Košice International Film Festivalannounces its selection of short film, feature film and television pilot screenplays. Alongside its film programme, the festival also turns its attention to stories on the page and the writers developing them for the screen.

This year's selection spans family and relationship dramas, comedies, historical narratives, psychological thrillers and folk horror. The writers explore questions of intimacy, loss and personal freedom, as well as the quieter conflicts of everyday life. Across these genres and formats, the selected works offer different approaches to screen storytelling.

Selected screenwriters will have the opportunity to discuss their projects in one-to-one consultations with Michal Baláž, a Slovak screenwriter and lecturer at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU). The festival thus pairs its screenplay selection with a practical opportunity to discuss the writing process, creative choices and the next steps in developing these projects.

Originally from Humenné, he studied film directing and screenwriting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU). His screenwriting credits include the romantic comedy Láska hory prenáša, the feature film Cesta do nemožna and the documentary True Štúr. Alongside his work in fiction and documentary filmmaking, he teaches at VŠMU, helping to develop the next generation of filmmakers.

His combination of screenwriting practice, experience across genres and work mentoring emerging writers makes him a valuable sounding board for these discussions. For the selected screenwriters, the consultations will offer an opportunity to gain perspective on their scripts and explore questions that remain unresolved during the writing process.

Selected Screenplays:

Candyfloss - Sarah-Kate O'Connor

THE LOST ONES - Šimon Končír

East London Western - George Cameron Gifkins

Synnoia - J. H. Allely

The Dig Out - Roisín de Brún

Cuffed - Roisín de Brún

Catch of the Day - Jasper Morrisey

Walk a Mile In Her Shoes - Dina Arsenault

Tartarus, Texas: The Cowboy Who Fell Into Hell - Stuart Long

Le Petit Babylone - Ateş Gök

A SCREAM IN SEARCH OF A MOUTH - Vassia Mentekidou

Thanathos - Simone Elia

Spores - Edwin Jair Nájera

Last Call - Mike Gallagher

Plenty of Fish - Thomas Lewis

The Virgin Murray - Thomas Lewis

CANARY - Sheena Macfarlane

GHOSTLIGHT (E.V.) - Francesco Colangelo

The Wings - Ilija Iko Karov

White Silence - Petra Slivkova

Citta - Kena Sosa

Cavell - Alexander Menu

Under Her - Ilaria Meo, Alexander M. Edwards

The Cost of Talent - Spencer D Shackleton

Skumè - Martina Girlanda, Zaira Spada

Béatrice, the Lady - Paula McCool

Brave - Jill Thrussell