Press Release: 19th Slovak Queer Film Festival festival breaks record attendance
The 19th Slovak Queer Film Festival (FFi) breaks record attendance: Audience Awards go to Nepela and GOOD BOY from Slovakia
Eighty-three films, twelve accompanying events, and over four thousand visitors. The Slovak Queer Film Festival (FFi, November 19-25, 2025) concluded its 19th season with the premiere of the Czechoslovak film Letní škola, 2001 and the presentation of its audience awards.
According to the festival director Zita Hosszúová, it is nothing short of a miracle that the organizational team succeeded in carrying out this year’s festival despite receiving no financial or moral support from the state. “And just the fact that we have managed to continually keep a queer festival going, in our conditions, for nineteen years now… In today’s times, with homophobia and transphobia on the rise, legitimized by the hateful and discriminatory statements of some politicians, the safe space that the festival provides to the queer community is extremely important. And we are very grateful that the audience appreciated our work – even despite the slightly lower number of films and screenings this year, we managed to break last year’s record attendance” she says.
The festival, subtitled “The Show Must Go On!”, also featured a short film competition as well as an audience award. The jury of the international short film competition consisted of film editor Nikola Kišová, festival programmer Magdaléna Mezoughi and the community organizer Christián Havlíček.
The main prize of the international short film competition was awarded to Dragfox (dir. Lisa Ott). A touching tale of a child who doesn’t fit into traditional gender roles, the film showcases how freeing and affirming it can be to finally meet someone who shares your experience. The jury appreciated the film’s portrayals of the different gender identities and forms of gender expression, which open room for empathy across generations. Its magical visual poetry and playful musical form make for a powerful, original, and moving experience.
Special mention from the jury went to the film Sauna Day (fir. Anna Hints, Tuschar Prakash), a sensitive portrait of male intimacy in the space of a ritual sauna. Here, beneath the surface of masculine comraderies, hide repressed desires and deep emotionality. The film is exceptional in the way it gently and respectfully reflects on the queer experience and the latent tension between the characters even without having to resort to explicit dramatization.
Nesiem vám noviny (dir. Jakub Dúcky) received the special jury mention for a Slovak short film. The film shows how even a seemingly banal situation, such as introducing a partner to one’s parents, can be surprisingly challenging for everyone involved – especially when it comes to a queer couple. What makes the film particularly endearing is its ability to lighten an uneasy topic without losing any of its sincerity or emotional depth. Especially surprising is the humour that this film brings. In queer cinema, particularly in our context, laughter is a refreshing exception to the rule – and here, it works brilliantly.
The Pink Ballon Audience Award was given to two films directly connected to the realities of Slovak culture: the Slovak-Czech-Polish film Nepela by Gregor Valentovič and the short Czech film GOOD BOY from Slovakia by Michal Bukovanský, which follows the Slovak painter Andrej Dúbravský during his preparations for last year’s GOOD BOY exhibition at the Telegraph Gallery of Contemporary Art in Olomouc. “It’s wonderful that the audience has chosen to give this recognition to two films with a strong Slovak relevance. Beyond just appreciating the quality of these films, they have also expressed their appreciation for queer themes in Slovak art today,” Zita Hosszúová explains, adding: “We are immensely grateful to all the people who actively participated in the organizing of the festival, as well as to the companies, institutions, media partners, embassies, and individuals who financially supported it – and, perhaps even more importantly, who continue to proudly declare their support for the festival.”
Silvia Porubänová, executive director of the Slovak National Center for Human Rights, agreed to serve as the event’s official patron.
Organizers: Iniciatíva Inakosť, Kvír film
Main Partners: Nadácia Slovenskej sporiteľne · Férová nadácia · Radosť · Swedish Embassy in Vienna · Swedish Institute · Swedish Film Institute · Poisťovňa NN · Corwin · DHL · Embassy of the Netherlands in Bratislava · Embassy of Canada to Slovakia · Ruido · Embassy of Ireland in Bratislava · British Council · Zürich Insurance Company · Embajada de España en Eslovaquia · Instituto Cervantes Bratislava · Goethe Institut Bratislava · Embassy of Switzerland in Slovakia · Institut Français · MyCinepass · Kino Lumière · Kino Film Europe · Bagetka na Račku
This project was financially supported by the Bratislava Self-Governing region.
This project was financially supported by Nadácia Otvorenej Spoločnosti through the Endowment Fond Ü.
Media partners: webmagazin.sk · TV JOJ · Rádio_FM · Aktuality.sk · Startitup · Film.sk · .týždeň · Queer Slovakia · Citylife.sk · Pravda · Denník N