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Cinematik will bring a number of films which have never been screened in Slovakia before

12. August 2017

The upcoming 12th Cinematik International Film Festival in Piešťany will also feature films in a special section titled Eye on Filmsthis year. The platform was initiated by the French company Wide Management, the aim of which is to present first and second feature films by directors from around the world. Currently it has more than 152 partner organizations in over 40 countries, including Cinematik.

The Eye on Films section will feature a unique French film by Fanny Jean-Noël Move! Dance your life. Its protagonists are both professional and amateur dancers, children and old people. A poetic-aesthetic film devoted to dancing was filmed in eighteen different world destinations. The section also features the Swiss-American drama L’instant infini by Douglas Beer, in which young Mary is convinced that she is responsible for the death of her little daughter. In order not to worry about ever-changing menacing memories, she is increasingly focusing on her life. The current presence is impressively captured by the Italian film Sex Cowboys. It is dedicated to present generation of young people who feel lost, out of work, without a place to stay and avoiding the pre-defined lifestyle. The characters address the generational crisis by looking for their place are directed by Adriano Giotti.

In the Eye on Films section we can also find the Taiwanese film The Last Painting, which takes place on the day of Taiwan’s election. Yang Chieh, third year college student is found dead in her rented apartment. Student’s body with her eyes out of sockets which are painted with oil paint. Evidence points to her roommate and friend. The mysterious disappearance of Magdalen tells the Brazilian film Elon Does not Believe to Death. Directed by Ricardo Alves jr., the younger husband of Magdalen, Elon, decides to find out what has happened to his beloved. Elon does not lose his common sense while solving the mystery.

Among the biggest attractions of the current edition of the Cinematik IFF is the Special Screenings section, which features the premiere of the Georgy-Russian-Polish co-production drama Hostages. The film by Reza Giginishvili captures the real events of 1983 when a group of seven Georgians tried to escape from the Soviet Union. However, a hijacked plane is shot down, and those who survived the crash are judged and executed.

A Croatian Comedy The Ministry of Love (The Ministry of Ljubavi) focuses on biologist Kreša, who has lost his illusions long ago and his middlife crisis is creeping upon him. He is unemployed and his marriage is in ruins. The Croatian government, which has created the Ministry of Love, is also facing problems. The ministry has the task of gathering information about widows who violate the new law. Krešo decides to get a job in the ministry. In addition to the southern comedy, an action comedy Zero is also included in the Special Screenings section. The film by Gyula Nemesa watches how a bee rescue develops. If bees disappear from the world, humanity remains only with a few years of existence.

The section also brings a Dutch movie Waterboys. Its protagonists are the writer of criminal stories Victor and a 20-year-old cello player Zack. During a trip to Scotland, they are forced to confront each other and get to know each other. Entertaining and gentle film by director Robert John Westdijk, about the fathers who must grow up and the sons who should take life less seriously. Special Screenings will also show an original project called Manifesto, in which actress Cate Blanchett presents a number of monologues, each styled into artistically different manifesto. Julian Rosefeldt’s ambitious project was also featured at the Sundance, Rotterdam and Tribeca film festivals. Cinematik IFF also introduces a German drama Axolotl Overkill by director and screenwriter Helene Hegemann. The protagonist is a sixteen-year old Mifti, who lives in Berlin with her half-siblings, father and friend Ophelia. She is mourning the recent death of her mother and is becoming dependent on Alice – an elderly criminal. The viewers can also expect a Polish film Sztuka kochania: Historia Michaliny Wislockiej. Michalina Wislocka  is the most famous sexologist of Communist Poland. She fights for the right to publish her book, that should change the sexual life of the Poles forever. Her story was directed by director Maria Sadowska. The premiere of this exceptionally successful Polish title will be part of the first ever award ceremony of the Association of Slovak Film Editors.

Viewers will be able to enjoy a return of the sci-fi cult on the big screen, which is celebrating 40 years this year, since its premiere. In the restored version, we have prepared an exclusive screening, according to many critics, of the best film by Steven Spielberg – Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Especially sought out midnight section Beyond the cult, will belong this year to three films by Belgian genre filmmaker Fabrice du Welz.

The first is a dark survival horror Calvaire, full of surprise and violence. The hero of the story is Marc, whose job is musical performances in the retirement homes. One night his car breaks down. Since the car cannot be repaired, he will find the hideout in a remote guesthouse. The horror Vinyan is about a couple looking for their child, who got lost during the tsunami. The young couple is constantly facing the dreaded dangers in the jungle and water traps. The trio of Belgian films completes Alléluia, whose main character is Gloria. The film commences with Gloria leaving her manipulative husband and begins to live alone with her daughter. She tries to find happiness on a dating site.

Within the midnight section, besides the works of Fabrice du Welz, Cinematik will also screen the selection of four films, specially programmed for the festival by the director himself. Henry-Georges Clouzot’s Wages of Fear (Le salaire de la peur) from the 1950s takes place in a South African village where four men are hired to transport a dangerous supply of nitroglycerin. Fabrice du Welz also chose a thriller Hardcore written and directed by Paul Schrader. The main character is a conservative businessman looking for his daughter, who started shooting pornographic movies in California. The drama by Elia Kazan – The Visitors also shows strong story. Bill and Martha live a peaceful life until Bill’s friends from Vietnam war Mike and Tony come for a visit. Questions arise as to what happened in Vietnam and why they showed up out of the blue at the door of their house. The last film the director has chosen is Rapture directed by John Guillermin. The story revolves around the young girl Agnes and her father. The story begins when they become acquainted with the former convict Joseph who comes to their farm in France. When Joseph falls in love with Agnes, her father threatens them by ending their relationship.

Every year, the Cinematik IFF also pays attention to the youngest viewers. Within the section labeled Cinematik Jr., this year’s selection has again focused on quality animated films bringing the youngest audience an unforgettable experience. Movies in this section have free entry.

An American animated film Kubo and the Two Strings directed by Travis Knight is a story of a boy called Kubo, who earns his money with stunning storytelling. But if he does not return by the sunset, he will be cursed. Once however, the curse becomes a reality … Similarly adventurous and visually impressive is the Jon Burton’s film the Lego Batman Movie. Batman and other superheroes join forces against common enemy.