2022 SFS Guests

Jim Sheridan

At the SFS: 31 July – 2 August

Jim Sheridan is one of the most remarkable Irish film directors. He received the Golden Bear, he was nominated five times for the Academy Award and his films gathered 16 nominations for the Academy Award and 12 nominations for the Golden Globe. Summer Film School will present four movies by Jim Sheridan, including his debut feature My Left Foot, which kicked off his stellar career and became a starting point for Daniel Day-Lewis, whose role of a young disabled man won him his first Oscar. Sheridan’s cold dramas dealing with the I.R.A. conflicts, In the Name of the Father and The Boxer, and his melodrama The Secret Scripture are also included in the SFS programme.

Ondřej Vetchý

At the SFS: 1 – 3 August

Since the beginning of his career, Ondřej Vetchý has presented himself as an energetic actor with a strong inner drive. Although there were many significant actors in his generation (Roden, Trojan, Javorský, Vaculík), he was able to find his unique position. Vetchý covers a wide spectrum of acting, ranging from self-conceited bigheads or light-hearted pragmatists to naive and good-hearted guys. With his strong, emphatic gestures, he can convincingly express even the slightest developments of his characters. At the same time, he always tries to convey a more universal or even metaphorical message in his acting.

Semih Kaplanoğlu

At the SFS: 29 July – 2 August

Semih Kaplanoğlu is undoubtedly one of the famous and most significant contemporary Turkish filmmakers. He studied film at Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir. After a couple of short films he came with his feature debut Away From Home. Kaplanoğlu won world renown for his so-called “Yusuf Trilogy” which brought him many festival awards including the Golden Bear. He also wrote numerous articles on the visual arts and film.

Eliza Petkova

At the SFS: 29 – 31 July

Eliza Petkova is a German screenwriter and film director of Bulgarian origin. She graduated in philosophy and Japanese at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf and then continued as an independent filmmaker. She has made several documentaries and short films. Later, she made her debut with the feature drama Zhaleika (2016). The film was well received at the Berlin International Film Festival and was selected to the CinEd international collection of films. Eliza Petkova will also present her other two feature films at this year’s SFS.

Michaela Pavlátová

At the SFS: 31 July – 3 August

Only a few Czech film artists achieved as much success as Michaela Pavlátová. Her film Words, Words, Words was nominated for the Academy Award, My Sunny Maad for the Golden Globus, Repete earned the Golden Bear and Tram won the Annecy Crystal. Although she mainly focuses on animation, she stands out among feature filmmakers, too. And as she is also the head of FAMU’s Department of Animated Film, she contributes to international acclaim of young Czech filmmakers.

Mária Júdová

At the SFS: 29 July – 1 August

Mária Júdová is a Slovak visual artist who has been exploring the creative potential of new media technologies for almost a decade. She is interested in combining virtual reality with dance performances. She worked in close collaboration with recognized organisations, such as CIANT (CR), Choreographic Coding Lab (Germany), Rambert Contemporary Dance Company in London (UK) or Yamaguchi Centre for Arts and Media (Japan). Two of her projects, Everywhen and Kykeon, will be presented at this year’s SFS.

Michaela Pňačeková

At the SFS: 29 – 31 July

Michaela Pňačeková is a multimedia artist, producer and PhD student at York University in Toronto. She produced several successful documentaries (Border Cut, Waterproof, Scars). Her award-winning VR piece Symphony of Noise will be presented in our festival section VR: Rhyth. Right now, she’s been co-producing another VR work Chomsky vs. Chomsky where she works with artificial intelligence.

Pablo De Vita

At the SFS: 29 July – 3 August

Pablo De Vita is a film critic and historian from Buenos Aires. He writes reviews for La Nación, one of Argentina’s most reputable newspapers, and collaborates with many other print media. Pablo De Vita teaches at UUCEMA University and was a visiting professor at many other universities including UPOL and FAMU. He was also a member of the jury at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Mar del Plata or Gijon. Pablo De Vita has been in close contact with the Summer Film School Film Festival, and this year, he curates our section about Luis Buñuel.