This year’s IFF Art Film introduces a new curated section dedicated to contemporary Chinese cinema. The program Sunlight Through Clouds: Contemporary Chinese Cinema presents a selection of works that capture the voice of a young generation of filmmakers exploring the space between tradition and modernity, rural and urban life, and the personal and social realms.
Curators of the program—Chinese-American film theorist Ting Wang and long-time festival programmer Thom Palmen—comment: “In recent years, the cinema of China has emerged like a rising tide, leaving its mark on film festivals across the globe. This year’s selection at IFF Art Film offers only a fleeting glimpse—a whisper—of the vast, ever-evolving landscape of Chinese filmmaking. From a country many times the size of Slovakia comes a cinematic voice that echoes far beyond its borders, brimming with energy, ambition, and vision.”
They invite all Art Film visitors: “Join us in discovering a collection of feature and short films created by a new generation of storytellers. Their films speak with fresh voices—bold, intimate, and searching—capturing the essence of a changing world and a cinema unafraid to dream.”
Feature Films
Directed by Zhonghua Zhang, Home by the River explores the fate of two troubled children at a rural Chinese school. The children are seated at a “special bench,” isolating them from their classmates. Their reintegration is sparked by the arrival of Fenti, a future teacher searching for inspiration for her thesis. Her patience and kind approach contrast with the rigid traditions of the Chinese education system, giving the children hope of fitting in and completing the school year.
Visually striking, To Kill a Mongolian Horse premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where director Xiaoxuan Jiang won Best Director and Best Screenplay in the under-40 section. Set in the Mongolia–China borderlands, the story follows horseman Saina as he navigates daily pastoral routines, nighttime performances for tourists, his father’s debts, and personal dissonance between steppe traditions and urban pressures. The film blends western elements with social drama, drawing comparisons to the works of Chloé Zhao.
Directed by Jifeng Li, poetic drama A Branch to Roost tells the intimate story of Zhi Fang, an elderly woman living alone in the countryside. After losing her husband and son and receiving a terminal diagnosis, she contemplates where she should be laid to rest. She dismantles her ancestral tomb and carries the ashes to the city, seeking a final resting place with long-term care. This final act unexpectedly brings new meaning to her twilight years.
Short Films
Directed by Jiahao Guo, People is an experimental meditation in black and white on the inner conflict between right and wrong. It questions the illusion of freedom and rationality, presenting a satirical view of morbid values and love.
Directed by Hao Zhang, Whispers Among the Mountains follows two women who journey into the mountains during the “apocalyptic” year of 2012 to find a shaman and hear voices of the past. The film boldly employs a dreamlike, meditative atmosphere where time, light, and reality dissolve.
In Look Away, American-Chinese director Yizhi Shi tells the story of six-year-old Lele, who copes with domestic turmoil through her drawings. As she grows older, her fantasy loses its power over reality.
Directed by Yan Zhang, The Flavour of the Moon follows ten-year-old Dexian, left with his grandmother and older brother, as he waits for his parents’ return. A letter from the postman brings unexpected news.
Sunlight Through Clouds offers a unique cross-section of works by emerging Chinese filmmakers, sensitively reflecting both social transformation and personal dilemmas.
The 31st edition of IFF ART FILM is made possible with the support of:
Organizer: ART FILM FEST s.r.o.;
Co-organizers: Mesto Košice, K13 – Košické kultúrne centrá, Visit Košice, ART FILM FEST, n.o., LGM, s.r.o., FORLIVE;
Financial Support: Audiovizuálny fond, Nadácia SPP
Co-financed by: Košický samosprávny kraj, Terra Incognita Program
Main Partners: TIPOS, Slovenská elektrizačná prenosová sústava, 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, LOKO TRANS Media, CORE Labs, Technická univerzita v Košiciach
Technology Partners: NOV, ZEBRA, Deutsche Telekom Systems Solutions Slovakia, T4H, LEDGO, DELTA OnLine, ARICOMA, TelekomCLOUD
Official Suppliers: DKC Veritas, Kaviareň Slávia, PLOOM, Krušovice BOHÉM, Lucka spring water, DOMOS SLOVAKIA, Contessa Restaurant, Aupark Shopping Center Košice, Pierre Baguette, Julius Meinl, Red Fox Golf Club
Official Wine: Kubbo Select, 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, Dopravný podnik mesta Košice, AHOJ TV
Partners: JOJ Cinema, Jojko, Embassy of India in Bratislava, Carmeuse Slovakia, DDDental, TINY Houses, ECO Technologies, Košice Airport, Local Nomad Tours, Slovenský filmový ústav, Taper, YumEarth, Puella Fragrances, Kvety Garomi, čLOVEčina game, Austrian Cultural Forum, TESCO Store SK, CPK Transport, Tabačka Kulturfabrik, King Media, Východoslovenské múzeum v Košiciach, Summer Film School, KPK Reklama, MIHYRING, Zoberma taxi, Hair Factory Košice
Gastronomy Partners: Pub u Kohúta, El Nacional, OhniskO Fire Dining & Brew Bar, Maiko Sushi, Macarons Košice, Café de Paris, šum wine bar, Casa Trade – Casablanca cafe, TATRATEA, Moritz Eis
