Nepela

Description

Figure skater Ondrej Nepela returns from the Olympic Games with a gold medal around his neck. He is met with admiration from fans and the Czechoslovak reality. The famous, sensitive, and insecure athlete seeks a space where he can finally be himself. The film chronicles a period in the life of figure skater Ondrej Nepela, when in 1972 he returns with a gold medal from the Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, where he achieved his greatest sporting success. At home, he is awaited not only by fame but also by the reality of the communist regime. Everyone treats him like a celebrity, but sensitive Ondrej longs primarily for an escape from this uncomfortable golden cage. He wants to live freely and in accordance with who he feels he is. However, the promised opportunity to join a professional ice revue is suddenly denied, and he is ordered to participate in another world championship. Disappointed, Nepela must find new motivation and also come to terms with the tragic death of his best friend, figure skater Hana Mašková. Ondrej Nepela is one of the greatest Czechoslovak sports legends. Throughout his sports career, he received every conceivable award, and his life story remains a huge inspiration to this day. Viewers will see the main character portrayed by Josef Trojan, his coach played by Zuzana Mauréry, and the role of his fateful friend Hana Mašková taken by Antonie Formanová. “With this film, we want to bring closer the life story of an exceptional personality in sports history. Olympic champion from Sapporo 1972, figure skater Ondrej Nepela, remains an inspirational role model even decades after his successful career. It is important and interesting for us to remind and present the stories of people who have become legends. Ondrej Nepela is one of them,” adds the film's producer Ivan Ostrochovský.