A dictator watching the live broadcast of a colleague’s downfall on the news, grooming seen through a child’s eyes, resistance to artificial intelligence the Indian way, and paintball with a naked artist as a possible therapy through contemporary art. The International Short Film Competition of the 32nd IFF Art Film (19 – 25 June 2026 in Košice) traditionally brings together dozens of titles from around the world in six competition blocks. The Blue Angel for the best short film will once again be contested by the finest world fiction, documentary, animated and experimental shorts.
Short film is an essential springboard for every filmmaking career; in the short form we discover the new names of emerging authors, and the short remains a space for experimentation and creative freedom. The short film competition traditionally offers a mix of the best of the past year, a selection from across the world — from India through Kazakhstan to Cuba and Canada. The films screen in six programme blocks.
Slovakia in the competition
Domestic cinematography will be represented by This Room Cannot Be Eaten (Táto izba sa nedá zjesť) by Emília Ondriašová — an uncomfortably quiet drama about grooming that approaches its subject through the eyes of a child who names manipulation with the word love. It is precisely this silence that makes the film chilling.
Screenings: part of Block II — 20 June at 4:30 p.m. and 22 June at 10:30 a.m., Kulturpark JOJ Play. Introduction and discussion at both screenings: Emília Ondriašová (director), Marianna Vadovičová (producer).
Competition blocks
Six competition blocks at Kulturpark JOJ Play will bring a total of 36 short films from approximately 25 countries — from Canada, Brazil and Egypt through Iran, Kazakhstan and India to Europe. Each block has two screenings. Below is a selection of what will be on screen in each block.
Block I — Escapes into New Lives
20 June at 1:30 p.m. and 21 June at 10:30 a.m. — introduction and discussion to The Cultural Front at both screenings: Jindřich Andrš (director).
The first block deals with the theme of escapes — to other countries and inner worlds, the search for better places to live. It opens with the animated March Winter, the story of a married couple’s escape from Russia that falls apart on the road. It continues with the theme of refugees at the Polish border (Four Days of Mateusz Wilczek) and in the middle of Paris in the courier business (Silver Skin). The block’s main draw is the Czech drama The Cultural Front (Kulturní fronta) by Jindřich Andrš, devoted to doubts, life choices and the test of responsibility of a young person facing war in his home country — the director will come to Košice in person to introduce the film and meet the audience.
Block II — Women’s Strength
20 June at 4:30 p.m. and 22 June at 10:30 a.m. — introduction and discussion to This Room Cannot Be Eaten at both screenings: Emília Ondriašová (director), Marianna Vadovičová (producer).
The second block resonates above all with stories of women learning to face threats, misunderstanding and fate. The Kazakh drama What Have You Done, Zarina? by Camila Sagyntkan tells of a teenage girl who, afraid of her family’s reaction, hides her secret and her decision. At the centre of the block stands the Slovak drama This Room Cannot Be Eaten by Emília Ondriašová, whose director, together with producer Marianna Vadovičová, will introduce both screenings in person and meet the audience.
Block III — The Fragility of Relationships
21 June at 1:30 p.m. and 23 June at 1:30 p.m. — introduction and discussion to Berlin, Europacity at the first screening: Leo Geisler (director).
The third block explores the traditional theme of the fragility of human relationships amid colourful urban backdrops and in different storylines — romantic and family. A perfect example is the beautiful Rohmer-esque story No Skate! by Guil Sela, the French director previously presented at Art Film, about two volunteers falling in love in the middle of the crowded summer Olympics in Paris. The Croatian Peninsula by David Gašo is an observation of a seaside grove as a „secret“ place for lovers’ rendezvous. The Australian The Mango Pit by Berni Jiang is a beautiful probe into the family situation of a father learning not only to accept his adolescent daughter’s leaving home, but also to express his own emotions.
Block IV — Cracks in Reality
21 June at 4:30 p.m. and 24 June at 10:30 a.m.
The fourth block focuses on the various cracks that mark or threaten our lives by chance. The first appears just after a traffic accident, before the police arrive, in the behaviour of those involved. The Canadian drama The Crack by Jean-François Leblanc is a reconstruction of a routine witness visit during a detective investigation that suddenly changes everything. The remaining films in the block (Nobody Knows the World, The Lake, God is Shy) also play with various forms of crime, the power of nature and the secrets of the universe.
Block V — Shells and Comfort Zones
22 June at 1:30 p.m. and 24 June at 1:30 p.m.
In the fifth block the characters of the films try on various protective shells, or — when those grow too tight — they peek out or even climb out (Challenges of the Loner). Most films are dominated by young heroes wrestling with their handicaps (Zizou, The Great Organ), supernatural abilities (Spectacle), or with their fears and weaknesses (Pale Sun). The block closes with a comedic story about Indian seniors facing the threats of artificial intelligence — We Were Here by Pranav Bhasin.
Block VI — Ejaj
22 June at 4:30 p.m. and 25 June at 1:30 p.m. — introduction and discussion to Man in White at the first screening: Haman Foulad Vand (director).
The sixth block addresses the media images and political regimes that constantly overwhelm, influence and seduce us. The block opens with the Swedish visual essay Death of the Fantastic Machine by Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck — about the transformations of media (photography, film, internet) and our addiction to constantly producing and watching images that, under the influence of AI, begin to live their own stories. A positive example of working with AI is the critical essay 1Q89 by Romanian filmmaker Mihai Grecu about dictators around the world who, with the help of the media, can watch and even consider their own tragic ends. Equally compelling and critical is the use of this tool in Man in White by director Haman Foulad Vand, who — with the help of artificial intelligence — assembles an „identikit“ of one of the executioners of the Iranian Revolution of the 1970s.
Jury
The short films will be judged by Maciej Gil, Polish film historian and operator of Kraków arthouse cinemas, Mohammed Almughanni, Palestinian-Danish director (Son of the Streets, An Orange from Jaffa) whose films competed at Clermont-Ferrand and at IDFA, and Barbora Sliepková, Slovak documentary filmmaker whose debut Lines won the main award at Ji.hlava. The jury will award the main prize for the best short film.
The full programme of the 32nd IFF Art Film and festival cinepasses are available at aff.cinepass.sk.
The 32nd IFF ART FILM is made possible thanks to 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.
With the financial support of: Audiovizuálny fond
The project was co-financed by the Košice Self-governing Region from the Terra Incognita program
Main partners: CODES Brand House, H2O FUND SICAV
Automotive partner: AUTO-VALAS
Official hotel: Hotel Yasmin
Main media partners: TV JOJ, Pravda, Eurotelevízia
Sponsors: U. S. Steel Košice, ANTIK Telecom, Kino Úsmev, LOKO TRANS Media, CORE Labs, Technická univerzita v Košiciach
Technological partners: NOV, ZEBRA, Deutsche Telekom Systems Solutions Slovakia, DELTA OnLine, ARICOMA, Datacomp
Official suppliers: DKC Veritas, PLOOM, DOMOS SLOVAKIA, Reštaurácia Contessa, Natura, Kinley, Budweiser Budvar, Julius Meinl
Official wine: KubBo Select, Ostrožovič
Media partners: JOJ play, JOJ 24, Film Europe Media Company, Rádio KOŠICE, Aktuality.sk, Forbes, Startitup.sk, Korzár, Slovenka, SITA, TASR, Mediaboard, AHOJ TV, See & Go, BigMedia, Kino Sterio, Košice City Guide, Košice V Skratke, MOJAkultura.sk, Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze – ČSFD, Filmsk.sk, diva.sk, koktejl.sk, zenskyweb.sk, Naše Košice
Partners: JOJ Cinema, Jojko, Slovenský filmový ústav, WITKOWITZ SLOVAKIA, DDDental, CK TUI ReiseCenter Slovensko, Taper, ECO Technologies, Aupark Shopping Center Košice, Dopravný podnik mesta Košice, Letisko Košice, YumEarth, Rent2Eat, CPK Transport, iWish.sk, Kvety Garomi, Hair Factory Košice, Face up! Studio by Michaela Petroci, Panta Rhei, ARTFORUM, LOCAL NOMAD, Východoslovenské múzeum v Košiciach, MIHYRING
Gastronomic partners: Pub u Kohúta, OhniskO Fire Dining & Brew Bar, MAIKO SUSHI, Kaviareň Slávia, El Nacional, Tabačka Kulturfabrik, Casa Trade – Casablanca cafe, La Hacienda, Red Velvet Cake Bar, Macarons Košice, Savour Patisserie
