Paths of Glory will offer a selection of the most interesting films from contemporary world cinema. New films from Cannes, the Berlinale and Karlovy Vary will also come to Piešťany.
The twenty-first edition of the Cinematik International Film Festival continues to unveil its programme. Following the first announced titles, the organisers are bringing another batch of films for the section Paths of Glory, which traditionally offers a selection of the most striking works from major world festivals. This year, it brings together renowned directorial figures with discoveries that made an impact at festivals in Cannes, the Berlinale, and Karlovy Vary. At the same time, Cinematik is also revealing five surprises from the section Other Spaces, which brings bolder, genre- and formally unpredictable titles.
„Paths of Glory are always a space for me where we try to combine big directorial names with films that have the ambition to surprise. This year's selection is exceptionally varied – from the new Hamaguchi through James Gray and Kiyoshi Kurosawa to the big genre surprise by Na Hong-jin. And at the same time, we didn't want to forget about films that could be a discovery for audiences. That is precisely why this year Other Spaces has several titles that people in Piešťany will certainly be talking about,“ states programme team member Peter Konečný.
One of the biggest titles at this year's Paths of Glory will be the new film by the Japanese director Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden (Soudain, 2026). The creator of the award-winning film Drive My Car is this time venturing into the borderland between French and Japanese culture. The story follows Marie-Lou, the director of a care home for seniors in France, and Mari, a Japanese theatre director battling cancer. Their meeting gradually develops into a deep friendship and a joint struggle for dignity and the ability to change the seemingly impossible. Hamaguchi's new film premiered in the main competition at Cannes 2026 and won the award for best actresses in a leading role.
Also arriving from Cannes Paper Tiger (2026), the latest film by the American director James Gray. Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson come together in the story of two brothers whose ambitions and desire for a better life draw them into the world of the Russian mafia. Gray returns to the New York setting and the themes of family, guilt, loyalty and the American dream that have accompanied his work since his debut, Little Odessa. The film, screened in the main competition at Cannes, also marks the director's return to his film roots and is one of the most impressive genre projects of the year.
Another notable name is the Austrian female director Marie Kreutzer and its psychological drama Gentle Monster (Gentle Monster, 2026). Lucy, her husband and their son move from the city to the countryside so the family can escape his burnout and troubles. However, the peaceful morning is interrupted by the arrival of the police, who arrest her husband and begin seizing his computers. Left alone with her child, Lucy gradually tries to find out who her husband really is. The film stars Léa Seydoux in the lead role. The movie got premiered in the main competition at Cannes 2026.
Viewers will travel to feudal Japan with Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who for the first time in his career is entering the world of the samurai film. The Samurai and the Prisoner (Kokurôjô / The Samurai and the Prisoner, 2026) is set in the besieged castle of Lord Murashige. Mysterious crimes gradually destroy the fragile order and raise suspicion that there is a traitor among the defenders. Murashige is therefore forced to ask for help from his enemy, whom he is holding in prison. The film premiered in the Cannes Première section.
Yellow letters (Gelbe Briefe, 2026) by the German director İlkera Çataka, author of the successful The Teachers' Lounge, bring a political drama about a pair of Turkish theatre artists who find themselves out of work following political persecution. The film had its world premiere in the main competition at the Berlinale and stands out as a powerful work reflecting the pressure of an authoritarian environment on the individual. Director İlker Çatak has made a compelling political drama about freedom of speech, the power of an authoritarian regime and the price individuals pay for loyalty to their own ideals. The intimate family story gradually transforms into a universal statement on how state arbitrariness can intrude upon the lives of ordinary people. The exceptionally directed drama won the Berlinale Golden Bear for the best film of the festival.
A quirky combination of crime film, black humour and social satire will be offered by Black Money for White Nights (Cherni pari za beli noshti, 2026) Bulgarian director duo Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, creators of the films Glory and The Father. Their new film continues their characteristic interest in ordinary people whose lives are pushed into absurd situations by the influence of money, chance and social circumstances. The directorial duo has made a tragicomic drama that reveals the moral compromises of post-Soviet society with gentle humour and precise psychology. Following its world premiere at KVIFF, the title is also coming exclusively to Cinematik.
Another film is also coming from the Balkans Three Weeks After (3 nedelje posle, 2026) directed by Miroslava Terzić. A group of secondary school students and their teachers set off on a school trip to Bulgaria. When their bus breaks down and they find themselves stranded in an old hotel, the recent suicide of a classmate begins to raise questions that might perhaps be better left unanswered. This oppressive audiovisual work poses an uncomfortable question: just what are we willing to overlook so that we don't have to admit our own responsibility? The film premiered in the Proxima competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival and earned an extraordinary response from the audiences.
Lithuania will also be represented in the Cinematik programme. How to Divorce During the War (Skyrybos karo metu, 2026) by the Lithuanian director Andrius Blaževičius delivers an intimate drama in which a personal crisis collides with major historical events. Marija announces to her husband Vytas that she wants a divorce – just hours before Russia invades Ukraine. What begins as a decision to end a marriage suddenly unfolds within a completely new reality, where war alters everyday life and perceptions of the future. In his third feature film, Blaževičius weaves together an intimate relationship drama with the dramatic events of 2022, allowing unexpected flashes of absurd humour to penetrate it. The film had its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic competition section at the Sundance Festival, where the director won the directing award.
Coming from South Korea Colony (Gun-che, 2026) directed by Yeona Sang-ha, creator of the films Train to Busan and Peninsula. A mysterious infection begins to spread through a skyscraper in the centre of Seoul. The building is sealed off and everyone inside remains trapped. While the infected gradually turn into unpredictable and increasingly dangerous creatures, the main characters must find a way to survive and escape. The film premiered as part of the midnight screenings at Cannes and promises another striking genre ride from a director who knows how to combine horror, action and social critique.
A major acquisition in the Cinematik programme is the mysterious sci-fi horror Hope, the new film by the South Korean director Na Hong-jin, author of the cult thrillers The Chaser, The Yellow Sea and The Wailing. In the small village of Hope, all communication is cut off following a series of fires. Police officers try to protect the local residents, while a group of men in the mountains search for a mysterious creature. What begins as a routine investigation escalates into a conflict of catastrophic proportions. Featuring a star-studded international cast led by Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell, the film premiered in the main competition at Cannes and was among the favourites for the Palme d'Or.
Surprises of the Other Spaces section
Cinematik also reveals five other titles that will expand this year's section Other Spaces.
A major genre attraction will be the adventure drama The Death of Robin Hood (2026) by the American director Michael Sarnoski's, creator of Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One. Hugh Jackman as Robin Hood is presented this time in a darker and more mature story about a man whose past, full of crime and violence, catches up with him the moment he is mortally wounded after his final battle. Distinctive visual styling, evocative cinematography and superb acting performances transform the familiar legend into a meditation on a man who, towards the end of his life, attempts to find reconciliation before his story closes forever. The film was produced by the successful, genre-defying American company A24.
French film La Gradiva is the feature-length debut of the cinematographer and director Marine Atlan. A group of French secondary school pupils arrive in Naples on a school trip to explore Pompeii and the world shaped by the eruption of Vesuvius. However, the trip gradually turns into an intense journey through adolescence, desire and anger. The film had its world premiere at Cannes Critics‘ Week and currently tops the list of the year’s best-rated films according to metacritic.com.
Polish director Jan Komasa comes with a film Good Boy (Heel, 2025), a dark thriller in which a violent 19-year-old finds himself held captive in the home of a married couple. Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough decide to „correct“ his behaviour through manipulation, psychological pressure and games that gradually spiral out of control. Following its world premiere in Toronto, this psychological drama is proving popular with festival audiences.
Ulya (Ulya, 2026) by the Latvian director Viesturs Kairišs transports the audience to the Soviet Union in 1964. Ulya is a teenage girl who is considerably taller than those around her. When basketball coaches notice her photograph, they take her to Riga, where she is to be given the chance to become a sports star. However, the film, screened in the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes, is above all a story about identity, self-acceptance and finding one's own place in the world.
The group of surprises is concluded by Heysel 85 (2026) by the female director Theodory Any Mihai. The drama returns to the tragedy at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels on 29th May 1985, where 39 people died before the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. The story follows the mayor's daughter and a journalist of Italian descent, who find themselves right in the centre of events during the disaster. The film offers a perspective on one of the most tragic events in football history through the personal stories of people whom the tragedy changed forever.
„In my opinion, this selection clearly shows what we want to present at Cinematik. On the one hand, we are bringing films by directors whose very name is an event in itself, while on the other hand, we are leaving room for titles that can completely surprise audiences. And that is exactly what a festival should be about – for people to come for the films they are expecting, but at the same time leave with something they knew nothing about beforehand.“ Peter Konečný supplies.