About a month ago, the final screenings of the festival lit up the cinemas in Košice. What followed was a period of counting and reflecting. This time is always peculiar for the organizing team—on one hand, the intense stress finally fades, and the first hours and days post-festival are about readjusting to a more regular daily rhythm. On the other hand, there are still countless small and big tasks to wrap up: processing festival materials, preparing official documentation, and—last but not least—agreeing on the dates for the next edition.
This year’s festival stood out in many ways. We entered a new decade with a new honorary award—the Milan Lasica Award—and a new Blue Angel, presented by the FIPRESCI jury. For the first time, we also brought a piece of IFF Art Film to Bratislava just days after the festival wrapped up in Košice, screening selected films from the Colours, Flavors and Songs of India section at the Indian Film Festival.
When we first saw the festival statistics earlier this week, they weren’t just numbers to us. They represented your experiences, your emotions, your time—and above all, unforgettable films, incredible side events, and guests who helped make this year’s edition truly one-of-a-kind.
Among all the data, one figure brought us the most joy: festival attendance rose by 10%. That’s fantastic news for any festival, and it motivates us to think even more ambitiously about next year—so we can keep that momentum going and continue delivering the very best: from cinema, from Košice, from the Košice region, from Slovakia, and from around the world. The same goes for our accompanying program.
So what do the numbers say about this edition? We screened films in 7 cinemas, across 17 programming sections—3 of which were honorary, 3 competitive, and with a special selection curated by the FIPRESCI jury spanning three sections. In total, we presented 135 films, including 46 shorts and 89 feature-length titles. There were 33 Slovak or Czechoslovak films, and 3 feature films for children. Industry professionals gathered for 13 Art Film Industry events. The screenings were complemented by 54 additional side events.
This year, IFF Art Film welcomed participants from 58 countries around the world.
As always, there are two key numbers that define who we are. The 31st edition of IFF Art Film Košice was brought to life by more than 150 people—one third of them volunteers. Once again, we received a heartfelt thank-you from project manager Lucia Hanúsek in our inboxes:
“Dear colleagues and friends, I want to sincerely thank you for your tremendous work, dedication, and energy that you poured into preparing and realizing this year’s IFF ART FILM. Thanks to you, we once again created a remarkable atmosphere in Košice—an atmosphere that connects filmmakers, professionals, enthusiasts, and the general public. Every detail and every hour you invested helped ensure that the festival ran smoothly, with dignity, and an unforgettable spirit. We’ve received a wave of positive feedback, and for that, I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. None of this would have been possible without you!”
This year, we asked our guests to complete the sentence: “I’ll return to IFF Art Film next year because…” You’ll find their answers—and (almost) the entire festival team—in the video attached.
As for us, we’ll return to IFF Art Film next year, from June 19 to 26, 2026—because we want to relive everything we experienced (and more) this year.
Andrea Čurná
PR Manager of the Festival
The 31st IFF ART FILM is made possible thanks to 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 through the Terra Incognita programme
Main Partners: národná lotériová spoločnosť 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 · pramenitá voda Lucka · DOMOS SLOVAKIA · Reštaurácia Contessa · Aupark Shopping Center Košice · Pierre Baguette · Julius Meinl · Red Fox Golf Club
Official wines: 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 · Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze – 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 · Veľvyslanectvo Indie v Bratislave · Carmeuse Slovakia · DDDental · TINY Houses · ECO Technologies · Letisko Košice · Local Nomad Tours · Slovenský filmový ústav · Taper · YumEarth · Puella vône · Kvety Garomi · čLOVEčina hra · Rakúske kultúrne fórum · TESCO Store SK · CPK Transport · Tabačka Kulturfabrik · King Media · Východoslovenské múzeum v Košiciach · Letní filmová škola · KPK Reklama · MIHYRING · Zoberma taxi · Hair Factory Košice · Veľvyslanectví České republiky v Bratislavě
Gastronomy Partners: Pub u Kohúta · El Nacional · OhniskO Fire Dining & Brew Bar · Maiko Sushi · Macarons Košice · šum vináreň · Café de Paris · Casa Trade – Casablanca cafe · TATRATEA · Moritz Eis
