The International Feature Film Competition at the 31st IFF Art Film opens doors for emerging filmmakers\u2014female directors and male directors alike\u2014presenting their first, second, or third feature. The competition line-up was selected by Artistic Director Martin Pal\u00fach, and the winners\u2014including the Blue Angel for Best Feature Film\u2014will be decided by a jury of distinguished film personalities with diverse backgrounds. The three-member jury is composed of Gl\u00f3ria Hal\u00e1sz, Alexandre O. Philippe, and Marko \u0160kop\u2014filmmakers whose work moves along the borders of genres, themes, and continents.<\/p>\n
Gl\u00f3ria Hal\u00e1sz<\/strong>, a Hungarian director known for her poetic documentaries poised between reality and fantasy, is currently preparing her first narrative feature. The films that resonate with her most combine a reflection of the contemporary world with hope: \u201cI deeply value films that not only depict the problems of our reality but also bring light, hope, and perhaps even love into it. I\u2019m fascinated by contrasts and magical realism\u2014I love it when reality and fantasy coexist.\u201d<\/em> According to Hal\u00e1sz, Slovak and Hungarian cinema share a distinctive sense of humor as a way to survive everyday problems. If her own life became a film, she says it would be \u201cromantic magical realism, but profound.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n