The first of the films about Jacques Clouseau, the hapless French police inspector played by the legendary Peter Sellers. The inspector’s straightforward hunt for Phantom - the crafty jewel thief - is intertwined with humorous situations where Sellers demonstrates his comedic talent. Claudia Cardinale plays the princess who owns the legendary Pink Panther diamond coveted by the Phantom. Masterfully directed by Blake Edwards, the film culminates in one of the most absurd car chases in cinematic history.
After spending months imprisoned in Donbas, Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance expert Lilia returns home to her family. But the trauma of captivity continues to torment her, and surfaces in dreamlike ways. Maksym Nakonechnyi’s feature debut, which premiered at Cannes, is a harsh and all-too-timely testimony to Ukraine’s fighters and the women battling for their integrity, freedom, and future.
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A film about trying to understand the part of Czech society that protested against the government during the covid-19 pandemic and which fell prey to misinformation. It asks the fundamental question: what do we mean by ‘freedom’?
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An inspector arrives at a small restaurant. The exact reason is unknown. The purpose of the visit is inscrutable. The waitress and cook strive to decipher the inspector’s strange behavior. But without success.
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Lena and Vitya are in their early 20s, and each has a baby. As new parents, they deal with the irreversible changes in their lives and each other. Meanwhile, the diaper cake sits silently brooding in the room like a time bomb.
When Magda receives a long-awaited letter from Ján (John), her life becomes extraordinary. This poetic film intertwines a charming everyday life in the harmonious union of two beings with a meta-universe of moments of loneliness. A fleeting summer memory of the dark side of the Moon.
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In a silent visual poem, the mighty body of a bull that died under the hot sun in a bullring is laid out on a diligent taxidermist’s table. Working with the body, he finds a way to face his own mortality and the transience of life.
Cult movie star Nicolas Cage is known for never turning down a pay check, having acted in a dizzying array of films with varying production value. His unique career is neatly encapsulated by having been nominated for an incredible ten Razzies (with two in 2012 alone for three turkeys), and one Oscar nomination and one win (Leaving Las Vegas, 1996). Nicolas Cage plays to his reputation as a star with seemingly unlimited acting talent in this action-packed comedy, where he plays none other than Nick Cage - channelling his iconic characters as he’s caught between a superfan and the CIA.
Contagious optimism is Charlie’s superpower. He sees only the good in people, and triggers our empathy. A morbidly obese lonely teacher tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. Haunted by traumas, he has difficultly coming to terms with his past. Isolated in his apartment, he deals with stress by overeating. Yet within his apartment, he becomes a beacon of goodness for his friends. A profoundly human film about self-acceptance, with Brendan Fraser’s comeback of the decade collecting numerous awards.
Being thrown down a flight of stairs, hit by a car, or beaten up is everyday life for stuntwomen. The scenes with burning cars or collisions are spectacular, but the roles in which they are beaten up are much harder to watch. Usually they play the role of the victim, because few action movies have female heroes. It’s a shocking and fascinating realization: stuntwomen are hired to endure violence, while the task of their male colleagues is to inflict it.
Western Ukraine, on the eve of a traditional carnival. Pamfir returns to his family after months away. When his only child starts a fire in the prayer house, Pamfir must reconnect with his troubled past to repair his son’s act. He’ll follow a high-risk path with irreversible consequences. This film by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk premiered last year at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, and won the European Film Academy’s 2022 European Discovery of the Year Award.
The king of cinematic curiosities, Quentin Dupieux - also known as Mr. Oizo - unveils another strange story, which premiered at Cannes’ midnight section last year. They go by the name Tobacco Patrol: an atypical superhero gang in blue/orange stretchy outfits who snuff out intergalactic monsters with nicotine and carbon monoxide. Is it a superhero movie? About saving the world? Anti-smoking propaganda? Or is this movie about something else entirely? Enter Dupieux's big stage, and expect the unexpected.
As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice, Saul Tenser - celebrity performance artist - publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin, a National Organ Registry investigator, obsessively tracks them. Cronenberg returns to the body horror genre that he defined with his debut Scanners. The film premiered in the main competition at Cannes.
The Ukrainian director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, winner of the European Film Academy’s 2022 European Discovery of the Year Award, is the author of several short films. His most recent short documentary, Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles (2022), was screened at prestigious festivals such as IDFA, Toronto, and Sundance. His feature-length debut, Pamfir (2022), premiered last year at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
(English only)
In Slovak only!
Since January, the Slovak Audiovisual Fund has a new director, Peter Badač. How will this change impact the institution itself and the whole Slovak audio-visual industry? Together with Peter Badač we will discuss his visions for the Fund, where he sees a potential for improvement, and in which way we can be inspired from abroad.
Short films selection from partner film schools in co-operation with Visegrad Film Forum.
The Iranian director Sepideh Farsi has also worked on fiction titles as well as documentaries. Her first two fiction feature-lenght films Dreams Of Dust (2003) and The Gaze (2006) premiered at the prestigious festival in Rotterdam and her latest animated feature Siren (2023) will premiere at this year’s Berlinale in the Panorama section. The film tells the story of fourteen-year-old Omid’s search for his missing brother – and an escape route from the besieged city of Abadan.
(English only)
Attila Hazai’s monochrome animation explores the Eastern-European mentality and relationships. Raw and real stories transformed into absurd scenes.
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Nobody dies more beautifully than Udo Kier. In Jan Soldat’s film, via lively montage Kier’s multifarious passing away in several dozen roles becomes a frantic gallop through five decades of film and television history, and a comprehensive tribute to this fearless actor.
Varso and Crimson suffer from U12 – immortality, which they are both desperately trying to lose in a special programme. Will at least one of them succeed? An absurd black comedy by Kristián Grupač - a young Slovak director with a unique style.
A seaside adventure opens a single mum's eyes to the sacrifices that she makes for her disabled daughter.
Just like the Terracotta Army, silent figures of Ukrainian personalities, angels, Cossacks, and multiple copies of Jesus Christ are frozen in anticipation of new creations. Craftsmen weld metal defense items for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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Young director Özgür Anil introduced himself to Bratislava audiences last year with his short film in the competition. He’s now back with his feature-length debut. Its protagonist, Anna, attends night school, works at an acting school, and strives to find her place in a world that long seemed inaccessible. Her plans to become independent are disrupted by the arrival of her troubled younger brother. Following up his short film, Özgür Anil proves his talent in this full-length debut by exploring individuals’ depth of character.
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