“Nepel’s life is somewhat reminiscent of Hollywood films, so it’s surprising that filmmakers avoided this topic until now,” says Muráriková. The producers have confirmed that they have chosen a Slovak actress in the role of the main female character, Nepel coach Hildy Múdré Jana Nagyová, who became most famous for her role as Princess Arabela. The creators are still looking for a Nepela representative and the casting has reached the final stage.

The film, with the working title Nepela: Cesta za svobodou, will start shooting in 2023 and will hit theaters in 2024. Slovak cinematographer Martin trba, whose credits include films such as Garden, Rivers of Babylon, Civic ID, will be in behind the film. camera, Masaryk and others.

“The reason why I decided to make a film about the now almost forgotten figure skater is the timeless story of his life, including the legacy he left behind, which is relevant even to the people of the 21st century. It is a struggle for personal freedom and possible realization. myself,” said the film’s director, Jakub Ervenka.

Nepela won a gold medal at the Olympics in Sapporo in 1972, and then Czechoslovakian political representatives promised to allow her to leave Czechoslovakia and perform in ice shows in the USA. However, upon returning from Sapporo, he was barred from flying to the United States and assigned to win the World Skating Championships in Bratislava in 1973. “He became a bird caught in a double cage. One was the regime at the time, the other was her own sexual orientation,” Ervenka said. Homosexuality was then considered a deviance. Nepela lived in fear that revealing her sexual orientation would lead her to deviate and damage her career.

After winning the world title in 1973, he left Czechoslovakia, performed at the Holiday on Ice ice festival, obtained a coaching license and trained in Germany.