7th Carpathian Mountain International Film Festival announces Special Visegrad Program: film screenings, educational events and international jury

14.09.2026, 16:07 rubryka.com

The project will bring together filmmakers from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia for a professional dialogue on contemporary cinema, environmental awareness, regional identity, and shared cultural values.

The films in the CMIFF 2026 competition will be evaluated by an international jury, which will select the recipients of the festival's official awards. The jury includes Anna Jacková, a representative of the One World Slovakia film festival and a journalist; Vítězslav Chovanec, a representative of the Czech Audiovisual Center; and director and actor Novruz Hikmet.

Audiences will have the opportunity to see three thematic programs of national cinema from the Visegrad Group countries. Each event will feature a feature-length film and a short film. The screenings will be presented by international experts — Eva Križková, Director of One World Slovakia; Veronika Janatková, Program Curator at the Institute of Documentary Film in Prague; and Polish documentary filmmaker Tadeusz Chudy. Each screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers, who will travel to Uzhhorod to attend the festival in person.

At the heart of the festival's industry and educational section will be two major events at the "Lis" Art Space. On 18 September at 14:00, a Slovak-Ukrainian documentary masterclass on green filmmaking and environmental storytelling will take place. The speaker will be Valentína Gučková, a Slovak consultant and co-founder of the NGO ERIS Climate Stories. She will discuss practical environmentally friendly solutions for film sets, green storytelling and responsible approaches to film production. On 20 September at 13:00, a panel discussion will bring together experts Eva Križková, Veronika Janatková and Tadeusz Chudy, moderated by Ukrainian film critic Ihor Kromf. The participants will discuss their experiences of filming in the mountain regions of their respective countries, the specific characteristics of film production in these areas, and will exchange their experiences and share them with the audience.

The festival's official opening will begin on 17 September at 19:00 at the Bavka Puppet Theatre with a presentation of the Visegrad Group partners. The organisers warmly invite residents and visitors to Uzhhorod to join the festive opening of the film festival. The festival will culminate in the official awards ceremony, during which the international jury will announce the winners of the CMIFF 2026 competition and present the festival's official statuettes. The ceremony will take place on 20 September at 21:00.

Attendance at all festival events is free of charge with prior registration via the registration form:https://forms.gle/XhirWdD6NwtujwYq5

Background

The project is co-financed by the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through the Visegrad Grant from the International Visegrad Fund. The Fund's mission is to promote the ideas of sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.

Festival partners: Institute of Documentary Film (Czech Republic), One World (Slovakia), Gogol Film (Poland), and Slovak Documentary Film Association (Slovakia).

Organiser: Zakarpattia Film Commission

Media partners: Rubryka, Suspilne Uzhhorod, Karpatskyi Telegraf, ProShoKino, Kinowar, Zaholovok, UA News, Varosh.

Practical Information

Dates: 17–20 September 2026

Venues: Bavka Puppet Theatre, "Lis" Art Space (Uzhhorod)