In 1980 communist Czechoslovakia, 15- year-old Mara dreams of leaving her remote village in the east of the country to study in the city and become a pilot. Her father, a farmer and widower, insists she stays and works their land. As their generational conflict intensifies, the community learns that their village is to be torn down and their entire valley to be flooded for the construction of the Starina reservoir. The film thus chronicles not only a single family’s struggle between tradition, identity, and the desire for freedom, but also the violent demise of an entire culture.

Košice native Martin Gonda’s debut feature film Flood is the first narrative film about the Rusyn peoples in the Rusyn language, and his use of non-actors from the Rusyn community alongside professional actors, adds authenticity and a strong regional character to the story.