Igor Smitka
Director , Czech Republic / Slovakia

Igor is a Slovak director living in Prague. During his studies of photography at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, he also started expanding into film & audiovisual media. 

After several years of extensive work in cinematography, Igor gradually transitioned into developing his own short films, all of which carry an activist undertone. He likes to use film as a tool of empowerment, conveying stories of minorities and queer subcultures. 

His past two directing projects are As Above So Below (2022), an experimental dance film which depicts the Roma experience in the context of Central & Eastern Europe, co-created with the Romani dance group Bachtale Kale Phrala. His latest film House of Velvet (2023), follows a day in the life of the Kiki House of Velvet members, blending scripted scenes with authentic, lived experiences of the characters to show how ballroom culture intertwines with their lives and vice versa.