Organizer Information
CINEFIL is a civic association that revitalized the historic Kino Úsmev building in Košice, Slovakia, turning it into an independent cultural centre in 2016. Its work focuses on audience development, inclusion, accessibility, and creating a safe community space. CINEFIL has operated an international residency programme since 2019 and has hosted more than 35 creators. Kino Úsmev includes cinema halls, an underground black room, a café/bar, outdoor terraces, and spaces for workshops, masterclasses, concerts, and literary events. The organization has received the SozialMarie Prize and a Zero Project nomination for its accessibility work.
Title & Description
Art Connect Residency 2027
Art Connect Residency is a fully funded 90-day artistic residency for visual artists, digital artists, writers, and cultural professionals. The programme provides dedicated time, space, mentorship, and a supportive cultural environment for residents to explore a new concept through artistic research and develop a new piece of artistic or cultural work.
Four selected residents will work independently while engaging with the local environment and CINEFIL's team. The residency concludes with a public presentation, such as an exhibition, reading, or discussion, allowing participants to share their work and process with local audiences. The programme is focused on creating new work rather than simply presenting an existing project and cannot be undertaken as part of an academic degree or postgraduate qualification.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Digital Art
- Literature
- Writing
- Cultural Practice
Eligibility
- The residency is open to emerging and established artists and cultural professionals of any nationality. Applicants must be 18 or older, with no upper age limit, and must legally reside in a Creative Europe country other than Slovakia. Slovak citizens living outside Slovakia are eligible, while applicants residing in Slovakia are not.
- Applicants must be able to work in English and must be available to remain in Košice for the entire 90-day residency period. Artists in exile who legally reside in a Creative Europe country with refugee or humanitarian status are particularly encouraged to apply.
- Applicants are not eligible if they receive travel or accommodation funding from another EU programme for the same project and dates, are employed by certain specified organizations or programmes, or have already been selected for a Culture Moves Europe Residency Host project from 2025 onward.
Program Benefits & Awards
- €30 per day subsistence allowance.
- €400 travel allowance for journeys under 5,000 km or €800 for journeys of 5,000 km or more.
- Potential €400 green mobility top-up for eligible journeys over 600 km without air travel.
- €120 visa top-up where applicable.
- €200 family top-up per child under 18.
- Accessibility support of €1,200 for the resident where applicable.
- Additional support for non-professional or professional assistance where eligibility requirements are met.
- Private, accessible accommodation in central Košice.
- Dedicated workspace and access to facilities and technical equipment at Kino Úsmev.
- A dedicated CINEFIL mentor.
- Promotional and production assistance.
- Networking opportunities with the local cultural scene.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 27 September 2026
- Applicant notification: By 29 September 2026
- Residency: 1 March–29 May 2027, continuous 90 days
Location
Kino Úsmev, Mäsiarska 35, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Additional Details
Four residents will be selected. The selection committee evaluates applications according to artistic quality, relevance to the residency's “explore and create” objectives, feasibility within the 90 days, and potential for exchange with the local cultural scene. The committee also considers diversity, gender balance, geographical representation, and the range of disciplines represented among the selected group.
The residency is implemented by CINEFIL at Kino Úsmev and supported by Culture Moves Europe, a mobility scheme funded through the European Union's Creative Europe programme and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.