The Slovak documentary filmmaker Pavol Pekarčík will present his own selection of thematically topical feature and documentary films as part of the 30th edition of the Art Film IFF. The section entitled Pavol Pekarčík Presents includes six titles from different countries of the world, which together form a complex and unmissable picture of the contemporary social situation. “I have tried to select films from the most recent period of time that are directly related to phenomena in our society. In addition to ordinary viewers, they can also be stimulating for vigilant “social workers”, educators, as well as various admirers of the “alternative” and authoritarian regimes,” says Pavol Pekarčík, the section compiler.
KIX trailer
Sanyi, the main protagonist of the piece KIX, is eight years old at the beginning. At the end of the film, he is twelve years older. Capturing boyhood on the streets of Budapest, this documentary follows the life of a child growing up in a cramped apartment with his family as he seeks an escape. Urban chaos is his true home, but as the years pass, Sanyi must realise that his actions are gaining weight and so are their consequences. This unique social probe won the FIPRESCI award for the best documentary at the ZagrebDox festival.
TATAMI trailer
The story of the film TATAMI takes place during the World Judo Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, where Iranian wrestler Leila is competing. Despite the low expectations of the people around her, she is performing well and there is a possibility that she will make it to the finals. The Iranian regime is suddenly trying to prevent her from doing so for political reasons. Leila must decide whether to obey to protect her family or fight for the gold. TATAMI is the first film ever made in collaboration between an Israeli director and an Iranian director, and had to be shot secretly in Georgia. Directed by Guy Nattiv and Iranian actress, director and producer Zar Amir Ebrahimi, the film won the Special Jury Prize in the International Competition at the Tokyo IFF and was selected for the Orizzonti Competition Section at the Venice Film Festival.
Trailer of Radical Method
The next film in the section comes from Mexico and was inspired by real events that are triggered by the teacher Sergio in the film RADICAL METHOD. He decides to teach a class of pupils from an underprivileged environment using a new method: He wants to let them direct their own studies, thus stimulating their potential, curiosity and creativity. The film made an impact on audiences and its heartwarming tone earned it the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2023, as well as six Mexican Film Journalists Awards, including the Best Film.
Trailer of A Poem for Little People
A trio of films about the war between Ukraine and Russia will help Art Film viewers to better understand the nature of this conflict from multiple perspectives. Ivan Sautkin’s documentary A POEM FOR LITTLE PEOPLE follows two parallel lines – one is the tireless work of the evacuation team headed by Anton, who daily tries to get the inhabitants of Ukraine out of danger, the other shows, through his friends Zinajida and Taisija, the everyday life and resilience of a nation that tries its best to hold on to what belongs to them in the face of the aggressor.
Trailer of Boy
As a prequel to A POEM FOR LITTLE PEOPLE, you can also see Vladimir Loginov’s short Estonian anti-war documentary BOY, which focuses on a young soldier standing behind Putin during his New Year’s speech.
Trailer of Intercepted
When the war began, the Ukrainian security services managed to intercept phone calls from Russian soldiers to their families. In the film INTERCEPTED by director Oxana Karpovych, these personal conversations are heard, which, in contrast to the destroyed landscape and the life of ordinary Ukrainian residents, create a strange and indescribable space in the picture, which invites terrifying ideas about brutality, false fantasies and real doubts of soldiers about the meaning of war.
More at aff.cinepass.sk
The 30th edition of the International Film Festival Art Film will take place thanks to the support of:
Organiser: ART FILM FEST s.r.o.;
Co-organizers: City of Košice, K13 – Košice cultural centers, ART FILM FEST, n.o., LGM, s.r.o., FORLIVE;
The festival was financially supported by: Audiovisual Fund
The festival is co-financed by the Košice self-governing region from the Terra Incognita program;
Senior advertising partner: Slovenská elektrizačná prenosová sústava, a.s.;
Main partners: Národná lotériová spoločnosť TIPOS, Východoslovenská energetika, EUK-Force, SPP, CODES Brand House;
Automotive partner: PORSCHE; Official hotel: Hotel Yasmin;
Main media partners: TV JOJ, Pravda, Eurotelevízia;
Advertising partners: construction company Adefex, Jadrová a vyraďovacia spoločnosť, a.s., Best Press, U. S. Steel Košice, Betpres, Transpetrol, SLOVAKIA TRAVEL, ANTIK Telecom, Cinema Úsmev, CORE LABS, Lucka spring water;
Technological partners: NOV, ZEBRA, DELTA OnLine, ARICOMA, BigON;
Official contractors: DKC Veritas, Eastern Slovak Museum in Košice, Krušovice BOHÉM, BARZZUZ, DOMOS SLOVAKIA, Restaurant Contessa, Café Slávia; Official wine: Kubbo Select and Ostrožovič;
Media partners: JOJ PLAY, JOJ 24, Film Europe, Rádio KOŠICE, aktuality.sk, Forbes, Korzár, Slovenka, SITA, TASR, See & Go, BigMedia, Košice City Guide, Film.sk, Visit Košice, diva.sk, zenskyweb.sk, MOJAkultúra;
Partners: Východoslovenská vodárenská spoločnosť, Nadácia CEF, Slovnaft, AUPARK Košice, Carmeuse Slovakia, JOJ Cinema, Hydrotour travel agency, Taper, YumEarth, KAIFER advokátska kancelária s.r.o., Deva, WITKOWITZ SLOVAKIA, Košice Airport, ECO Technologies, CPK Slovakia, Casa Trade – Casablanca cafe, DC MEDICAL, KPK Reklama, Kvitok, HAIR Factory Košice, Kvety Garomi, Air Taxi, Tesco Stores SR, a.s.;
Financial awards partners: CANON, Filmarina;
Catering partners: Ohnisko – Fire Dining & Brew Bar, Pub u kohúta, El Nacional, Maiko Sushi, Café de Paris, Tabačka Kulturfabrik; BISTRO Blanc, Andiamo GROUP, BENZE; Red Velvet Cake Bar; Tahiti, Café Veritas
