Art Film Fest to present the latest international films, awards to Zuzana Kronerová, Emir Kusturica, among others
Winning films from the most prestigious international festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Locarno and Venice; exclusive premieres of long-anticipated pictures; the latest Slovak cinema; Asian blockbusters and tributes to cult figures of the film world - all this and more awaits audiences at the nineteenth annual Art Film Fest, held from June 17 to 25 in Trenčianske Teplice and Trenčín.
For the first time in its history, Art Film Fest will be opened by a Slovak film: young director Zuzana Liová's "The House" (Dom), screened to great acclaim at the Berlinale.
As in previous years, Slovak and international performers will be honoured with the Actor's Mission Award for their extraordinary contributions to screen acting. Each of this year's recipients - Slovak cinematic diva Zuzana Kronerová, Hungarian actor János Bán and Czech actor Zdeněk Svěrák, creator of the legendary mythological figure Jára Cimrman - will personally fix a bronze plaque bearing their name in the Festival Park, joining the illustrious ranks of previous winners such as Franco Nero, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Gina Lollobrigida, Geraldine Chaplin and Omar Sharif.
This year's Golden Camera Award will go to three film professionals for their major contributions to filmmaking: Emir Kusturica, the Serbian director with a considerable cult following, Slovak costume designer Milan Čorba and the Oscar-winning French luminary Jean-Claude Carrière.
The nineteenth edition of Art Film Fest will feature a total of 194 films, consisting of 110 feature-length pictures, three medium-length and eighty-one shorts. Among them are nine of the latest award winners from Cannes, acquired just days after the prestigious festival's end.
Our cinematic programme is divided into seventeen sections, including tributes to our award winners. In the International Competition of Feature Films, fifteen pictures will vie for the Blue Angel, including the festival's opening Slovak film and three new releases fresh from Cannes. The winners will be selected by a five-member international jury, helmed by legendary Slovak director Juraj Jakubisko.
The Blue Angel for Best Short Film will go to one of forty-four pictures from around the world, including three Slovak films, in the International Competition of Short Films.
Film connoisseurs will get to sample delicacies of international cinema in the section Around the World, which introduces the exclusive Slovak premieres of extraordinary discoveries from outside Europe, including "The Tree of Life", winner of this year's Palme d'Or. Starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, this latest work from enigmatic American director Terrence Malick was Cannes' most anticipated film this year.
European Corner looks at what's new in the old world, presenting the most acclaimed new releases from across our continent.
The section will include the Slovak premiere of "In a Better World" (Hævnen), from notable Danish director Susanne Bier, winner of this year's most prestigious international awards - the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
Also in its exclusive Slovak premiere, Art Film Fest will feature "Leaving" (Odcházení), the directorial debut of Václav Havel, former Czech and Czechoslovak president.
Visitors will get the chance to witness Kirsten Dunst's remarkable performance in "Melancholia", a film from controversial Danish director Lars von Trier which earned its star the Best Actress Award at this year's Cannes.
European Corner will even include the latest from Spain's renowned Oscar-winning Pedro Almodóvar - "The Skin I Live In" (La piel que habito), a spellbinding, genre-bending tale of a merciless plastic surgeon portrayed by none other than Antonio Banderas.
But that's not all - audiences can look forward to new releases by directors like Tom Tykwer, Ken Loach, Bent Hamer, Jerzy Skolimowski, Wim Wenders, Béla Tarr and Saverio Costanzo.
Even more fascinating titles will be featured in programme sections such as Love and Anarchy, Eastern Promises, Dangerous Kids, Focus: Quebec Screen and Late Night Show.
Slovak Season will present seven feature- and medium-length films, and Slovak Season Special will screen thirty-three shorts representing three Slovak film schools.
Art Film Fest 2011 will also include several activities and workshops focused on film and the film industry, geared towards film professionals as well as festival visitors and the wider public. June 23 and 24 will witness the first incarnation of the FORUM on the Promotion of Upcoming Slovak Films, an event aimed at supporting the promotion, co-production, festival participation and sale of Slovak films on the international market. FORUM consists of lectures by renowned international experts and a panel of upcoming Slovak feature films.
Following up its successful introduction last year, Art Film Fest will present the second edition of MIDPOINT, an international script development programme joining five European film academies - Bratislava's VŠMU, Prague's FAMU, and the film schools of Łodź, Budapest and Bucharest. In addition to MIDPOINT's events for professionals, the programme has also invited world-renowned screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière to Trenčianske Teplice.
This year's Art Film Fest has much to offer music fans as well. On Sunday of the festival's first weekend, Trenčín's main square will get down and boogie with "Disco King" Michal David, while Trenčianske Teplice's Festival Café will feature nightly concerts moderated by versatile musician Oskar Rózsa.
Festival screenings will be held in Trenčianske Teplice at the Tatra Banka Cinema Tent, the Prameň Jojcinema and the Spa Hall, as well as in Trenčín's two Cinemax auditoriums and STV Artkino Metro.
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Art Film Fest 2011 - the 19th Trenčianske Teplice/Trenčín International Film Festival is made possible by the financial support of the Audiovisual Fund.
Organizers: ART FILM, n.o., FORZA, a.s.
Co-organizers: The Town of Trenčianske Teplice, Trenčianske Teplice Health Spa
General Sponsors: Omnia Holding SE, AquaCity Poprad
Main Sponsors: Tatra banka, Slovnaft, VUJE, OHL ŽS
Official Transport Provider: Lancia
Logistics Sponsor: DHL
Free student cinepasses provided by: Prvá stavebná sporiteľňa (First Housing-Construction Savings Bank)
Sponsors: TIPOS, Ernst & Young, AVI studio, Penzión Baske, Cinemax, Santovka
Official Suppliers: Pilsner Urquell, HUBERT J.E., Hotel Pax - the festival spa hotel, A Briliant, Philips, Esterle&Esterle, MF team, LampART, Lenovo, Stredná odborná škola polygrafická (Vocational School of Printing)
Main Media Sponsors: Slovenská televízia, televízia JOJ, Rádio FM, Pravda, zoznam.sk
Media Sponsors: Central Europe Television, Kino CS, Muzika CS, Doku CS, Rádio Europa 2, Rádio Hit FM, .týždeň, Eurotelevízia, Pardon, OK!, Kinečko, Kam do mesta, Focus, Boomerang Media, SITA, moviemania.sk, BlueSky, Televízia Trenčianske Teplice, Film New Europe, euroAWK, Willmark
Partners: The City of Trenčín, the Trenčín Self-governing Region, the Embassy of Israel in Slovakia, the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, the Embassy of the USA in Bratislava, the Office of the Embassy of Sweden in Bratislava, Sodec Quebec, the Slovak Film Institute, Cinecitta, the Italian Cultural Institute in Bratislava, Omnia, RONA, Celtima SK, jazykovepobyty.sk, Hotel Flóra, versity
