The drama Father (2025) is inspired by real events in Slovakia and abroad and tells the story of a father who makes a tragic mistake. He then bears the consequences not only in his relationship with his wife, his friendships and work relationships, in court proceedings, but especially and perhaps first of all in his relationship with himself. Milan Ondrík and Dominika Morávková will star in the lead roles, bringing a perhaps surprising story of love and marital partnership tested by perhaps the toughest test.
"When I first saw the film at a test screening at the beginning of the year, I was extremely emotionally affected. Tereza Nvotová chose a challenging film adaptation in our environment and achieved the feeling that you experience the story with the main character. All of her feature films advance interest in our film abroad, and that is a true presentation of culture. I work with emotions as part of the programming team all year round, but there are only a few films that can be so suggestive and at the same time truthful," says Peter Konečný, a member of the festival's programming team, about the title, which will be screened with the rich participation of creators, actors and actresses as part of the Cinematika opening ceremony on September 10.
The evocative nature of the film with its tragic plot is enhanced by the emphasis on long, intense shots, for which Tereza Nvotová (Svetlonoc, Špina) invited experienced Polish cinematographer Adam Suzin (Nepela). With their help, the plot draws the viewer directly into the skin of the central character, forcing them to look at a seemingly unambiguous situation with an open mind.
According to Peter Konečný, it is a fundamental film that fully deserves the role of the opening title at the twentieth Cinematik: "I consider Father to be one of the most important films of our cinematography in the last twenty years. It is one of the most impressive titles in the entire history of Cinematik. We regularly dedicate a large part of the program to quality Slovak films and we believe that Cinematik will continue to do so."
Bringing the highest quality and most stimulating new works by domestic filmmakers to the audience in premieres is, after all, one of the festival's most important tasks - and also one of the reasons why it enjoys its stable popularity. "I am extremely appreciative that the 20th anniversary year of Cinematik will be opened by the national premiere of a Slovak co-production of world-class quality. These are the moments when I consider the work in our festival's program to be the most important in the world. To bring the audience addictive emotional and sensory challenges that I consider exceptional," adds Konečný.
The Cinematik International Film Festival will take place this year from September 10 to 15, and its six-day program, in addition to Father Teresa Nvotová, will also bring dozens of other powerful and unique film experiences. Several of them will be seen by visitors to the event for the first time, while others will have already arrived in Piešťany, having received applause and awards from prestigious international festivals in Cannes, Toronto, Venice, Berlin, or Karlovy Vary. For those interested in personally participating in this celebration of free film art and culture, discounted accreditations are available on the festival's official website www.cinematik.sk.
