My guests today are writer/director Erik Jasaň and first AD, Patrik Krivanek and their Oscar-Qualified Short Film THE PROFESSONAL PARENT. 

Erik is a Slovak director, screenwriter, and producer whose work addresses sensitive social issues. His debut The Professional Parent received an Honorable Mention at the 44th Thomas Edison Film Festival and was selected by multiple festivals.

As a non-film-school student, he directed several short films and supported fellow filmmakers, creating student films under his direction that were included in official selections qualifying for the OSCARS. 

Patrik Krivanek is a London- and Prague-based film and TV director, producer, and screenwriter. He explores diverse genres and creates visually and character-driven stories that are entertaining, socially relevant, and thought-provoking.

Patrik is a member of BAFTA, BFI, ISA, and RTS. He has worked in assistant and executive roles on projects ranging from shorts to major features and high-end TV, collaborating with Academy Award, BAFTA, and Emmy winners including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman.

Ladies and gentlemen, THE PROFESSIONAL PARENT is not only about professional care but also about moral choices within a system that offers few alternatives. 

It is a story that reveals how society actually works, showing that people who think they are not racist often expose their prejudices in everyday life. The film also reflects on how inflation and poverty push families into situations where morality becomes a luxury. It is a sad and cruel reality, not only in Slovakia.

The main character, Ingrid, at first appears to be a loving mother willing to cross moral boundaries—working in a grocery store during the day and prostituting herself at night to give her biological child a better life. Her intentions seem sincere, but gradually, as the story unfolds, her hidden racism comes to light, and Ingrid transforms into an anti-heroine.

This is film is powerful and emotional. It shows us that in life, we have choices to make, both for ourselves and for others. 

Those choices can test us and can reveal our true selves. THE PROFESSIONAL PARENT is lesson to all of us. We can all be better people, by simply treating those around us equally. 

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