Libuše Jarcovjáková is a living international legend of photography and an uninhibited woman who has long bucked convention. Her life is a tapestry of fascinating encounters and wild stories – from the gritty Czechoslovak underground and exclusive fashion shoots in Tokyo to a dramatic escape to West Berlin, where she witnessed the fall of the Iron Curtain. Thousands of analogue photographs and pages from personal journals form the basis for one of the finest documentaries in recent years, captivating audiences at the Berlinale and elsewhere.
A dog lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone. One day he decides to build himself a robot, a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the dance rhythm of 80’s NYC. One summer night, the dog, with great sadness, is forced to abandon robot at the beach. Will they ever meet again? A story about friendship, its importance, and its fragility. This love letter to the Big Apple was nominated for Academy award for best animated feature in 2023. And for all of you between 7 and 77 – this is a unique opportunity to see this film for the first time in Slovakia. (Souce: Art Film IFF)
The Cervantes Institute joins the celebration of LGBTI+ culture and presents a series of short films prepared in collaboration with the FanCineQueer festival. The series consists of seven titles that tell stories about the childhood and adolescence of LGBTI+ individuals.
It's afternoon and Alicia sits down as usual with a cup of tea in front of the computer to watch VictorGaming, the favorite channel on Youtube. Victor, the young you tuber, answers questions from his followers and today Alicia has something important to say.
Elsa is a six-year-old girl who, like anyone her age, wants to live happily and freely. She knows she is different from the majority, but despite her young age she is clear about things: she knows she is a girl and that she is the queen of her life.
Victor, ten years old, loves popular folklore. He already knows what it means that what you like most in the world, which in his case is dancing, is what hurts you the most. His mother works tirelessly and also takes care of his bedridden stepfather day and night, but with a lively, sharp and hurtful tongue every time Victor comes through the door. When Victor dances, he transforms, laughs, dreams and escapes from the reality at home. What he could never imagine is that the same violence he received would be his own salvation. [ICAA database].
Nora is worried because she's performing in a play at her school, but being bullied by her classmates make her face something much more important: being accepted by her dad. The following 17 minutes will change their relationship forever.
Cristiano is a devout young man who wants to train at the seminary to become a Catholic priest, to the surprise that the interviewer responsible for vocations is the former priest of his town, Avelino, an unconventional priest.
Two days in the life of a trans adolescent boy and his sick mother. It is an intimate portrait of a single-parent family, mental illness and caregiving.
At a silent gas station on the outskirts of a rural town, young Ernesto dreams of becoming a dancer. It is not until his magical dance-off with a desolate drag queen that the boy discovers the courage to make his dreams a reality.
Short foreword before each projection
Organizer: Združenie rodičov a priateľov LGBT+ ľudí | Association of parents and friends of LGBT+ people
Sure, coming out is something LGBTI+ people go through, but so do their parents, who need time and space to accept their children’s differences. Very meaningful work on this is being done by Slovakia’s Association of Parents and Friends of LGBT+ People, who raise awareness about such issues while connecting all sorts of different parents to help them understand their kids. At FFi, the Association will briefly present its activities before the screenings of films that portray queer people’s relationships with their parents.
Elias (14) feels attracted to his new neighbour Alexander (14). Soon he realizes that he's truly in love for the first time. The interactions with his friends and family bring more questions than answers. Confused by his burgeoning feelings, Elias tries to sort out his inner chaos to prove that he is worth Alexander's heart.
Joseph and Sonya share an intimate friendship and their young son, whom they're raising together. While Joseph, a film director, is doubly preoccupied with a new idea for a film and with the aftermath of a previous relationship, Sonya suffers from depression. When she is hospitalized, Joseph must juggle both his everyday commitments and his artistic ambitions.
Marie Theres, a successful doctor, had different plans for her 20th wedding anniversary. Did her husband Alexander really have to break up with her that evening? As a result of this unpleasant turn of events, Marie Theres does what any sensible woman in her position would: she goes for a drink and stumbles into Bigi's queer bar and meets Fa. Fa is fun-loving, spontaneous and unattached. Even though the stuck-up doctor isn't Fa's type, she still takes Marie Theres home after the boozy evening. Marie Theres however is too drunk to remember - did we or didn't we? As their world collide, feelings emerge but nothing is simple. There is no straight path for Marie Theres and Fa.
The selection brings 8 new Slovak short films with queer themes and characters.
Kamil (17) decides to cut his hair. However, his mother is fundamentally against it, after all, no girl will like him without hair.
Religion and church life can bring support and stability to people, but in some cases it can be a source of several problems. You didn't choose your religion as a child, it was handed to you like a uniform that you were never supposed to take off. The imposition of faith and traditionalist views by family members can leave an individual with feelings of fear and guilt, anxiety about the idea of hell, a feeling of shame after discovering oneself, hypersexuality or its opposite, suppression of same-sex attraction... In this experimental film, the director simultaneously presents fascination and contempt for religious aesthetics. It captures how being forced to be a part of the church affected her and reflected her life as a queer person.
Alone, surrounded by deep forests, little boy Vašek sees something strange in the sky. His biological mother Iveta's unexpected request catches his adoptive parents Jan and Pavel by surprise. Can the adults understand the young child's emotions, or will Vašek have to face his fears all by himself? The dense film tells a story in an almost apocalyptic tone about the destructive power of fear and the painful path to mutual closeness.
In the small village of Křtetice, Dávid, an ambitious performer, is preparing for an important concert. The film focuses on his relationship with his parents, whose attitude toward his identity is complex. Dávid seeks a way to cope with their expectations while trying to be himself. As the day of the performance approaches, he discovers the power of love and identity. "Kráľovna z vesnice" explores the theme of authenticity in an environment that does not always understand him.
The video is a memorial and a reminder of the victims of the terrorist attack in Bratislavas Tepláreň. The author tries to reflect on his experience as a survivor and his efforts to deal with it. The video captures the author playing the piece he composed for Juraj Vankulič and Matúš Horváth on a burnt piano found in Kittsee. Using performance to process the attack on his inner world, he is looking for a position to observe and test his experience through art. Try to heal, but also to support the memory of the extinguished lives of two people from the community
After a long time, Matej comes to visit his grandfather on his name day celebration. However other members of the family disrupt the celebration with their homophobic views. That leaves Matej with two options. Either continue to pretend it doesn't matter to him or face the fear and come out even at the cost of losing a relationship with his grandfather.
The Future is Who We Are: fluid, anxious, open, questioning, edgy, connected, fascinated, captivating. A postclub-scene oriented, representing identities with queer poetics and non-binary scenarios, this poetic video portrays contemporary milieu in art, fashion, media world, and human communication. With a focus on an absorbing imagist vocabulary, the video also grasps the topics of environmental anxiety, posthuman ethics, neural mirroring, and social reciprocity.
Retired former actor Samuel confesses that he is gay under pressure from a financial advisor. His neighbor Milka supports him in the most difficult moments. However, it is up to him how he will deal with his confession in front of himself.
Out in the middle of bone-dry American nowhere, the 1980s are coming to an end, and loner Lou is falling madly in love with ripped bodybuilder Jackie, who is set on winning the championships in Las Vegas. But then the two women’s passionate romance runs up against unsettled scores with Lou’s father – a man who plays for keeps. Director Rose Glass electrified audiences at Sundance and the Berlinale with this irresistibly subversive thriller that will get your heart pumping and your endorphins rushing (though not necessarily out of joy).
cabaret & party
Organizer: Tepláreň
Let's enjoy life, music and being close together! Tepláreň is bringing a queer cabaret and party to the Šafko Club. The evening starts at 9:00 p.m. with the popular queer revue. With the luminary RadoStar hosting, the stage will shine with Spizy G, Laziza Vuitton, J.Singer, Jasmine RichArt, Madrid, Terez Frecerová, Erik Hearty, Ms Eternyx and Radek Horáček. The event continues after the cabaret as a party on the front stage. Lots of upbeat music awaits you, from pop and disco to house from DJs Italo Mario Italo, Kar'Ma and Vesnu. This event is only for those aged 18 and up.