Renowned Slovak cinematographer Martin Štrba will receive the Golden Camera award at the 31st edition of the Art Film International Film Festival in Košice for his outstanding artistic contribution to Slovak and Czech cinema.
Martin Štrba is one of the most significant and sought-after Slovak cinematographers today. Born on August 26, 1961, in Levice, he was drawn to the world of visual arts from a young age. He began his journey at the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, where he studied photography. His path then naturally led to one of Central Europe’s most prestigious film schools – the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague, which he graduated from in 1985 with a focus on cinematography.
After his studies, he joined the Bratislava-based Studio of Short Films, where his long-standing and highly productive collaboration with director Martin Šulík began. This partnership became a cornerstone of 1990s Slovak cinema. Together, they created numerous award-winning films such as Everything I Love, The Garden, Landscape, and later works like The Interpreter, The Man with Hare Ears, and The Horse.
The Garden, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and featured in the IFF Art Film program, stands as a landmark in Slovak film history and a pinnacle of the Šulík-Štrba collaboration. The story of a young man who leaves urban life behind to find new meaning in the magical atmosphere of an old garden is told with poetic depth. Štrba’s cinematographic style and the film’s introspective tone form a harmonious whole. The Garden has become an iconic film and is still considered one of the finest works of the post-socialist era. In 1995, it won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Beyond his work with Šulík, Štrba also had a notable and long-term collaboration with Czech director Vladimír Michálek. Their films – Sekal Has to Die, Angel Exit, and Autumn Spring – are key titles in Czech cinema. Štrba also left his mark in works by directors Michaela Pavlátová and Agnieszka Holland. With the latter, he worked on Jánošík: A True Story and the biopic Charlatan.
Festivalgoers in Košice will also have the chance to see Štrba’s latest film, Ema and the Death’s Head, set during World War II. It tells the story of Marika, a Hungarian widow who hides a Jewish boy in her home near Bratislava. The film features this year’s Actor’s Mission award recipient, Milan Ondrík.
Martin Štrba is a multiple recipient of prestigious awards, including four Czech Lions for Best Cinematography, awards from the Czech Society of Cinematographers, and several Slovak Sun in a Net Awards. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Oscars. In addition to filmmaking, Štrba is an accomplished photographer. As a member of the Slovak New Wave photography collective, he created works during the 1980s alongside fellow FAMU students.
The 31st edition of IFF Art Film will take place from June 20 to 27, 2025. For all the latest updates, visit the festival’s website at iffartfilm.com, or find cinepasses and film details at aff.cinepass.sk.
The 31st IFF ART FILM is held with the support of:
Organizer: ART FILM FEST s.r.o.;
Co-organizers: City of Košice, K13 – Košice Cultural Centres, Visit Košice, ART FILM FEST, n.o., LGM, s.r.o., FORLIVE;
Financial Support: Audiovisual Fund
Co-funded by: Košice Self-Governing Region via the Terra Incognita program;
Main Partners: National Lottery Company TIPOS, Slovak Electricity Transmission System, a.s., CODES Brand House;
Main Media Partners: TV JOJ, Pravda, Eurotelevízia;
Automotive Partner: Moris Slovakia
Advertising Partners: Best Press, U. S. Steel Košice, ANTIK telecom, Kino Úsmev, CORE LABS, LOKO TRANS Media;
Technology Partners: NOV, ZEBRA, Deutsche Telekom Systems Solutions Slovakia, T4H, DELTA OnLine, ARICOMA, TelekomCLOUD;
Official Suppliers: DKC Veritas, Slávia Café, PLOOM, Krušovice BOHÉM, Lucka Spring Water, DOMOS SLOVAKIA, Contessa Restaurant;
Official Wine: Kubbo Select and Ostrožovič;
Media Partners: JOJ PLAY, JOJ 24, Film Europe, Rádio KOŠICE, Aktuality.sk, Forbes, Startitup.sk, Korzár, Slovenka, SITA, TASR, Mediaboard, See & Go, ČSFD, BigMedia, Košice City Guide, Košice v skratke, Film.sk, diva.sk, koktejl.sk, zenskyweb.sk, MOJAkultúra, Kino Sterio;
Partners: JOJ Cinema, Jojko, Embassy of India in Bratislava, Carmeuse Slovakia, ECO Technologies, Košice Airport, Local Nomad Tours, Slovak Film Institute, Taper, YumEarth, Puella, Austrian Cultural Forum, CPK Transport, Tabačka Kulturfabrik, East Slovak Museum in Košice, KPK Reklama, MIHYRING, Zoberma taxi;
Gastronomic Partners: Pub u kohúta, El Nacional, Maiko Sushi, Café de Paris, Casa Trade – Casablanca Café, TATRATEA.
