Košice IFF Becomes a Member of the Film Festival Alliance, Joining Sundance and Other Leading Festivals

The Košice International Film Festival has become a member of the prestigious Film Festival Alliance (FFA), an international organization connecting film festivals, festival professionals, and other stakeholders in independent film culture. The Košice-based festival has thus joined a community that includes dozens of prominent festivals from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries around the world.
Among the members of the Film Festival Alliance is Sundance Film Festival, one of the world's most prominent and influential independent film festivals. A significant proportion of the FFA membership consists of festivals that also hold Academy Award® qualifying or BAFTA qualifying status. FFA members include Oscar-qualifying festivals such as Sundance, Aspen Shortsfest, Chicago International Film Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival, San Francisco IFF, and many others. Among British festivals, members include Manchester Film Festival and Bolton International Film Festival, both of which have BAFTA Qualifying status, as well as Encounters Film Festival, which is a qualifying festival for the European Oscars.

What is the Film Festival Alliance?

The Film Festival Alliance was established out of a need to connect film festival organizers, share experiences, and create more professional, sustainable, and equitable conditions for festivals and filmmakers alike. Its history dates back to 2010, when it began taking shape among festival professionals and through discussions surrounding the Sundance Film Festival. In 2015, the initiative was formally renamed the Film Festival Alliance.
Today, the FFA builds its activities around three main pillars: education, advocacy, and community building. Members gain access to professional resources, education, research, discussions, and connections with other festival professionals. At the same time, the organization aims to support a sustainable and inclusive ecosystem for film exhibition and create a space where festivals can share experiences and improve the way they operate.
An important part of the FFA's philosophy is its commitment to professional and ethical standards in festival work. The organization promotes transparency in film submissions, clear communication with filmmakers, fair and ethical film exhibition practices, accessible festival information, and a responsible approach to filmmakers. "We are very pleased that the Košice International Film Festival has become a member of the Film Festival Alliance. We see this as significant recognition of our work to date, but also as a commitment for the future. We are particularly pleased to join a community that includes festivals with an extraordinary position in world cinema – from Sundance to numerous other Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying festivals. For us, this is also confirmation that a festival from Košice can be a relevant partner within the international festival community," says Erik Jasaň, founder of the Košice International Film Festival.

"We are also pleased by the geographical dimension of this step. We are convinced that Košice and eastern Slovakia have a firm place on the European film map. FFA membership allows us to become part of the international discussion about where film festivals are heading, how they can become more open, professional, and sustainable, and how they can better serve both filmmakers and audiences."

Joining the Film Festival Alliance therefore represents another step in the Košice International Film Festival's ambition to build a festival in Košice with a strong international dimension and to connect eastern Slovakia with the global film community.

The Košice International Film Festival is the first film festival from Eastern Europe to become a member of the Film Festival Alliance.