? Was he a genius or just another lonely eccentric? Is he the author of the recordings found in his cellar? Why the people who knew him know so little about his music? Amongst all these questions, what is the most important one: the one about the cause of his death, which is almost paranormal, or the one asking is all this for real or is it just a myth?
Urša Menart
Urša Menart was born in Ljubljana in 1985. She enrolled in film and television directing at the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in 2003 and graduated in 2010. She made short films and worked as an assistant director since 2008. She attended the 7th Berlinale Talent Campus at the International Film Festival in Berlin in 2009. There Once Was a Land of Hard-Working People is her second documentary feature.
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Primer: Vain
Slovenia
2005, 14', color, 16 mm
Directed by:
Urša Menart
Screenplay by:
Urša Menart
Edited by:
Marko Kočevar
Producers:
Jožica Blatnik, Jaka Hemleh
Produced by:
UL AGRFT
