Motion pictures from the most prestigious international festivals, the latest films from the studios of major directors, hot new Slovak releases and extraordinary works of cinema from faraway lands. The best and most remarkable films of world and Slovak cinema will be featured at the upcoming 21st edition of Art Film Fest, held from 21 to 26 June 2013 in Trenčianske Teplice and Trenčín. The six-day movie marathon will treat audiences to exclusive premieres of films never before seen in Slovakia.
As in previous years, film fanatics can look forward to the work of talented up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world, competing for Art Film Fest’s premiere award, the Blue Angel. The films will be screened in the festival’s most popular section, the International Competition of Feature Films, including titles such as the Afghan family drama Wajma (An Afghan Love Story), awarded this year for best screenplay at the best-known festival of independent cinema: USA’s Sundance.
The International Competition of Short Films will fill the festival cinemas with shorts of all sorts, from experimental films to animation, and from various corners of the world, including prizewinners from renowned festivals such as Clermont-Ferrand, Sundance and Tampere.
The 21st Art Film Fest’s programme will feature twelve film sections. As usual, we will screen pictures dedicated to this year’s winners of the Actor’s Mission and Golden Camera awards – but we’re keeping their names a secret for now.
Around the World, one of the most popular sections, will return with a slew of genuine cinematic gems from – you guessed it – around the world. Representing our home continent, European Corner will deliver the finest creations old-world cinema has to offer.
Always an audience favourite, Love and Anarchy will introduce the hottest independent film trends from the Asian, European and American markets. Connoisseurs of the exotic will undoubtedly appreciate the fine cinematic cuisine offered by Eastern Promises, while Late Night Show will close each festival day with unique, even shocking, film spectacles.
New to this year’s festival, Focus: Mental Nord will provide a showcase of inspiring and progressive pictures representing Scandinavian cinema.
“The next section, a real treat for audiences, will be a tribute to the acting mastery of a versatile artist: Satinský According to Lasica, featuring fiction and documentary films commemorating the 10th anniversary of Július Satinský’s death,” revealed Art Film Fest’s director Peter Nágel.
Though the festival’s 21st programme is still in the works, its organizers are already proud to report the acquisition of several high-profile films. At last year’s Art Film Fest, we were the first after Cannes to screen the first part of the Paradise trilogy from respected Austrian director Ulrich Seidl. And this year we’re presenting the second and third instalments: Faith and Hope. What’s more, audiences can look forward to To the Wonder, the latest from American luminary Terrence Malick, and the drama Vic+Flo Saw a Bear from Canadian director Denis Côté, which was awarded at the most recent Berlinale.
This year, the heart of Art Film Fest will move to Trenčín, which offers larger and higher-quality screening and accommodation facilities for festival visitors and guests. The main festival cinema will be ODA – Dom armády (the Garrison Club). As in previous years, screenings will also be held at ArtKino Metro, which has been fully digitalized along with several screens at the Cinemax multiplex, taking the festival’s infrastructure to a whole new level.
“Visitors will find screenings, the festival club, as well as many opportunities for relaxation and fun in the city centre below Trenčín Castle. Not far from Trenčín’s historic downtown, we will also offer accommodation for the festival’s core audience: students and young people,” says Nágel.
Of course this doesn’t mean that we’ve forgotten about Trenčianske Teplice. As festival tradition dictates, the town’s Spa Park will set the stage for both public award ceremonies for this year’s Actor’s Mission laureates. Festival screenings will still be held at Prameň Cinema. And the Spa Hall will host the closing ceremony, including the announcement of the winners of this year’s Blue Angels. Trenčianske Teplice will also continue to be home to MidPoint, the established and popular international workshop focusing on screenwriting and film production.
“It’s important to emphasize that the 21st Art Film Fest has been prepared under highly complicated circumstances. Not even a cultural event as respected and well-established as Art Film Fest is immune to the difficult economic situation, whose adverse effects are felt by us all,” explained Nágel, pointing out that Art Film Fest is one of the costliest events in Slovakia. “Thus we’ve settled on a compromise – a festival that, while shorter, will still include the full-fledged programme Art Film Fest is known for. And as we strive to continuously improve the festival, we’ve also included some new additions in our audience-approved format,” he concluded.
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Organizers: ART FILM, n.o., FORZA, a.s.
Co-organizers: The Town of Trenčianske Teplice, the City of Trenčín, Kúpele Trenčianske Teplice
Financial support: Audiovisual Fund
Main sponsors: FORSONO HOLDING LIMITED, SYNOT TIP, TEMPEST, SLOVNAFT
Logistics sponsor: DHL
Student cinepasses for only €5 provided by: Prvá stavebná sporiteľňa
Sponsors: PPC Power, Slovak Telekom, Barzzuz
Official suppliers: Moët, ad one
Main media sponsors: Slovak Radio and Television, Pravda, Rádio FM
Media sponsors: TA 3, Film Europe Channel, Central Europe Television, Rádio Europa 2, zoznam.sk, rozhovory.sk, Eurotelevízia, Pardon, OK!, Kinečko, Kam do mesta, Slovak Lines, GONG SK, SITA News Agency
Sponsors: the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, CzechTourism
