The film will take its viewers to the hardly accessible old forests in Papua New Guinea, into a world from another time: men bearing the scars of initiation rituals, spirit houses, rivers full of ancient stories, primeval forests, and mountains lost in the mist. Yet in the exact same frame, mobile phones, churches, tourists, and a massive gold mine appear, carving away entire sections of the mountains and turning them into dust.
Director Pavol Barabáš, who is also producing through his outlet K2 studio, captures the painful clash of two eras. An expedition into a forgotten past ultimately shifts into a haunting, unsettling question: what if these images aren't just about the end of their world?
The documentary was entirely shot in Papua New Guinea for 20 days. The whole budget of 58,508 EUR was partly covered by a 15,000 EUR grant from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, and also by the Radio and Television of Slovakia, which is the film’s coproducer.
I Touched the Stone Age will premiere in October 2026 at the International Festival of Mountain Films in Poprad, whose 34th edition will be held 14 – 18 October. After that, it will screen at the 21st edition of the HoryZonty Adventure Film Festival in Trenčin 12 – 14 November. Its broadcast in the Slovak Public Television is due in 2027.
K2 studio is the distributor of the film.
Pavol Barabáš is currently in final production stage with another documentary, Chodník nad oblakmi.
Production Information:
Producer:
K2 studio (Slovakia)
Alena Koščová: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Coproducer:
Radio and Television of Slovakia (Slovakia)
Credits:
Director: Pavol Barabáš
DoP: Pavol Barabáš
Editor: Pavol Barabáš
Sound: Martin Merc
