The selection focuses on films from Visegrad countries along with Austria and the Ukraine. The selection includes fiction, documentary, animated and experimental films.

Monika Lostakova, the curator for the section, said, “In the Heart of Europe – Competition of Short Films remains a key part of Febiofest’s programme. With the Visegrad countries and Austria being joined by the Ukraine this year, all of Slovakiaʼs neighbouring countries are represented in this competitive section: countries that have always remained close thanks to shared borders, histories, and culture.”

The films in competition are:

Entropia (Hungary)
Directed by Flóra Anna Buda

Grimmelstein (Austria)
Directed by Bruno Kratochvil

Breaking the Waves / Prelomiť vlny (Slovakia)
Directed by Andrej Kolenčík

The Tough / Harda (Poland)
Directed by Marcin Polar

Daughter / Dcera (Czech Republic)
Directed by Daria Kashcheeva

Frontier / Hranice (Czech Republic)
Directed by Damián Vondrášek

Matches (Hungary)
Directed by Géza M. Tóth

Above the Styx / Cez rieku Styx (Ukraine)
Directed by graduates of the Sergey Bukovsky Film Program

Story (Poland)
Directed by Jola Bańkowska

Four Days after Christmas / 4 dni po Vianociach (Slovakia)
Directed by Peter Hoferica

Thereʼs No Shooting in Kyiv / V Kyjevě se nestřílí (Czech Republic)
Directed by Jakub Šedý

Thorax (Austria) .
Directed by Siegfried A. Fruhauf

Sh_t Happens (Czech Republic, Slovakia, France)
Directed by Dávid Štumpf, Michaela Mihályi

Banality (Hungary)
Directed by Balázs Simonyi

Dogwatch / Der Wächter (Austria)
Directed by Albin Wildner

Swim Test / Plavání pro pokročilé (Czech Republic)
Directed by Šimon Štefanides

Deep Love / Kokhannya (Ukraine)
Directed by Mykyta Lyskov

Playing  / Hra (Czech Republic)
Directed by Lun Sevnik

Letter to a Daughter / Brief an eine Tochter (Austria)
Directed by Wilbirg Brainin-Donnenberg

My Country So Beautiful / Mój kraj taki piękny (Poland)
Directed by Grzegorz Paprzycki