This year, the city of Bratislava will join the group of more than 70 cities across the world united in the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) and providing shelter to persecuted artists. On this occasion, Helge Lunde, the director of this network, will visit the festival and, together with Martin M. Šimečka, they will talk about freedom of speech in the past and present.

Before the discussion, we will present the first two books from the edition of Milan Šimečka's Little BIG History.

Cooperation: ICORN, Goethe Institut

Aaron & Veronika, Anton & Albert, Barbara & Samanta, Salma & Paula, Viacheslav & Veronika. 

We chose RELATIONSHIPS as the theme of the 17th [fjúžn] festival, because we were curious who and what shapes our interpersonal, romantic, family, neighborhood or work relationships.

This year's Humans of [fjúžn] will perform at the opening of the festival and, through short biographical introductions, they will offer a glimpse into the relationships they have been building in Slovakia, but also into those they are confronted with. Once again, we will try to bridge our differences and highlight what we all have in common: challenges, fears, plans and dreams.

Concept and directing: Alžbeta Vrzgula

The director of the International Cities of Refuge Network, Helge Lunde, and the Mayor of Bratislava, Matúš Vallo, will solemnly sign a cooperation agreement and thus concluding several years of efforts initiated by the civic association literarnyklub.sk and the Milan Šimečka Foundation. Before the end of this year, the first persecuted artist shall find refuge in our city.

Cooperation: Bratislava – the Capital of Slovakia, ICORN, lierarnyklub.sk

„Bratislava is chutný!” („Bratislava is tasty!”) 

These are the words of Aaron, one of the faces of the 17th [fjúžn] festival. He will be the guide for this walk. In addition to the walk and interesting conversations, we will also visit several restaurants with foreign flavors. Each of them offers food and drinks tasting, so make sure to have enough space in your belly!

An performative exhibition explores protest as a possibility of public expression. Where is the line between the civil and the personal? What meanings and possibilities are created by a group gathering in a city square? What are the cultural specifics of our relationship to protest? And what do we see when we think about the future?

In a calm voice above the bustle of the street, the interest in the individual is clearly heard.

Team: Irina, Gab a Tade, Olena, Mehmet, Jakub, Katarína

Concept and realization: Alžbeta Vrzgula

NOTE: Smartphones with internet access and headphones are necessary to participate in the event.

Funny, serious, daring, vulnerable, and always true. Led by Hon Chong, and featuring stories on the topic of "relationships" from a diverse group of people. Join us for an unforgettable evening of true stories told live.

A group of people coming from different countries of the world in one performance. Their collective work will be created under the leadership of Andrej Návojský and Joanna Maria Gierdal using the Forum Theatre method, during which the audience and "actors" meet together on the stage and discuss real stories and topics of discrimination in the society.

The Forum Theatre is the most common form of the Theatre of the Oppressed, an aesthetic movement whose goal is to empower the groups facing discrimination and to foster an active dialogue about various forms of oppression in the society.

How to find a meaningful relationship while trying to find yourself in an unfamiliar environment?

Apples & Hrušky is a bilingual discussion format that has been prepared by Nasi Motlagh for our festival since 2015. It focuses mainly on minorities and the process of their integration. This year, the discussion focuses on a non-Slovak couple who found each other in Slovakia.

 ActofKAA is a theater troup that has been performing in Bratislava for over a decade and has produced dozens of full length plays in English. Exclusively for our festival, they have staged a play Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf. An insightful contemporary parody that takes a critical look at American literary and drama classics, at the way female protagonists are portrayed through the male gaze.

Starring: Tomáš Eštok, Nasi, Tomáš Smolinský, Martina Vincová, Andrijana Andrijaško

How can people from abroad participate at the local level and thus contribute to shaping their neighborhood or city? Municipal elections are held in October where foreigners with a certain type of residence can also vote. The elections are, however, only one form of possible participation in public life. Zuzana Bargerová (Human Rights League), Nina Spišiak (City of Bratislava) and our hosts from International Bratislava will talk about various options to participate available to foreigners.

A French-Slovak performance offering the freedom and opportunity to actively participate! You will assemble the individual pieces of the story puzzle yourself. The order in which you meet the characters, the language you choose to understand them, or where you stand when you look at them, is up to you.

Cooperation: THEATRAbratislava

For the third time, Jonatán Pastirčák arranged for [fjúžn] a concert of unusual performers in unusual space. The event will open with the Superar choir and their guests Andrej Gál, Ronald Šebesta and Ivan Šiller. Next, we will explore intimacy and spiritual growth through minimalistic soundscapes and vocals performed by Adela Mede.

The final performance will introduce a collaboration of two foreign performers. Abdullah Miniawy is an Egyptian artist best known as a writer, singer and actor. His lyrics were sprayed in the Middle East region during the Arab Spring. Hari Shankar Kishore, a musical alchemist from the Copenhagen underground scene, is known by the stage name HVAD.

Tickets are valid for both the concert Equal and the party Mäss.

Mäss returns to [fjúžn] after several years and brings along a number of established names. Bok Bok is a London-based DJ originally from Ukraine, producer and founder of the legendary record label Night Slugs and AP life.

Drew Holiday a.k.a. CITYTRONIX is an electronic musician, programmer and visual artist from the United Kingdom.

The event will also host Czech DJ Bingo; and the domestic scene will be represented by DJ GÄP, a producer and worshiper of diversity and co-creator of the Mäss brand.

Tickets are valid for both the concert Equal and the party Mäss.

It has become a tradition that you can find [fjúžn] at Good Market. In cooperation with many communities and organizations, we have prepared a [fjúžn] zone in the garden of the Great Evangelical Church. You can look forward to live music, theatre for children, workshops, exhibitions, but mainly meetings with people from diverse communities.

Cooperation: Punkt

Mäsokombinát is a label hosting popular music events and a new partner of the [fjúžn] festival. Together, we are bringing you an exclusive fusion of the Karaoke Tundra dance set and the lyrics of Fobia Kid.

On top of that the event will feature Hellwana, a rapper, singer and performer who was born in Prague, has Caribbean roots and spent her childhood in England and also an acid & trance & techno DJ Miklei who came to Slovakia from Ukraine a few years ago. The domestic scene will also be represented by a producer and DJ Inkwall.

Cooperation: STU Faculty of Architecture and Design, Mäsokombinát

[fjúžn] walks are usually led by a single person, however, this time we decided to reflect the main theme of our festival - relationships. And reached out to one of the couples that are faces of this year's festival. Salma and Paula - friends, classmates, roommates and "Baraka girls" - will guide us through their favorite places. You don’t know what Baraka is? Come along and find out.

We will say goodbye to the 17th [fjúžn] festival in the Pistori Palace, where, in addition to a rich cultural program, you can taste flavors of different countries. Don’t be shy to bring along something good from your own kitchen!

"In the beginning, there was only a life-sized puppet. No facial expression, no character. Later, we gave the puppet a name. The character of Franky, as the actors and actresses call him, became alive in the theatre."

A movement theatre performance in the Ukrainian language featuring homeless people, people with physical disabilities, psychiatric diagnoses; and other socially excluded persons. Suitable for children 10 y/o and older.

Cooperation: Theatre With No Home

Opening of an exhibition organized exclusively for the [fjúžn] festival by curators Lenka Kukurová and Nina Vidovencová.

After months of living in a new reality, it is time to ask the question – How is war changing our society? A lot of people started selflessly helping strangers in need. Can this wave of solidarity last? Will it bring along a chance to rebuild our society, just as it happened after World War II, and on what basis? How do we rethink and change our relationships - towards people who are aggressive, refugees, other nationalities, our immediate surroundings, use of natural resources or abuse of political power – all of these being the causes of war?

18 invited artists and children from Ukraine try to answer these questions.

[fjúžn] discovered the JazzLab TRIO during the travels around Slovakia, in particular in Nitra, where they completely won us over. That is why we gave them the opportunity to perform the final concert of the festival.

The trio consists of Enea Bari (double bass), Martin Kukučka (drums) and Juraj Janík (piano). They will be accompanied by he saxophonist Barnabás Kollárik.

Ebubekir and Gonca are accused of terrorism in Turkey. After three years, they manage to escape the Erdogan regime and flee to Greece. The escape, however, does not happen without huge losses. The documentary called Invisible takes us into the existential vacuum in which people fleeing their own country find themselves.

After the film, we will get in touch online with the director Marianna Kakaounaki and the main protagonist Gonca Kara.