The International Competition of Feature Films has long been Art Film Fest’s centrepiece. The festival\u2019s upcoming 21st edition, running from 21 to 26 June in Tren\u010dianske Teplice and Tren\u010d\u00edn, will pit the debuts of talented directors against each other, works that have already racked up awards and applause at world-class festivals like Cannes, Sundance and the Berlinale. A total of 11 films will compete for the festival trophy \u2013 the Blue Angel. <\/p>\n
Peter N\u00e1gel, Art Film Fest\u2019s director and programmer of the main competition, has managed to acquire two titles freshly awarded at the prestigious Cannes IFF.<\/p>\n
Amat Escalante’s crime drama Heli, a story of two lovers that reflects the horrifying reality of today\u2019s Mexico, earned the filmmaker Cannes\u2019s Best Director award. \u201cMy characters suffer violent acts, and as a result find themselves under tension. I show extreme situations. In Mexico, everyone lives with a kind of fear in their gut. Violence is a reality at every moment even if it doesn\u2019t affect you directly,\u201d says the young director.<\/p>\n
The section\u2019s second Mexican picture La jaula de oro was premiered at Cannes and immediately bestowed with the A Certain Talent award for its young amateur cast.
The brutal Central American tale follows the long and arduous journey of three teenagers from the Guatemalan slums to the USA in pursuit of a better life. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe fundamental goal of this project is to convey the migrants’ story in a way that others will feel intuitively. Using the testimonies of hundreds of migrants, we created an Odyssean tale. Families are separated, babies torn from their mothers\u2019 arms, children beaten and tortured while being deported. And thousands of people whose only crime is crossing this absurd border are imprisoned,\u201d says director Diego Quemada-Diez.<\/p>\n
After a year of absence, Slovakia will return to the cinematic fray with Mira Fornay\u2019s My Dog Killer, a portrait of young skinhead Marek. The film was the first-ever Slovak title to win Rotterdam\u2019s prestigious Tiger Award. \u201cFor me, aside from the main theme of racism, this is a film about the struggle for survival and belonging. The film\u2019s main driving emotion is shame, which subtly influences the introverted protagonist\u2026It\u2019s this very shame that is the absurd foundation of racism,\u201d says the director. <\/p>\n
Internationally premiered at Sundance, the Austrian film Soldier Jane will arrive at Art Film Fest with Rotterdam’s first-place Hivos Tiger Award in tow. \u201cIt’s about two women who rise up against all odds of everyday life\u2026They face what seems forgotten: Don’t do what you don’t want to do!" explains director Daniel Hoesl.<\/p>\n
Other prestigious prizewinners will include the Afghan family drama Wajma: An Afghan Love Story, recipient of the Screenwriting Award at the USA\u2019s Sundance, the most famous festival of independent film. \u201cBased on stories I\u2019ve heard and people I met, I wrote this screenplay and produced this movie by myself, which is very important to me. From Afghanistan we only know the war. I wanted to show the young people\u2019s life, and their love stories,\u201d says director Barmak Akram, who has fought for women’s rights himself and been subjected to police interrogation. <\/p>\n
The competition will also feature a title named Best Nordic Film at the G\u00f6teborg IFF: Before Snowfall. The unconventional road movie follows a young Kurd forced to make a dangerous journey to preserve his family’s honour, taking him from Iraq through Germany and all the way to Norway, where the he faces the fateful challenges that arise from the clash of traditional culture with modern Western life. <\/p>\n
Another section highlight is Harmony Lessons, the first-ever Kazakh film selected for the Berlinale’s main competition, where it won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. The story of a boy who risks his own downfall to resist violence is a protest against the growing brutality of public life.
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Art Film Fest 2013 \u2013 the 21st International Tren\u010dianske Teplice\/Tren\u010d\u00edn Film Festival<\/p>\n
The festival is held under the auspices of Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico.<\/p>\n
Organizers: ART FILM, n.o., FORZA, a.s.
Co-organizers: The Town of Tren\u010dianske Teplice, the City of Tren\u010d\u00edn, K\u00fapele Tren\u010dianske Teplice
Financial support: The Audiovisual Fund<\/p>\n
General Sponsor: KOOPERATIVA pois\u0165ov\u0148a, Vienna Insurance Group TIPOS
Main Sponsors: Dr. Max, SYNOT TIP, TEMPEST, SLOVNAFT, AquaCity Poprad, Pow-en
Official Transport Provider: Hyundai
Logistics Sponsor: DHL
Student cinepasses for only \u20ac5 provided by: Prv\u00e1 stavebn\u00e1 sporite\u013e\u0148a
Sponsors: PPC Power, Slovak Telekom, AVI Studio, Barzzuz, Hydrotour travel agency
Official Suppliers: Anext, Mo\u00ebt, ad one, Toshiba, Zlat\u00fd Ba\u017eant beer, Dendra, tuli, Relax, euro Print Hall
Main Media Sponsors: Slovak Radio and Television, R\u00e1dio FM, Pravda
Media Sponsors: Film Europe Channel, Central Europe Television, R\u00e1dio Europa 2, zoznam.sk, rozhovory.sk, Eurotelev\u00edzia, Pardon, OK!, Kam do mesta, Slovak Lines, GONG SK, SITA News Agency, BigMedia, moviemania.sk, filmneweurope.com
Sponsors: The European Commission Representation in Slovakia, the Embassy of the United States of America in Bratislava, the Tren\u010d\u00edn Self-governing Region, the Slovak Film Institute, the Slovak Tourist Board, CzechTourism, Character \u2013 Film Development Association, the Italian Cultural Institute in Bratislava, the Embassy of Italy in Bratislava, the Polish Institute in Bratislava, in film, the Hungarian Institute in Bratislava, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain, the Swedish Embassy in Vienna, the Embassy of Finland in Bratislava, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Prague, Pova\u017esk\u00fd cukor, Europe\u2019s Finest, Hotel Fl\u00f3ra, AutoCont, Contest, Esterle&Esterle, Kinoservis, Cinemax, lampART, Kursalon Tren\u010dianske Teplice, spicybrown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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