In The Countdown – The Last Film of Ivan Palúch, Martin Palúch decided to tell the life story of his father, the actor Ivan Palúch (1940–2015), mainly through the films and the characters he portrayed in them. The excerpts are set against the flow of time and divided into three periods: 2015–1989, 1989–1969 and 1969–1960.

You will see Ivan Paluch in various acting positions, from dramatic through romantic to hilarious, alongside domestic (Jozef Kroner, Magda Vášáryová) and foreign (Annie Girardot, Anna Karina, Anita Pallenberg) stars. You will also get a glimpse into the State Security’s archives because the actor with three films at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969 had his passport taken away when he returned home.

A film not only about a famous actor, but also about love, friendship, betrayal, inner freedom, truth, and cinematography, had its world premiere at the Cinematik IFF in Piešt'any, where it won the Literary Fund Award.