Ladislav Šidelský

“Besides the construction of crude pipeline, I recall beginnings of building the Domaša Dam. I remember that when they started to build Domaša, many people didn´t want that happen. This way they lost their houses, their properties. So, the situation was quite tense and I felt sorry for those people, who had their houses demolished by bulldozers. Back then the women cried so much... It was very sad. But it was forbidden to be broadcasted. We never saw in any TV program a woman crying because of her house being pulled down. It was very cruel.”

“Once when I came to the East, I wanted to show everybody how it actually looks like. It is beautiful surroundings, lovely countryside, nice people... just perfect for filming a documentary. This is what we did. We wanted the whole Czechoslovakia, not only Slovakia, but Czechoslovakia to see, that the Eastern Slovakia has its own great values, either in people, in its nature, in anything, as well as in the dialect. Sometimes it might seem rather jocular, but the Eastern Slovakia is always beautiful. And I came here from Bratislava not because I was born here. It just happened to be that way and I do not regret it at all until present.”

“The issue was how to get there... Because when we arrived in Biel, what is a little village ahead of Čierna nad Tisou, there were already many policemen. Every 200 meters was a policeman searching whether someone carried something or not. If they saw a camera, and there were many cameramen present also from the West, they sent them away and were unable to get closer. I was quite known by wearing suit and a tie, and so I made up my mind that I would put a little camera on my tie. Even it was a little striking in such very hot weather, I wore my jacket. I hang my little camera on my arm, buttoned the jacket and went through the inspection. Nobody noticed I had my camera with me.”