Bratislava Film Festivals

The International Film Festival Bratislava

Time: November/December Annually.
Place: Palace Cinemas at Aupark Shopping Center.
Language: Films from all over the world are shown and all subtitles will be in Slovak so be sure to check which language a specific film is before attending.

Offering a huge selection of films, the International Film Festival of Bratislava has something for every one. Aside from the main festival showing, the IFFB also offers Slovak films, video shorts, and an "Off the Main Stream" section. The Festival also offers a Strategic film Marketing Seminar and other workshops. For more info check out the IFFB website in either Slovak or English.

The International Festival of Francophone films Bratislava

Time: March Annually.
Place: Palace Cinemas at Polus shopping center, FTF VSMU, FK 35mm, and A4 – nulty priestor
Language: French with Slovak subtitles.

The word Francophone refers specifically to the French language but has come to encompass all those places in the world where the French language still has influence and French culture is still prevalent including all of France's former colonies. Thus films from around the world covering a wide variety of topics can be viewed, albeit in French with Slovak Subtitles. For more info take a look at the official site that sadly for us English speakers is also in only Slovak and French. The tickets in 2010 were |17| for 5 days, |3.50| per film, |6| when movie night or |2| per film before 2 p.m.

Hory a Mesto (Mountains and City)

Time: April Annually.
Place: Palace Cinemas at Aupark shopping center
Language: Varying, with Slovak subtitles.
Price: depends on time and presentation.

Hory a Mesto is an International festival of mountain films and adventure. With a panel of world-renowned climbers hailing from across the globe Hory a Mesto promises to show some of the best adventure films Bratislava has to offer. Call in advance to find out what films are in your particular language choice. Tickets are currently on advance sale at Palace cinemas in the Aupark shopping center. The official website for Hory a Mesto is in Slovak but if your feeling adventurous yourself you can enter Hory a Mesto into google and employ the google translator from the search site and see what you get.

Early Melons

Time: March Annually.
Language: All films are original versions with English Subtitles
Place: A4 - Nulty Priestor and FK Mladost

Early Melons is a festival showing blocks of short films produced by students both in Slovakia and abroad and seeks to bridge the cultural gaps between different countries and the various schools of cinematography. Each ticket purchased for |2| will get you a block of 6 to 8 films of varying length. One block of film leads to quite a rollercoaster of emotion as the variety of styles in each block is well represented. The first film of a block could present a young woman struggling with the concept of abortion while the very next film could be an animated movie about baby delivering storks mixing up the deliveries of a human baby and bear cub. Check out the website for Early melons in both Slovak and English. Early Melons chooses to show their festival in a more independent setting in a few of the local small film clubs, for a description of the various film clubs (FKs) in Bratislava take a look at our article on movie theaters in Bratislava.

Ekotopfilm – International Festival of Sustainable Development Films

Time: October Annually.
Place: Palace Cinemas at Aupark shopping center
Language: Varying
Price: Free

Ekotopfilm is one of the most established and oldest Sustainable Development festivals in the world. Last years festival screened 97 different films from 27 different countries and presented everything from documentary film to fictional shorts. Starting in 1974 Ekotopfilm started in Trnava and was originally under the umbrella of the Socialist academy there. Films originally presented innovations in science, technology, and education. Many of the films were decidedly critical of the Soviet Union and the Socialist camp and almost spelled the end of Ekotopfilm at its conception. Organizers striving to keep the festival alive exhibited an equal amount of pro-Soviet films and thus found an expertly crafted balance that promoted freedom of thought and stayed in line with Communist ideals. Since then the festival has been based in numerous cities in Slovakia but has found its home in Bratislava as the organizers of Ekotopfilm find that their event continues to grow each year. To take a look at the wide range of films from last years festival and to see up to date news on the coming event go to their official website in both English and Slovak.

Jeden Svet (One World)

Time: November Annually.
Place: Numerous small theaters and student clubs around Bratislava. Click here for a list of all locations with map on the Jeden Svet webpage.
Language: Slovak and English dependant on the film shown.
Price: Free

Jeden Svet is a documentary film festival that presents the needs of people in areas of the world that have been decimated by war, natural disaster, or political oppression. Intense documentaries from some the more horrible situations on Earth are readily found at Jeden Svet and may not be for the light hearted so choose the films you want to see carefully. The festival separates it's showings into numerous categories, including everything from the "Right to Know" section addressing the under addressed phenomenon of the world, to focuses on China, Russia, and Islam. Jeden Svet is very popular and last year had 14,000 viewers. After showing in Bratislava the festival travels to other cities in Slovakia for exhibition. For more information on Jeden Svet check out their official website.

Febiofest SK

Time: March / April Annually. Other cities in Slovakia are exhibiting Febiofest until the end of April with a list of locations on the Febiofest SK website in both Slovak and English.
Place: Various small theaters and FKs throughout Bratislava. Refer to the Website for a comprehensive list. For more info on Slovak film clubs check out our article on Cinemas in Bratislava.
Language: Varying

Febiofest began in the Czech Republic in 1993 as a forum for Czech filmmakers to enjoy each others work and has since become extremely popular both in the Czech republic and abroad. Most of the films shown lean towards the more artistic side of film and can be fairly abstract. Documentaries and film shorts are also prevalent in the event. Slovakia, though part of Febiofest, has their own independent agenda and travels throughout the country showing their films in multiple cities. In Bratislava 135 movies were shown in 7 different venues.

Prix Danube Television Festival for Youngsters

Time: September / October on odd years.
Place: Slovak Television building. - Mlynská dolina 1, 845 45, Bratislava.
Language: Varying

The Prix Danube festival is an internationally recognized and accredited festival that seeks to award the best that the Worlds Television has to offer when it comes to the entertainment of children and young adults. The festival started in 1971 and since then has continuously expanded on its offerings. The festival categories are steadily expanding and this year you can expect top see everything from animated programs to documentary production and education. The Prix Danube only happens every other year so if you have a chance at going you may do well to have a look. In 2007 Prix Danube had entries from 39 different countries, 89 different companies, and 289 individual entries. To see their vast film archive and to learn more about Prix Danube please visit their official website.

Nordfest Nordic Film Festival

Time: February.
Language: Finnish, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian with Czech, Slovak, and English subtitles depending on the film shown.

Though the Nordic Film Festival festival offers a relatively small amount of films, those that are offered span an eclectic mixture of interests and genres. Visit the official website.

Filmovy Festival Inakosti (Slovak Queer Film Festival)

Time: September - October.
Language: Varying
Place: FK 35mm - FTF VSMU, FK Nostalgia, Palace Cinemas Aupark

Following up on the 1st Queer Film Festival in eastern Europe, which took place in Slovakia in 1995, a group of volunteers would like to invite you to look at films, which at first glance you might not find very worth a while, but If you try to understand the psyche, you might find a whole new queer world.

Join young students, and help them, by visiting the festival, to promote this great idea. You can also visit the official FFI website. Which has all necessary information about location, screening times and sponsors. You can also read about the cinemas in our article on cinemas in Bratislava.