"Whereas last year's Slovak Season centred on films premiered in early 2011, this time we've decided to give festival visitors nothing but the latest releases," says section programmer Miroslav Ulman.

Among them will be Art Film Fest's exclusive premiere of Dance Among the Life Shards, actor Marek Ťapák's directorial debut. Audiences will get a chance to meet the film's creators and collect their autographs after the 17 June screening at Trenčín's Cinemax. As a director, Ťapák draws upon the strong tradition of folkdance musicals established by legendary Slovak filmmakers. As an actor, he takes the lead role - a middle-aged man looking back on his life's most pivotal moments, reliving his dreams, desires and fantasies through dance and enthralling music. Ťapák's adoration of folkdance is on par with his great love of cinema, and his theatrical dance performance Dance Among the Life Shards has successfully performed in Slovakia, Europe and even the USA. His fellow performers in the film are not actors, but professional folk dancers from elite Slovak troupes such as Lúčnica and SĽUK, with the only exception being seasoned actress Anna Javorková.

Tigers in the City, another hot-of-the-press Slovak film, will be screened at Art Film Fest a mere week after its premiere. The director, young artist Juraj Krasnohorský, made an auspicious debut with the short x=x+1, premiered at Art Film Fest 2009. His latest cinematic outing is a crime-tinged romantic comedy about a group of friends straightening out their lives over several days, all with a hired killer on their tail. The resulting combination of amorous twists and getaways from the Russian mafia promises an air of adventure and a winning sense of humour. The film's stars include Ivica Sláviková - 2005's Miss Slovakia, as well as Diana Mórová, Kristína Tóthová, Milan Ondrík and Ľubomír Bukový.

As in the past, the section will feature the latest releases from Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS). In 2010, they launched a series of films called "Filmoviedky" ("Cinestories"), and the latest entry, Stanislav Párnický's Dušičky seniorov, will be given an advance screening at this year's Art Film Fest. This bittersweet portrait of senescence stars Emília Vášáryová and Petr Nárožný.

For the first time ever, we will also screen a collection of Slovak-made animated music videos featuring domestic and international performers. "Since 1988, roughly 60 such videos have been created by Slovak filmmakers, seven of them in 2011 alone," says Maroš Brojo, who will be among the hosts of this evening full of great music and brilliant animation.