DEADLINE: 28.2.2026
Are you passionate about film and interested in writing, discussion, and critical thinking? The Peer-to-Peer Criticism Workshop returns for its second edition as an intensive four-day programme for emerging writers, film students, and young cinephiles.
As a participant, you will be provided with unique chance to:
- Engage in in-depth analysis of student films.
- Collaborate with peers from other schools.
- Publish best texts on AGRFT’s website or in the Slovenian film journal KINO!
Taking place during Visegrad Film Forum and IFF Febiofest Bratislava, the workshop brings together participants from across Europe to watch films, exchange ideas, and develop critical texts in a shared, international environment. The focus is on film criticism as a collective practice rooted in dialogue, curiosity, and close attention to cinema.
WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?*
Venue: The Film and Television Faculty is part of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava
Programme Overview
11 March 2026
14:00–17:30
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welcome session and introduction of participants and the AGRFT team
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introduction to short-film writing formats: essays, short reviews (Anglo-Saxon and Francophone styles), impressions, columns, interviews
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overview of analytical approaches, conceptual tools, and comparative methods
Evening: attendance at the festival’s opening screening
12–14 March 2026
13:00–19:00
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attendance at student film screenings
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active participation in (or chairing of) Q&A sessions with film crews
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group discussions led by AGRFT students under the supervision of the mentor
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close analysis of films’ themes, shared elements, and differences
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development of writing concepts through dialogue with the mentoring team
Since you will be partaking in VFF, you will also need to get yourself the Cinepass for the event: BUY CINEPASS HERE
* If you don’t live in Bratislava, we recommend you to arrive 10 and depart 15 of March. If you need support with finding the accommodation, you can let us know on: tereza.kravecova@visegradfilmforum.com
A writing space at the Film and Television Faculty in Bratislava will be available, allowing participants to work at their own pace and balance writing with VFF activities like masterclasses. Join us in creating a supportive, enriching environment for the next generation of film critics!
ABOUT THE MENTOR
Maja Krajnc (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Film and Television at AGRFT and Editor-in-Chief of the journal KINO! She holds a doctorate in Aesthetics and Ideology of Yugoslav New and Black Film and has published widely, co-editing and translating key works on cinema, including Disintegration in Frames (2011) and Abbas Kiarostami (2021). As a founder of the Society for the Dissemination of Film Culture KINO!, she has led the Sharpening the Gaze film education program since 2013, designing and conducting workshops on film criticism. She also coordinated the European educational project Understanding Film (2017–2021) and contributed to the Slovenian Cinematheque’s publishing and research efforts.
The whole workshop will be lead in English. But don’t stress yourself out about writing in other than your native language! Just come and learn, develop your style and network with lots of people with similar interests!
INTERESTED? FILL OUT OUR FORM!
