The twentieth edition of the Cinematik International Film Festival will be a grand six-day celebration of quality domestic and international cinema. A rich selection of attractive films awaits visitors to the festival from September 10th to 15th, including in the popular Paths of Glory section, which features a selection from top-tier film events. This year, organisers also expect extraordinary audience interest and full festival cinemas. The celebration of 20 years of cinematic experiences will be an unforgettable culmination of summer.
„When compiling the Paths of Glory section, I always strive for a genre-rich selection, and I believe that just as films have moved me at international festivals, they will also move Cinematik's audiences. The 20th edition is also a significant programmatic moment, as festival attendance continues to grow, we feel a great responsibility for a precise selection of titles. Not only the films“ successes in international forums are important, but also their exceptional qualities.“ notes programme member Peter Konečný.
One of the key titles in the section Roads of glory Will there also be a top Brazilian political thriller this year Secret agent (Secret Agent, 2025) directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. During the military dictatorship in 1977, tech expert Wagner Moura (Marcelo Alves) flees a mysterious past, returning to his hometown of Recife in northeastern Brazil. However, he soon realises that the port city is far from a safe haven. The film received a thirteen-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 and became one of the most talked-about titles in the programme. The success also brought laurels for best direction, best actor, and the FIPRESCI award. The film will be presented by Cinematik in an exclusive Slovak premiere, and there will be several similar premieres.
This year's Berlinale will also bring the American film by director and screenwriter Mary Bronstein, with the sarcastic title, to Cinematik. If I had legs, I'd kick you. (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, 2025). A mix of original black comedy, drama, and precise social satire. The world of protagonist Linda gradually falls apart – she is plagued by her child's strange illness, her husband's long absence, and furthermore, increasingly problematic meetings with her therapist. Everyday events turn into an insurmountable tangle of problems, and the falling ceiling in their flat is merely a bitter metaphor for the illnesses of the modern world. What to do when everything is literally falling down on us? Rose Byrne delivers an immensely authentic and emotional performance in the lead role, for which she took home the Silver Bear at Berlinale.
An original, deeply human story by Spanish director Eva Libertad Dostaneš mě? (Sorda, 2025) will be seen by a Slovak audience after festivals including Berlinale, Málaga, Seattle and Karlovy Vary, in its domestic festival premiere. Deaf Angela struggles with concerns during her pregnancy about whether she can bond with her daughter. After childbirth, her partner Héctor supports her as she learns to cope with motherhood in an environment that doesn't provide enough support or understanding for people with hearing impairments. An exceptional and sensitive film that uses a precise script to open up the world of the deaf to audiences. How they feel, what they experience, how they fight for understanding in a space full of diverse sounds. Inclusion thus becomes the most important, often invisible, offered hand. The film won the Audience Award in the Panorama section at the Berlinale festival.
In the same section of the Path of Glory, viewers will also see one of the year's best optimistic dramas in its Slovak premiere. From scratch (Rebuilding, 2025) by American director Max Walker-Silverman, which achieved immediate audience success after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Cowboy Dusty (Josh O'Connor) lost his old family ranch due to a forest fire and finds himself in a small FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) camp where people are brought together by the shared fate of losing their homes. Together, they build unexpected friendships in the caravan camp – and perhaps also hope, love, and thoughts of the future. Everything gradually, slowly, and from scratch. „One of the most emotive film experiences of the year and a major programming event for this year's Cinematik,“ Peter Konečný comments on the film.
This year's winner of the audience award at the renowned American festival SXSW (South by Southwest) will also be there, titled The Baltimorons (2025) directed by Jay Duplass. Christmas Eve and a visit to an emergency dentist bring together the main characters of this positive and humanity-filled story. An unexpected romance between a dentist and her free-spirited patient changes the lives of everyone they meet over a single night. Discovering Baltimore has never been as melancholically joyful as in this intelligent romantic surprise of the year. „Director Jay Duplass once again proves how well he understands his characters and how he can craft funny, yet authentically natural screenwriting situations for them. It's a joy to watch how American independent filmmaking continues to evolve, even under the pressure of the mainstream, often vapid, current.“ Peter Konečný supplies.
From the Cannes Film Festival, one of the strongest relationship stories of the year will arrive in Piešťany, a French production by director Anna Cazenave Cambet – Love Me Tender (2025). Lawyer Clémence leaves her marriage and stable job to finally live life on her own terms and embrace her true identity. Her ex-husband fights for custody of their son, Paul, and resorts to a series of manipulative tactics to limit their contact. As their relationship deteriorates, Clémence strives to maintain her love for her child at all costs. The main character is brilliantly portrayed by Vicky Krieps, who captivatingly explores the position of women in society and the complexity of parental relationships.
Cinematik brings several of the most anticipated titles from Cannes, and an original wild American comedy will also be featured. Open relationships (Splitsville, 2025). Two couples, one shared question – relationships have changed, and each partner might be looking for something entirely different. The idea of an open relationship will test their friendship and disrupt the certainties they previously thought were solid. Michael Angelo Covino, the director and also one of the main protagonists, creates a lively relationship comedy full of provocative situations and plot ideas. „The film will be part of the awards ceremony and will clearly add to the genre diversity of this year's Cinematik.“ Peter Konečný adds.
Another big directorial name in the Paths of Glory section is Sergei Loznitsa, and his latest film this time, a feature film Two prosecutors (Two Prosecutors, 2025). We return to 1937. When a letter from one of the political prisoners, despite strict rules, makes it beyond the prison walls and lands on the desk of a young prosecutor Kornev, a series of revelations of corruption and violence within the NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) is triggered. However, his desire for justice in the Stalinist era plunges him into a deadly struggle with a regime that ruthlessly devours its own people. Sergei Loznitsa arrives with another chilling look into the past, which is uncomfortably topical. Coming to terms with the past, which also opens our eyes in today's complicated times, is the long-term direction of the award-winning director's work.
A film that won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival is a regular feature of the Cinematik programme. Renowned Iranian director Jafar Panahi presents a film inspired by his own experiences in prison. One night, an event that seems insignificant at first glance takes place, yet it fatefully links two men – Vahid, a former political prisoner, and a stranger whom he gradually realises is his former torturer. Although Vahid has never seen his face, the rhythm of his footsteps and the distinctive sound of his prosthetic leg lead him to a terrifying realisation. But can he really be sure? An evocative drama full of moral dilemmas Minor accident (A Simple Coincidence, 2025) is undoubtedly among the best films of this year.
Kabul, 15 August 2021. American troops are leaving Afghanistan and the Taliban is attacking the capital. They take it and all of Kabul descends into complete chaos. Thousands of terrified Afghans flock to the last safe haven, the French Embassy, where Commander Mohamed Bida and his elite team ensure security. A Franco-Belgian film 13 days, 13 nights (13 days, 13 nights, 2025) is based on an incredible, but true story published by Mohamed Bida in his book of the same name. Cinematik will be showing the shocking war drama here, following its world premiere at this year's Cannes, in the first exclusive Slovak screening.
What have we left of love (The Remaining Love, 2025) the latest film from the meticulous observer of human destinies and complicated relationships, Hlynur Pálmason (White, white day, Godland) captures a year in the life of an Icelandic family, during which the parents grapple with separation and misunderstanding. Through intimate scenes and peculiar events, the film explores the complexity of love and the influence of memories. The authentic performances of the married couple and their children – played by the director's own offspring – provide a unique visual and formal cinematic experience. „Pál Mason can build the principles of existential drama with an immense feel for detail and originality in individual scenes. Visual distinctiveness is also defined by shooting on film stock.“ specifies Peter Konečný.
Pasha lives in a small Russian town and is a popular teacher at the local school. With the start of the invasion of Ukraine, his job completely changes. He is forced to organise activities in accordance with the new war curriculum and document them on camera. Demands on teachers escalate, Pasha's former students leave for the front, and the atmosphere in the town thickens. He decides to fight in the way he knows best. He begins to film not only state-mandated activities but also daily life in and outside of school, with the aim of showing the world the impact of war and an authoritarian regime on the local community. The film Mr Nobody versus Putin Mr. Nobody against Putin (2025) offers a unique insight into the workings of Russian propaganda and tells a thrilling story about a man who decides to risk everything not to betray his values. The Danish-Czech-German film, awarded a special jury prize at the Sundance festival, is among the most important documentary projects of the year.