Kristen Stewart behind the camera, German-Turkish director Fatih Akin with the Golden Camera and actress Anna Šišková with the Actor’s Mission — these are just some of the highlights of this year’s IFF Art Film. The full programme of the 32nd edition of the International Film Festival, which will take place from 19 to 25 June 2026 in Košice, was presented today at a press conference by festival producer Ján Kováčik, artistic director Martin Palúch, festival spokesperson Juraj Čurný, Mayor of Košice Jaroslav Polaček and Executive Director of Košice Región Turizmus Lenka Jurková Vargová.
“IFF Art Film has become an inseparable part of the cultural life of Košice and of all Slovakia. Preparing the 32nd edition of the event so that it maintains its quality despite the objectively extremely demanding situation in our culture, our economy and society as a whole was an exceptionally challenging task. I sincerely want to thank all the partners thanks to whom we managed it, and I am glad that the City of Košice and the Košice Self-governing Region now also regard Art Film as ‘their own child’. I believe that all festival visitors will fully enjoy not only the films, but also the many professional and accompanying events. There is a lot to look forward to,” said festival producer Ján Kováčik.
Four competitions, eight Blue Angels
The festival programme consists of four equal competition sections, each of which awards its main prize, the Blue Angel. The International Competition of Feature Films additionally honours the best direction and the best acting performances.
In the International Competition of Feature Films, eight films from around the world compete for the awards: Filipiñana(dir. Rafael Manuel / Singapore, UK, Philippines, Netherlands, France), La Gradiva (dir. Marine Atlan / France, Italy), The Chronology of Water (dir. Kristen Stewart / France, Latvia, USA), Queen at Sea (dir. Lance Hammer / UK, USA), Chronicles from the Siege (dir. Abdallah Al-Khatib / Algeria, France), Everytime (dir. Sandra Wollner / Austria, Germany), Wolves (dir. Jonas Ulrich / Switzerland) and Wirbel (dir. Tomáš Hubáček / Czech Republic, Slovakia). The jury — Icelandic director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, Slovak screenwriter and dramaturge Barbora Námerová and Hungarian film critic Géza Csákvári — will decide on the awards.
The International Competition of Central and Eastern European Films will likewise present eight titles: Catane (dir. Ioana Mischie / Romania, Italy), My Father’s Daughter (dir. Lea Podhradská / Hungary, Slovakia), Made in EU (dir. Stefan Komandarev / Bulgaria, Germany, Czech Republic), Altar Boys (dir. Piotr Domalewski / Poland), We Have to Survive (dir. Tomáš Krupa / Slovakia, France, Austria), Nina Roza (dir. Geneviève Dulude-De Celles / Canada, Italy, Bulgaria, Belgium), Silent Flood (dir. Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchak / Ukraine, Germany) and Supporting Role (dir. Ana Urushadze / Georgia, Estonia, Turkey, Switzerland, USA). The jury comprises Afghan director Siddiq Barmak, Kazakh film scholar Gulnara Abikeyeva and Polish-British film theorist Ewa Hanna Mazierska.
The jury of the International Competition of Short Films will be made up of Polish film historian Maciej Gil, Palestinian-Danish director Mohammed Almughanni and Slovak documentary filmmaker Barbora Sliepková. The FIPRESCI Award for the best film will be decided by French journalist and film critic Pierre-Yves Roger, Dutch film journalist Clementine van Wijngaarden and Slovak film publicist Matúš Kvasnička.
“This year’s programme is built on dialogues — fresh festival titles from Cannes and Berlinale alongside digitally restored gems from the SFI Golden Fund, debuts next to established auteurs, local stories versus global themes. In the feature film competition, Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut meets the Czech-Slovak Wirbel by Tomáš Hubáček, with films from five continents, from the Philippines through Algeria to Switzerland. It is precisely in this breadth of perspective that I see the strength of the festival — to show that a good film knows no borders,” explained the festival’s artistic director Martin Palúch.
From Oscar nominees to archival silver
In addition to the competition sections, the festival offers nine non-competition programme strands. Panorama brings a selection of current world cinema. The In the Light of Shadows section focuses on the stories of female protagonists — audiences will see the French drama Couture with Angelina Jolie, Rose, awarded a Silver Bear at Berlinale 2026, the intimate drama 17, Calle Málaga by Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, winner of the Audience Award at the Venice IFF, and the Indian Queen. Slovak Season will bring premieres of new domestic films with the personal participation of their creators, and Late Night Show will offer a genre mishmash full of adrenaline, suspense and cinematic playfulness.
The festival is expanding its programme framework with formats that are two sides of the same coin. The new Oscar vs. blockbuster section places an Oscar nominee side by side with the most-attended film of the same country — here, arthouse cinema and mass popularity are not opposites but parts of a single film world. Novelties from world festivals are complemented by SFI: Our Family Film Treasures, in which the Slovak Film Institute presents digitally restored films from the Golden Fund of Slovak cinema. The programme is also enriched by The Best of FAMU section, marking the 80th anniversary of the renowned film school, a curated selection by Lukáš Berberich — dramaturge and director of the Košice cinema Kino Úsmev — and Movies For Kids for audiences aged 7 to 15.
Three tributes: Šišková, Akin, Müller
The ceremonial opening at Kunsthalle Košice will belong to actress Anna Šišková, this year’s laureate of the Actor’s Mission. A holder of the Czech Lion for her role as Mária in the Oscar-nominated film Divided We Fall, and a two-time winner of the DOSKY theatre award, she joins the ranks of figures such as Emília Vášáryová, Zuzana Kronerová, Zdena Studenková and Antónia Lišková.
The Golden Camera goes to German-Turkish director Fatih Akin — winner of the Golden Bear for Head-On, the Best Screenplay Award in Cannes for The Edge of Heaven and a Golden Globe for the drama In the Fade. Over the seven days, the festival will screen Akin’s latest film Amrum, which had its world premiere in the Cannes Première 2025 section, and the drama In the Fade. The programme will also include a masterclass with this world-renowned director.
At the Historic Town Hall, the Milan Lasica Award in memoriam will be accepted by Richard Müller on behalf of his father — an icon of Slovak film acting, Vladislav Müller (1936 – 1996), the unforgettable performer of roles in the films Obžalovaný, Medená veža, Orlie pierko and Signum laudis. From his father’s rich filmography, Richard Müller personally selected the drama Smrť šitá na mieru for the festival programme.
Industry programme
The festival’s industry programme at Kulturpark will offer a series of masterclasses and discussions. Besides the meetings with Fatih Akin and Afghan director Siddiq Barmak, professionals and audiences alike can look forward to a masterclass on the profession of the film dramaturge, the Via Slovakia masterclass on how a film about a journey is made, a critical FIPRESCI perspective on contemporary cinema, the masterclass A Journey with a Camera to Mount Everest, the masterclass Shaping Meaning on Slovak montage film, a masterclass on the series Na Dosah, and a workshop by Peter Neveďal on the format and future of the film image — from the traditional widescreen to vertical films in the smartphone era.
Accompanying programme
The festival days in Košice will also be enlivened by a rich accompanying programme. A special edition of Dinner with Havran featuring Richard Müller, Milan Kolcun’s popular talk show Bez šepkára and the satirical show SEDEM by JOJ Television are among the most anticipated events. The programme is complemented by a concert of the Mike Parker Trio, the STRDVK soundtrack listening session at Tabačka, the launch of the book Via Slovakia, a presentation of the book Slovenský strihový film, slam poetry, fashion shows, an autograph session and a TV JOJ photo exhibition, the TV JOJko programme for the youngest, the Breathe & Bite morning yoga and a Day with the Film Office of the Košice Self-governing Region.
The City of Košice provides the festival not only with financial support, but also with a base and cultural infrastructure. The festival brings international prestige, visitors, film personalities and a strong cultural programme to the metropolis of the east. It is an event that makes Košice more visible, more vibrant and culturally richer.
“For Košice, IFF Art Film is more than a festival. It is a week during which our city becomes a natural centre of film events, of meetings between creators, audiences, students and guests from Slovakia and abroad. The City of Košice is proud to be a stable partner of an event that strengthens our cultural identity, brings life to cinemas, cultural spaces and streets, and at the same time shows Košice as a modern, open and self-confident city. Art Film already belongs naturally to Košice. The festival brings world cinema, prominent figures, thousands of viewers and an atmosphere that reaches beyond the cinema halls. That is also why we see it as one of the key cultural events strengthening the name of Košice at home and abroad,” said the Mayor of Košice Jaroslav Polaček.
“There are events that become so strongly connected with a region that they turn into a natural part of it. After the International Peace Marathon, IFF Art Film is increasingly becoming a synonym for Košice as well. The fact that it has found a stable home, a base and an audience here is no coincidence. For the region it is proof that culture and the creative industries have the potential to change a region. Through the Film Office of the Košice Region, the county actively creates conditions for the development of the film industry, supports audiovisual projects and connects creators with the region. In this way, 24 films have already been made in the Košice Region. It is an opportunity to showcase authentic locations as well as talented people. The awards that the supported films and creators reaped this year at Slnko v sieti and at the Czech Lions speak for themselves,” said the Chairman of the Košice Self-governing Region Rastislav Trnka.
The full programme of the 32nd IFF Art Film will be published at aff.cinepass.sk, where visitors can also purchase festival cinepasses for the full seven days of the film celebration in Košice.
The 32nd IFF ART FILM is taking place 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.
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, Julius Meinl, Aupark Shopping Center Košice
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, Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze – ČSFD, Filmsk.sk, BigMedia, Kino Sterio, Košice City Guide, Košice V Skratke, MOJAkultura.sk, diva.sk, koktejl.sk, zenskyweb.sk
Partners: JOJ Cinema, Jojko, Slovenský filmový ústav, DDDental, CK TUI ReiseCenter Slovensko, Taper, ECO Technologies, Letisko Košice, Rent2Eat, CPK Transport, iWish.sk, Kvety Garomi, Hair Factory Košice, LOCAL NOMAD, MIHYRING
Gastronomy partners: Pub u Kohúta, OhniskO Fire Dining & Brew Bar, MAIKO SUSHI, Kaviareň Slávia, El Nacional, Tabačka Kulturfabrik, Casa Trade – Casablanca cafe, Macarons Košice, Savour Patisserie
