Spa town Piešťany will welcome International Film Festival Cinematik (September 11 – 16, 2018) for the 13th time! Every year, Cinematik picks one country of focus to introduce its films and filmmakers. This edition will be exploring the cinema of Norway, although many Slovak and co-production films will be presented as well. In the House and Cinematik.doc sections will screen 22 titles.
Non-competitive section In the House will introduce the selection of Slovak films of the last year and student films from two academies. The Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava will be represented by short films Magic Moments (d. Martina Buchelová), 43 Years of Bratislava Metro (d. Lucia Kašová), SelFish (d. Lukáš Figeľ), Yours (d. Michal Fulier) and I Want to Believe (d. Matúš Ryšan). Festival audience will also have a chance to watch student films from Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. The selection consists of This Is Where I Am Slovak (d. Matúš Chovanec), (In)Visible Worlds (d. Zuzana Hudáčeková), The Gamer (d. Matúš Mlen) and eL (d. Sonia Gallo).
Cinematik will host multiple world premieres. Co-production drama The Cellar by Igor Voloshin depicts estranged married couple who is dealing with the kidnap of their only child. The weeks are passing by and the police still has no clue so the father decides to take the law into his own hands. The protagonists of docudrama The Band (d. Ladislav Kaboš) are dealing with different kind of problems. The film depicts the birth of a band under the difficult conditions of a Roma settlement in Eastern Slovakia. The road to success they dream of is a strong inspiring story of desires and hope, filled with emotions, Roma music and kind humour.
In the House section will also screen documentary Occupation 1968 (d. Evdokia Moskvina, Linda Dombrovszky, Maria Elisa Scheidt, Magda Szymkow, Stephan Komandarev) produced by Peter Kerekes. The abandoned Machnáč Sanatorium, one of the most remarkable buildings of the 20th century, is the main character of the short documentary Off Season by Andrea Kalinová. 53rd Karlovy Vary IFF premiered Adam Sedlák´s debut Domestique is about top-level cyclist obsessed with victory that gradually leads to the destruction of his body and soul.
Eight Slovak feature-lenght documentaries will compete in Cinematik.doc section. An Extra Something (d. Palo Kadlečík, Martin Šenc) depicts the life of 13 years old Dorothy with Down Syndrome and her path to become an actress. Crazy Against Nation (d. Adam Hanuljak) shows the story of Peter Kalmus, unique performer who is well-known in Slovakia thanks to his political activism. Political system is one of the common subjects reflected by Slovak documentaries as also by other competition films – Válek (d. Patrik Lančarič) and The Lust for Power (d. Tereza Nvotová). Another documentary that is observing work, opinions and attitude of the well-known persona is Elsewhere (d. Juraj Nvota, Marian Urban), which focuses on Slovak artist Alex Mlynárčik. Sad Languages (d. Anna Grusková) shows the unknown and suppressed stories and dramatic events of so-called Carpathian Germans in Slovakia. Addicted to Altitude (d. Pavol Barabáš) and The Last Self-Portrait (d. Marek Kuboš) complete the competition Cinematik.doc.
An international seminar and workshop for documentary films DOX IN VITRO (September 10 – 11, 2018) is also a part of the festival.
Related articles:
Cinematik 2017
Cinematik 2016
Cinematik 2015
