The International Film Festival (IFF) Art Film continues preparations for its 32nd edition, which will take place from June 19 to 25, 2026, in Košice. The festival has already announced the composition of the professional jury for the International Competition of Films from Central and Eastern Europe, made up of three outstanding figures from the world of cinema – Afghan director Siddiq Barmak, Kazakh film historian Gulnara Abikejeva, and Polish-British professor of film studies Ewa Hanna Mazierska.
The International Competition of Films from Central and Eastern Europe was established in 2024 as a platform for feature-length works by filmmakers from the region, without restrictions on form or genre. Its aim is to support emerging cinematic trends and capture social transformations in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc through film art.
“When assembling the jury, it was important for us that its members bring diverse experiences and perspectives on filmmaking in our region. Siddiq Barmak is a director who understands the realities of countries undergoing major social transformations through his own work. Gulnara Abikejeva is one of the leading scholars of Central Asian cinema, and Ewa Mazierska is a respected expert on Central and Eastern European film. Together, they bring a perspective that spans a wide geographic and professional spectrum,” said the festival’s artistic director, Martin Palúch.
Siddiq Barmak – The Director Who Revived Afghan Cinema
Siddiq Barmak (b. 1962, Afghanistan) is one of the most prominent figures in Afghan cinema. He studied film directing at VGIK (the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography) in Moscow, where he earned his master’s degree in 1987. After returning to Afghanistan, he became head of the Afghan Film organization, serving from 1992 to 1996, when the Taliban took power and banned filmmaking. Barmak was forced to flee first to the north of the country and later to Pakistan. All of his previous works were confiscated and destroyed during Taliban rule.
Following the fall of the regime in 2001, Barmak returned to Kabul, revived Afghan Film, and founded the Buddha Film Organization. His feature debut Osama (2003), inspired by the true story of a girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to attend school under Taliban rule, became the first film shot in Afghanistan since 1996. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film (2004), received a Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival.
His second feature, Opium War (2008), won the Golden Marcus Aurelius Award at the Rome Film Festival and was Afghanistan’s official submission for the Academy Awards. Barmak remains active internationally – in 2024, he served as executive producer of the Kazakh film Bauryna Salu, which was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best International Feature category.
Gulnara Abikejeva – The Voice of Central Asian Cinema
Dr. Gulnara Abikejeva (b. 1962, Kazakhstan) is a film critic, historian, and educator who has devoted her career to the study of Central Asian cinema. She earned her PhD at VGIK in Moscow with a dissertation on the interaction between Eastern and Western cultures in contemporary film processes.
From 2005 to 2013, she served as artistic director of the Eurasia International Film Festival in Almaty. She is the author of more than ten books on cinema, several of which have received international recognition. Her publication Cinema of Central Asia: 1990–2001 was awarded the White Elephant Prize by the Russian Guild of Film Critics, while her book Nation-Building in Kazakhstan and Other Central Asian States, and How This Process Is Reflected in Cinematography(2006) received Kazakhstan’s national Kulager Prize.
She currently works as Professor of Film History and Theory at Turan University in Almaty. She is a member of international organizations such as FIPRESCI and NETPAC, as well as the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Academy. In 2016, she was honored with the French Order of Arts and Letters for her international contributions to film culture.
Ewa Hanna Mazierska – Expert on Eastern European Cinema
Professor Ewa Hanna Mazierska is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom, where she has been teaching since 1997. She was born and educated in Poland, earning a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Warsaw (1987) and a PhD in film studies from the University of Łódź (1995).
She is one of the two most prominent Polish film scholars working abroad. She has published more than thirty monographs and edited volumes on various aspects of European and world cinema. Her key works include publications on Polish film, Central and Eastern European cinema, as well as studies of directors such as Roman Polanski, Jerzy Skolimowski, and Nanni Moretti. She is the editor-in-chief of the academic journal Studies in Eastern European Cinema(Routledge). Her scholarly work has been translated into more than twenty languages.
She uses film as a tool to explore lesser-known histories and cultures, drawing on disciplines such as economics, sociology, tourism studies, and history. She focuses particularly on intercultural phenomena, including the work of émigré directors, road movies, and heterotopic cinema.
Jury Highlights
Two of the three jurors – Siddiq Barmak and Gulnara Abikejeva – studied at the same film school, VGIK in Moscow, one of the oldest film schools in the world. Barmak and Abikejeva are also professionally connected: in 2024, Barmak served as executive producer of a Kazakh film, suggesting close ties between Afghan and Kazakh cinema. The jury thus represents a unique convergence of three film traditions – Afghan, Central Asian, and Central European – perfectly reflecting the focus of the competition section.
The International Competition of Films from Central and Eastern Europe is one of four competition sections at the Košice-based festival. The 32nd edition of IFF Art Film will take place from June 19 to 25, 2026. More information and cinepasses are available at www.iffartfilm.com.
The 32nd IFF ART FILM is made possible with the support of:
Main organizer: ART FILM FEST s.r.o.;
Co-organizers: Mesto Košice, K13 – Košické kultúrne centrá, Visit Košice, ART FILM FEST, n.o.;
The project was co-financed by the Košice Self-Governing Region from the Terra Incognita programme;
Main media partners: TV JOJ, Pravda, Eurotelevízia;
Sponsors: U. S. Steel Košice, ANTIK Telecom, Kino Úsmev;
Technological partners: NOV, ZEBRA, DELTA OnLine, ARICOMA;
Official suppliers: DKC Veritas, DOMOS SLOVAKIA, Julius Meinl;
Media partners: JOJ play, JOJ 24, Film Europe Media Company, Rádio KOŠICE, Aktuality.sk, Forbes, Startitup.sk, Korzár, Slovenka, SITA, TASR, Mediaboard, See & Go, Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze – ČSFD, BigMedia, AHOJ TV, Kino Sterio, Košice City Guide, Košice V Skratke, MOJAkultura.sk, film.sk, diva.sk, koktejl.sk, zenskyweb.sk;
Partners: JOJ Cinema, Jojko, ECO Technologies, Letisko Košice, Kvety Garomi.
