Filmmakers Behind Cult Classics to Visit Bratislava This March

Visegrad Film Forum will offer a unique behind-the-scenes look at world cinema from March 19 to 22, 2025. Among the festival’s esteemed guests will be editor Juliette Welfling, who worked on the acclaimed musical Emilia Pérez, a film nominated for 13 Academy Awards.

The 12th edition of Visegrad Film Forum will bring several major names in contemporary European cinema to Bratislava. Attendees will have the chance to meet Oscar-winning composer Chris Benstead (Gravity, 2013) and American editor Jay Rabinowitz, whose work on Requiem for a Dream (2000) ranked 29th among the best-edited films of all time. The forum will also feature Juliette Welfling, freshly nominated for an Academy Award for Emilia Pérez (2024), and Hungarian director Szabolcs Hajdu, who will discuss blending theater and film. Besides masterclasses with guests, attendees can look forward to special screenings where filmmakers will reveal insights into their exceptional films.

„We are delighted to once again provide a space for young filmmakers to share their experiences and discuss their work in a broader context. This year, we have also managed to invite professionals who will share their stories of working with world-renowned directors—not just with students but also with the general public,“ says festival director Jakub Viktorín.

Chris Benstead, a versatile British composer and sound designer, will be among the guests traveling to Bratislava. He has collaborated with director Guy Ritchie on multiple successful projects such as The Covenant (2023) and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023), as well as the Netflix series The Gentlemen (2024). He also worked on Disney productions like Aladdin (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2017). His work on Gravity (2013) earned him an Academy Award and a BAFTA.

Hungarian film producer Ádám Felszeghy will also be in attendance, known for redefining contemporary cinema through innovative storytelling that blends fiction with documentary elements. Among his most notable works is Pelikan Blue (2023), an animated documentary exploring international ticket forgery in the 1990s. Thanks to a partnership with APAF – The Association of Animated Film Producers, audiences will gain exclusive insights into his filmmaking process.

Szabolcs Hajdu is recognized for combining realism with poetic abstraction and merging theatrical and cinematic storytelling in an innovative way. His film White Palms (2006) premiered in the Quinzaine section at Cannes, while Bibliothèque Pascal (2010) competed at Berlinale’s Forum section. It’s Not the Time of My Life (2016) won the Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary. In Slovakia, he will present his latest film, One Percent Indian (2024).

Editor Juliette Welfling, a five-time César Award winner for Best Editing, is one of the most distinguished editors of her generation. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her work on The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) and received the Excellence Award in European Film Editing for Emilia Pérez (2024), a multi-genre film that won four Golden Globes.

American editor Jay Rabinowitz will also join the festival. His career began with director Jim Jarmusch, first as an intern on Down by Law (1986) and later as an assistant editor on Mystery Train (1989). He became Jarmusch’s lead editor on films like Night on Earth (1991), Dead Man (1995), and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). His work also includes 8 Mile (2002), The Stepford Wives (2004), and The Tree of Life (2011) by Terrence Malick.

Ada Solomon, a Romanian film producer whose films have won over 150 international awards, will share her expertise with festival attendees. She has produced more than 80 films, including Radu Jude’s Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021), Aferim! (2015), and Călin Peter Netzer’s Child’s Pose (2013), which won the Golden Bear at Berlinale. She was also involved in the acclaimed Toni Erdmann (2016), a major festival success.

Student Film Screenings and Discussions

An integral part of the Visegrad Film Forum program is the presentation of student films from partner film schools: The Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček (FAMO) in Písek, Czech Republic; Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Hungary, Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice, Poland; Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Estonia; The Film Academy Vienna, Austria and The Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU), Slovakia.

Since 2019, the Visegrad Film Forum has been closely collaborating with the International Film Festival FEBIOFEST Bratislava. Therefore, purchased accreditations (cinepass) will be valid for both events. Cinepass can be purchased at www.visegradfilmforum.com.