The Face of the 19th Slovak Queer Film Festival: František “Joke” Košarišťan
“We live in sad times, but the show must go on,” he says.
Titles from top-tier festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Sundance, the latest Slovak productions, and a focus on Nordic cinema — this year’s Slovak Queer Film Festival (FFi) is once again ready to celebrate diversity on screen.
Even though the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic has blocked funding for LGBTI+ projects and events with a human-rights dimension, the organizers proudly announce the 19th edition of the festival and reveal its official poster. Under the subtitle The Show Must Go On, this year’s FFi will take place from November 19 to 25 at Kino Lumière and Kino Film Europe in Bratislava. The team’s goal is to remind queer audiences of their pride — and to bring hope and courage in difficult times.
“Within the theme The Show Must Go On, we selected works portraying a wide range of queer people — those who face challenging life situations but never give up on living their authentic selves,” explains David Benedek, the festival’s programmer.
Six Sections, More Than Sixty Films
This year’s programme was shaped from over 170 feature films and more than 500 shorts. In the end, more than sixty titles made it into six festival sections:
- Panorama – the best of contemporary queer cinema
- Queer Czech-Slovakia – new Slovak and Czech films
- Classics – outstanding works from the history of (not only) queer film
- Shorts – International Competition – contemporary short films from around the world
- Focus: Sweden – a special section showcasing queer stories from the North
- Children’s Zone – bringing joy to (not only) rainbow families and the youngest visitors
For the third consecutive year, one full competitive block will be dedicated exclusively to Slovak short film premieres.
“The Show Must Go On”
The face of this year’s festival is comedian František “Joke” Košarišťan.
“Last year, our team unanimously agreed to entrust the visual identity of FFi to the exceptional artist Andrej Dúbravský. This year, a similar consensus arose when choosing an exceptional personality — the festival’s face.
František Košarišťan, with his spontaneity, openness, and uncompromising, sharp, and courageous satire, helps us face this challenging period and keep moving forward. We are immensely grateful that he agreed to collaborate — thanks to him, the show truly goes on,” says Zita Hosszúová, the festival’s director.
And as Fero Joke adds:
“I agreed to do it because I’m a fan of this festival, and it’s incredibly important that it’s been running in Slovakia for so long. We live in sad times, and every event that highlights and underlines LGBTI+ topics is hugely significant.
Three years ago, a brutal terrorist attack took place on Zámocká Street, and instead of progressing in protecting LGBTI+ rights, we now live in a state where the constitution defines only two genders.”
Despite this, he remains hopeful:
“No one will ever erase us. It’s essential that we don’t give up and that we continue with our heads held high. We must not give those who want to limit our rights the feeling that we’re content with what little we have.
So — the show must go on, with our heads up. And the more of us there are who aren’t afraid, the better.”
Help FFi Stay on the Scene
After the Ministry of Culture stopped funding LGBTI+ projects and human-rights-focused events, the future of Slovakia’s only queer film festival has become uncertain. Although the Slovak Queer Film Festival (FFi) was ranked third-best project in its category by the expert committee of the Audiovisual Fund (AVF), its support was rejected without relevant justification. After seven consecutive years of continuous funding, AVF will therefore no longer be among the festival’s partners.
Yet the Slovak Queer Film Festival continues to bring stories that change minds, offering strength and encouragement to those who sometimes lose hope and seek understanding. For nineteen years, the festival has been an organic part of Slovakia’s cultural landscape — showcasing the best of queer cinema from around the world and at home, opening important discussions, and nurturing a community that celebrates diversity.
To ensure the festival can continue to exist safely and with dignity, public support is now crucial.
You, too, can help FFi stay on the scene.
👉 Support the public collection: https://donio.sk/pomozte-ffi
Every contribution helps ensure that queer people remain represented on the big screen — that they can continue to speak, be seen, and stay visible in times when some would prefer to erase them.
Organizers: Iniciatíva Inakosť · Kvír film
Main Partners: Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation · Fair Foundation · Embassy of Sweden · Swedish Institute · Swedish Film Institute · NN Insurance · Corwin · DHL · Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bratislava · Embassy of Canada in Slovakia · Ruido · British Council · Zürich Insurance Company · Embassy of Spain in Slovakia · Instituto Cervantes Bratislava · Goethe-Institut Bratislava · Embassy of Switzerland in Slovakia · Italian Cultural Institute in Bratislava · MyCinepass · Kino Lumière · Kino Film Europe · Embassy of Ireland · French Institute in Slovakia
This project is financially supported by the Bratislavský samosprávny kraj.
The project has also been supported by the Open Society Foundation through the Ü Foundation Fund.
Media Partners: webmagazin.sk · TV JOJ · Rádio_FM · Aktuality.sk · Startitup · Film.sk · .týždeň · Queer Slovakia · Citylife.sk