19-06-2011

FESTIVALS: Art Film Fest Hosts Opening Weekend Galas

By FNE Staff

    The 19th annual Art Film Fest (www.artfilmfest.sk), taking place 17-25 June 2011 in the Slovak towns of Trencianske Teplice and Trencin, lined up an opening weekend of stars and galas, including opening night film The House (Dom) directed by Zuzanna Liova, the first time a Slovak film has opened the festival.

    The opening night ceremony also included the presentation of the Golden Camera Award to Serbian director Emir Kusturica. The following night featured the presentation of the Actor's Mission award to Hungarian actor Janos Ban, who first made his mark in Slovakia costarring as the "village idiot" with Slovak actor Marian Labuda in Jiri Menzel's Oscar-nominated film My Sweet Little Village (Vesničko má středisková), written by Zdenek Sverak. On Sunday, 19 June, Sverak himself receives the second Actor's Mission Award, rounding out the opening weekend festivities.

    Slovak director Juraj Jakubisko heads the competition jury. The festival will screen 100 full-length films, and a total of 194 films in all, representing 53 countries.