For the first time in its current form, the Art Film Fest International Film Festival will be kicked off by a work from a Slovak filmmaker. The June 17th opening ceremony of the festival’s nineteenth incarnation will centre upon an exclusive sneak preview of “The House” (Dom) from young director Zuzana Liová, successful veteran of festivals such as the prestigious Berlinale.
This powerful tale of intergenerational conflict will also be the first Slovak feature-length film to take part in the International Competition of Feature Films, vying for Art Film Fest’s Blue Angel Award against competitors from around the globe.
"I’m delighted that we’ve managed to acquire ‘The House’ for this year’s festival, and that Slovakia will be properly represented in our competition section. The screening is also a particularly special occasion seeing that the film’s official Slovak premiere won’t be until autumn," says Peter Nágel, Art Film Fest’s director.
First attracting widespread attention with “Silence”, her televised film debut, director and screenwriter Zuzana Liová won the 2003 Tibor Vichta Award for her screenplay to “The House” right here at Art Film Fest. “I’m glad to be coming back, this time with a finished film. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to screen it at Art Film Fest. I attend the festival nearly every year, and I never imagined a film of mine would ever open the event,” says Liová.
"The House" tells of a father who is building a house for each of his two daughters. The houses become the outlet for all his dreams and ambitions that went unfulfilled during the communist era. When his older daughter "disappoints" him, he drives her out of the house, focusing all his energy on finishing the one for her younger sister. The intergenerational conflict is intensified when she too unexpectedly rebels against her father and his dream. What will be the cost when all their untold secrets come to light?
The film’s screenplay also won the Krzysztof Kieślowski Award at Cannes.
“In creating the film, I heavily drew from a variety of actual events and most of all my observations of people. I was inspired by the mood and atmosphere of the Slovak towns and villages I’ve passed through. During the writing and shooting processes, there were always key moments when certain emotions, themes, dialogues and situations would surface,” describes Liová.
This Czech-Slovak co-production, with most of its financing coming from the Czech side, features Slovak performers such as Judit Bárdos, Marek Geišberg, Marián Mitaš, Lucia Jašková, Jana Oľhová, Attila Mokos, Miroslav Krobot (Czech Lion winner), Táňa Medvecká (winner of the Thalia Award, a Czech theatre prize) and Ester Geislerová, sister of the famous actress Anna Geislerová.
The 19th Art Film Fest International Film Festival 2011 in Trenčianske Teplice and Trenčín is made possible by the financial support of the Audiovisual Fund.
Organizers: ART FILM, n.o., FORZA, a.s.
Co-organizers: The Town of Trenčianske Teplice, Trenčianske Teplice Spas
General Sponsors: Omnia Holding SE, AquaCity Poprad
Main Sponsors: Tatra banka, Slovnaft, VUJE, OHL ŽS
Official Transport Provider: Lancia
Logistics Sponsor: DHL
Free student Cinepasses provided by: Prvá stavebná sporiteľňa (First Housing-Construction Savings Bank)
Sponsors: TIPOS, Ernst & Young, AVI studio, Penzión Baske, Cinemax
Official Suppliers: Pilsner Urquell, HUBERT J.E.
Main Media Sponsors: Slovenská televízia, televízia JOJ, Rádio FM, Pravda, zoznam.sk
Media Sponsors: Central Europe Television, Kino CS, Muzika CS, Doku CS, Rádio Europa 2, Rádio Hit FM, .týždeň, Eurotelevízia, Pardon, OK!, Kinečko, Kam do mesta, Focus, Boomerang Media, SITA, moviemania.sk, BlueSky, Televízia Trenčianske Teplice, euroAWK, Willmark
Sponsors: The City of Trenčín, the Trenčín Self-governing Region, the Embassy of Israel in Slovakia, the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, the Slovak Film Institute, Omnia, RONA, Celtima SK, jazykovepobyty.sk
