A dramatic story of an unwilling hero...
The film is set in a small Czech town occupied by German forces during the last years of the Second World War. Josef and Marie Čížek are a childless couple. She yearns for a child, but unfortunately, he is infertile. One day, by coincidence, they come across David, a Jewish young man to whom they offer him refuge in their little house. This is when their dramatic fight for survival begins.
Divided We Fall is a black comedy full of unexpected twists, a story about accidental heroes, about decent people and traitors, about thirst for life and apathetic passivity. In this story, based on real events, all the main characters somehow manage to save their lives. Here, heroism and collaboration with the enemy, generosity and cowardice overlap, making it difficult – if not impossible - to pass categorical judgements.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won 6 Czech Lions including Best Film and Best actress in a leading role for Anna Šišková.
Cast: Bolek Polívka, Csongor Kassai, Jaroslav Dušek, Anna Šišková (Marie Čížková), Jiří Pecha, Martin Huba, Simona Stašová, Vladimír Marek, Jiří Kodet, Richard Tesařík, Kryštof Hanzlík, Anička Jarchovská, Iveta Dušková, Oto Ševčík, Karel Heřmánek, Martin Dušek
Distributor: THA
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Dangal tells the true story of Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former amateur wrestler in India, who defies gender stereotypes and trains his daughters, Geeta and Babita, to become world-class wrestlers. The film explores themes of gender equality, determination, and family bonds. It showcases the struggles and triumphs of women in sports, highlighting both personal growth and societal change. Audiences and critics worldwide have praised the film for its performances, inspiring story, and realistic depiction of wrestling.
Cast: Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Sakshi Tanwar
Festival partner of the film: The Embassy of India in Bratislava
Slovak premiere
This Finnish tragicomedy by Teemu Nikki, one of the leading voices of contemporary Scandinavian cinema, was Finland’s submission for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. With 235,060 admissions, it also became the most successful domestic Finnish theatrical release of 2025.
The film follows two sisters, Pirkko and Tainu, who are famous in their small village for brewing traditional sahti – a strong Finnish farmhouse beer. When their sister Päivi announces her wedding and asks them to brew 100 litres of sahti for the celebration, family tradition quickly spirals into disaster: the sisters end up drinking the entire batch themselves and wake up the next morning with a devastating hangover. What follows is a chaotic race against time as they desperately try to secure another 100 litres of quality sahti before it is too late.
Beneath its simple, almost grotesque premise, the film explores deeper themes of guilt, addiction, and family relationships. Hidden beneath the absurd comedy is a melancholic portrait of people trapped in cycles of self-destruction, as well as a moving study of sisterly love and solidarity that survives despite chaos and failure.
Cast: Pirjo Lonka, Elina Knihtilä, Ria Kataja, Eero Milonoff Ville
Sales: MMM Film Sales
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The International Film Festival Art Film traditionally opens with a festive opening ceremony held in the unique setting of Kunsthalle in Košice. Distinguished guests, filmmakers, artists, and festival partners gather here to mark the beginning of a week filled with outstanding cinema and inspiring encounters.
While the ceremony is primarily reserved for invited guests, the public has a unique opportunity to experience the film atmosphere right at the red carpet – one hour before the ceremony begins.
Come and witness the arrival of film stars, capture unforgettable moments, and be part of the opening night of Slovakia’s premier film event.
Festival premiere
Testament of Ann Lee is a gripping historical musical drama by Norwegian actress and director Mona Fastvold (co-writer of The Brutalist), which offers an original portrayal of the life of Ann Lee, the founder of the Shaker religious movement. In the title role, Amanda Seyfried delivers a standout performance widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed female acting achievements in recent years.
The film follows the journey of a woman marked by personal tragedy who, in the 18th century, becomes a charismatic spiritual leader. After a series of painful losses and visions, she begins to preach radical ideas of gender equality, communal living, and sexual abstinence. Together with her followers, she leaves England for America, where she attempts to build a utopian community based on faith, solidarity, and the rejection of violence.
However, Fastvold does not construct a traditional biographical portrait. Through expressive musical and dance sequences, she explores the boundary between spiritual enlightenment and fanaticism, between the liberating power of faith and the dangers of cult-like devotion. Ann Lee emerges as a visionary, a revolutionary figure, and a deeply contradictory leader whose legacy remains open to interpretation. The film stands out for its hypnotic visual style, its use of period Shaker hymns, and a powerful atmosphere of religious ecstasy.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition at the Venice IFF. It received particularly strong acclaim for Seyfried’s performance, which earned her nominations for both the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice Award.
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott, Matthew Beard, Scott Handy
Distributor: Cinemart
Slovak premiere
A gripping French crime film inspired by the true story of one of the greatest counterfeiters of the 20th century. Set in postwar France, the story follows Polish refugee and engineer Jan Bojarski, who uses his extraordinary technical talent to produce nearly flawless banknotes. For years, he secretly manufactures them in his own backyard – with such precision that even the Banque de France is deceived. The film traces his double life, where brilliance is constantly shadowed by the threat of discovery. Opposing him is the obsessive Commissioner Mattei, for whom the case gradually becomes a personal mission and a tense game of cat and mouse. Reda Kateb portrays Bojarski with remarkable nuance and sensitivity, turning him into more than just a criminal, but a man shaped by circumstance, talent, and inner conflict.
The film received awards at several festivals and was praised for its authentic recreation of the era and psychological depth.
Cast: Reda Kateb, Sara Giraudeau, Bastien Bouillon, Pierre Lottin, Quentin Dolmaire, Victor Poirier, Olivier Loustau.
Sales: Le Bureau Films
Slovak premiere
An intimate yet visually striking drama set against the backdrop of Paris Fashion Week. American filmmaker Maxine, played by Angelina Jolie, arrives in Paris to shoot a film for a prestigious fashion house. But her life is profoundly altered by a serious diagnosis, and her fate gradually intertwines with those of several other women – a model, a makeup artist, and a seamstress – each struggling with her own dreams and traumas.
Director Alice Winocour crafts a multilayered portrait of female experience in which haute couture becomes a metaphor: beneath its polished beauty lie vulnerability, pain, and the attempt to “stitch together” fractured lives. The film explores solidarity between women, identity, and the body as a site of both personal and societal pressure. The film premiered at the Toronto IFF and was later screened at festivals in San Sebastián and Rome, where it drew critical attention particularly for Angelina Jolie’s performance and its visual style.
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Anyier Anei, Louis Garrel, Ella Rumpf, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier, Grégoire Colin
Distributor: Magicbox
invitation only
International Film Festival Art Film commences annually with a joyous opening ceremony. Distinguished guests, filmmakers, artists, and partners of the international film festival have the opportunity to immerse themselves in this unforgettable atmosphere and captivating program, hosted at the Kunsthalle in Košice. While the program is primarily designed for invited guests, the public can also relish the chance to catch a glimpse of the film stars by arriving one hour prior to the ceremony and witnessing their walk on the red carpet.
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They call him Driver. By day, he works as a Hollywood stunt driver. By night, he makes extra money as a getaway driver for criminal gangs. His manager Shannon is planning to buy a race car and brings in Bernie Rose – a local businessman with questionable sources of income – as an investor. The solitary Driver meets his neighbour Irene and gradually starts spending more time with her. When her husband Standard is released from prison, Driver agrees to take part in one last robbery – but it turns out to be a trap. To protect both himself and Irene, he has to do what he does best.
One of the last films shot on the nocturnal streets of Los Angeles still lit by the yellow glow of sodium-vapour streetlights and neon signs, before they were replaced by LED lighting. That light, and “Nightcall” as the soundtrack to all your future night drives.
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman
Distributor: Blue Sky Media
Východisco has become synonymous with genre-blending dance nights and will bring its distinctive musical selection to IFF Art Film. From infectious house music and darker shades of italo wave to club-oriented old and new disco, indie dance, and delightfully eccentric fairground-inspired sounds, their sets move effortlessly across styles and moods.
Their Balearic-inspired sound merges tropical rhythms and percussive grooves with the atmosphere of seaside sunsets. Refusing to play it safe, Východisco deliberately avoids genre boundaries and any trace of predictable mainstream entertainment. Instead, they deliver a sophisticated yet explosive mix that compels movement regardless of personal musical preferences.
Their DJ sets celebrate eclecticism, where nostalgia for analogue synthesizers meets the pulse of the contemporary club scene. It is an experience designed to pull audiences out of the cinema and transport them to an imaginary beach party in the courtyard of Tabačka.
Forget formulaic radio playlists and prepare for a night where every track has its own identity. For Východisco, music is a space of absolute freedom and joy — equally suited to sunset drinks as it is to long nights on the dance floor.