Viliam Bendik

Viliam Bendík worked for twelve years in management positions in different international corporations. In 2013 he decided to leave it all and start again, this time in his own company. In his free time, he also took up amateur ultra-running. After many years he returned to his old pastime - shooting short documentary features. His first bigger movie attempt, covering trail running, 12CH Vysoké Tatry Trail (documentary, 36 min), was awarded with a number of prizes at Slovak domestic festivals. It proved to be a huge encouragement to start working on a more extensive project On the Edge (documentary, 42 min) which tells of six runners who decided to make the authentic World War II story of Vrba and Wetzler come alive. During first two years after premiere more than 40.000 people have seen the movie version of this story and the author toured primary and secondary schools in Slovakia with this project, where more than 10.000 children were able to watch it during an educational program. Viliam Bendik is working within the Bendik Films brand on further interesting amateur movie projects, in Slovakia and abroad. Moving stories told as long distances on interesting routes are run remains their common theme.