Petr Chromčák (b. 2002, Vsetín, Czech Republic) is currently pursuing a master’s degree in film editing at the Film and TV Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He has been involved in filmmaking since his studies at filmmaking high school in Zlín, Czechia. While focusing more on non-fiction, Petr has edited various short films, including episodes to TV series about curricular reform, queer social documentary ‘Poisoned Well’ or essayistic ‘A Sea to Remember’. He participated in the Taiwan Pitch program in Taipei, where he co-created the short film ‘Inner Need of Karaoke’ for TaiwanPlus. He also joined the European Editing Masterclass program in Brussels, Belgium, focusing on documentary editing, and the Frontal Shot residency in Melgaco, Portugal, focusing on etnography film. His work has been showcased at film festivals such as IDFF Jihlava, Filmschoolfest Munich, Academia Film Olomouc, Kassel Dokfest, Zlín Film Festival, or Kashish PFF Mumbai. He enjoys new forms and ambivalent topics, occasionally creating art installations and exploring various teaching methods in film education.
Selected cooperations
Far Between Us
Editor, idea
Fiction / 12 min / Slovakia
Directed by Vojtěch Javůrek
Alone, surrounded by deep forests, little boy Vašek sees something strange in the sky. His biological mother Iveta’s unexpected request catches his adoptive parents Jan and Pavel by surprise. Can the adults understand the young child’s emotions, or will Vašek have to face his fears all by himself? The dense film tells a story in an almost apocalyptic tone about the destructive power of fear and the painful path to mutual closeness.
Poisoned Well
Editor, cinematographer, poster design
Non-fiction / 14 min / Slovakia
Directed by Radek Ševčík
12. 10. 2022 – terrorist attack in Bratislava – death of 2 innocent LGBTI+ people – no response.
Film-requiem discusses the deteriorating state of society after the attack, as well as the intimate feelings of LGBTI+ people, including the author himself. Suppressed emotions cannot be filtered even on a
self-defense course, where the participants do not belong, where they are forced to be by their fear. A rotten well poisons society’s opinions, which do not improve even after the attack. Do people really need to live in fear?
Niečo zmeniť musíme
Editor (with Jindřich Rozehnal)
Non-fiction / 13 min / Slovakia
Directed by Ľubica Megová
Niečo zmeniť musíme (We Need to Change Something) is an episode of the series “Vzdelávanie 21. storočia” about Slovak curricular reform. Created for Government Office of the Slovak Republic, premiered in RTVS, Slovak public TV. The episode reveals a vicious cycle within the underfunded education system and the wounds it has inflicted on children.
Zmena je tu!
Editor (with Jindřich Rozehnal)
Non-fiction / 15 min / Slovakia
Directed by Radek Ševčík
Zmena je tu! (The Change is Here!) is an episode of the non-fiction TV series “Vzdelávanie 21. storočia” about Slovak curricular reform. Created for Government Office of the Slovak Republic, premiered in RTVS, Slovak public TV. The episode reveals the problem of uncertain implementation of the reform.
Odviate tichom
Editor (with Jindřich Rozehnal), dramaturge
Fiction / 30 min / Slovakia
Directed by Andrej Zelenec
Odviate tichom (Swept Away by Silence) is an upcoming short film about the familial understanding, about the fact that some things are inchangeable and about the essence of memories.
A Sea to Remember
Editor, cinematographer, poster design
Non-fiction / 10 min / Slovakia
Directed by Radek Ševčík
The ancient Indian folk tale of the sage Narada’s transformation comes to life in the non-fiction fairy tale “A Sea to Remember”. Marked by the experience of his grandmother suffering from an illness that affects memory and perception of reality, the author decided to explore the thin line between reality and illusion. How can a retirement home and virtual reality be related? Can a director also be a prince? Aren’t our memories just an illusion? An immersive film miniature not only encourages contemplation on the uncertain nature of reality, but also invites to an intimate emotional experience using nostalgic home video as well.
Inner Need of Karaoke
Director and producer (with Radek Ševčík, editor, cinematographer
Non-fiction / 9 min / Taiwan, Czechia
Created in Taiwan during Taiwan Pitch film accelerator for a public TV TaiwanPlus.
Personal dreamy memoir offers viewers an original insight into the Taiwanese karaoke culture. Shot on the Jiantan Mountain, where the ancient meets the mundane, the natural meets the civilized, and where karaoke is as normal as the blowing of the wind, the sleeping Buddha or the singing of cicadas. The film with elements of traditional karaoke music video as a simple ephemeral impression of Taiwanese poetics and rituals in the context of China’s inherent threat.