Culture tips for around Slovakia.
Slovak film competing in Cannes
Slovakia will be represented by the film Caravan at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, to be attended by Robert de Niro and Tom Cruise, among others. Shot in co-production with Czechia and Italy, the feature film, directed by Zuzana Kirchnerová, is competing in the Un Certain Regard section, with unusual styles and non-traditional stories seeking international recognition. It is possible to see it in Cannes on Thursday and Friday, May 22 and 23 at Debussy Theatre, and Saturday, May 24, at Cienum Screen X. Slovakia will also be represented in the Producers Network programme at the Marché du Film, the international film market for film producers. Slovak women directors/producers Vera Lacková and Michaela Kaliská will participate.
Slovak film classics in Brazil
In the Brazilian city of São Paulo, at the Filmoteca Brasileira, from May 21 to June 1, a festival entitled The Forbidden Czechoslovak World will take place, presenting five Slovak films from the Czechoslovak New Wave period of the 1960s. The screenings include internationally acclaimed feature films, with the aim to present Slovak culture in Brazil.
Viliam Rosenberg, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Brazil, informed that Filmoteca Brasileira in São Paulo is one of the most important film theatres in Brazil.
Public presentation of visual art students in Banská Bystrica
If you're curious about emerging talent in the art world, don’t miss the public showcase by students from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. Happening this weekend, May 17–18, the semester-end exhibition will feature a diverse mix of student projects across painting, graphic design, intermedia, digital media, and the free visual arts programme. It’s a great chance to experience fresh perspectives and support the next generation of artists.
International Biennale in Bratislava features V4 artists
An inspiring blend of works by up-and-coming art students and established artists is now on display at the International Biennale of Visual Art, hosted at the Umelka Gallery in Bratislava. The exhibition showcases artists from the V4 countries—Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia—and features a variety of media, including drawing, painting, etching, sculpture, glass, and photography.
Festival tRadovanie returns to Umelka and its garden
The 7th edition of tRadovanie, a festival celebrating traditional arts and crafts, whose name stems from playing with the words ‘radovanie’ (joy) and ‘tradovanie’ (preserving traditions), will take place at the Umelka Gallery and its garden on Friday and Saturday, May 16-17. Designed especially for families, Saturday’s programme will offer an immersive experience of dance, music, and hands-on workshops led by master artisans. New this year is a specially designated silent zone for visitors with heightened sensory sensitivity, organized in cooperation with the NGO Primerie. The lineup also includes Roma dance lessons from Slovakia and Transylvania, open to both beginners and advanced dancers, followed by a lively dance party.
Historic treasures of rose breeding on display at Slovak National Museum
Just next door to Umelka Gallery, the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava will open a unique exhibition on May 22, featuring rare documents and publications donated by the Slovak Rose Society.
The exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of Slovak rose breeding through diaries, notebooks, and texts from private collections, spanning from the late 19th century to the early 21st century. These archival materials are presented in multiple languages—including Slovak, German, Hungarian, and Czech—reflecting the rich multicultural history of the region.
The exhibition will be on view in the library of the Slovak National Museum until June 19.
Superar’s inclusive music concert in Lučenec
Superar Slovakia, an organization promoting inclusive music education, invites you to its annual concert on May 23 at the historic synagogue in Lučenec. The performance brings together children from diverse social, cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds across Slovakia—participants in a project recently honored with a Special Mention at the 2024 Radio_Head Awards, presented by public broadcaster Rádio_FM.
Under the motto “Learning about different cultures and faiths opens the way to respect, acceptance, and appreciation of diversity,” the concert will feature music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Jennaya Robinson, Angelo Branduardi, Ennio Morricone, Marián Varga, as well as traditional Malaysian, South African, Buddhist, and Islamic songs. The young performers—students from primary schools in Bratislava, Detva, Lozorno, Veľký Krtíš, and Zvolen—will be joined by professional musicians, including members of the Slovak Chamber Orchestra.
Slovak Philharmonic season closes with Mozart and Hasse
The Slovak Chamber Orchestra will conclude the 76th season of the Slovak Philharmonic with a special concert on Sunday, May 18 at 4:00 p.m. The programme features works by late Baroque composer Johann Adolf Hasse and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The orchestra will be joined by acclaimed Spanish pianist Leo de María and Slovak soprano Anna Škubová.
The same programme will be performed again on Monday, May 19, at the House of Arts in Piešťany, as part of the 70th Piešťany Music Festival, in a concert aptly titled “At the Imperial Court.” The orchestra will perform under the baton of its artistic director, Ewald Danel.
Indie music spotlight: Katarína Máliková & Tante Elze Live
And one more musical highlight: two leading voices of Slovakia’s alternative scene—Katarína Máliková and Tante Elze—will perform together on May 23 at the Búda cultural centre in Žiar nad Hronom. Máliková, whose music has been featured on KEXP in the U.S. and BBC Radio 6, will present her solo tour featuring classical piano arrangements enhanced by loop-based soundscapes. Tante Elze will bring her signature blend of classical and experimental music, ambient textures, trip-hop, and alternative pop.
