Punk under the Communist Regime

Andrej Košak

Punk under the Communist Regime is a documentary about the Ljubljana punk scene between 1977 and 1985. The bands that were formed at that time were all made up of high school students who, despite their youth, quickly began to perform and triggered a wave of repression by party structures. At the time when Marshal Tito was dying in Ljubljana, an outburst of incredible creativity of young people took place in Slovenia, who no longer agreed to the party's one-mindedness and marked both time and space in an authentic way. The film is about bands; Berlin Wall, Ljubljana Dogs, Group 92, Bulldogs, Dose, Via Offensive, Kuzle, Šund, Bye Pussies, O Kult !, Indust bag and Children of Socialism. While English punks gathered in pubs, Slovenian punks gathered in the city center on Johnny Rotten Square.

Slovenia, Bulgaria, Serbia 2025, '100

DIRECTOR: Andrej Košak

SCENARIO: Andrej Košak, Dušan Moravec

CAMERA: Gregor Kitek

MONTAGE: Maja Kokić

PRODUCERS: Zoran Dževerdanović

PRODUCTION: Blade Production

FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

DokuFest
MAKEDOX Creative DFF
DOKUDOC
Golden Rhyton Bulgarian DFF
Sofia IFF
Beldocs
Doxumentale
Soundwatch Music FF

Andrej Košak

Born in Ljubljana and a graduate of the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT), Andrej Košak is one of Slovenia’s most influential contemporary filmmakers. Following an extensive career in television, he transitioned to cinema, directing several landmark features. His debut feature, Outsider (1997), became a major cultural phenomenon, breaking domestic box office records. The film was the Slovenian entry for the Academy Awards and received numerous international accolades. He followed this success with Headnoise (2002), an adaptation of Drago Jančar’s novel and the first official Slovenian-Croatian co-production, which also served as an Oscar candidate. His third feature, State of Shock (2011), was developed through the Equinoxe Screenwriters Workshop with Hollywood advisors and received Eurimages support. His most recent feature, the political thriller All Against All (2020), earned multiple international awards. In addition to his features, he directed the short film Niko, which received several awards and further solidified his reputation on the international festival circuit. In 2025, he premiered his latest documentary, Punk under the Communist Regime, at the prestigious DokuFest, continuing his exploration of social and political themes.