Slovenian Film Festival: A Celebration of Cinematic Brilliance

Slovenian Film Festival: A Celebration of Cinematic Brilliance

A Showcase of Slovenian Cinema

The 26th Slovenian Film Festival (FSF) is set to dazzle movie enthusiasts and industry professionals alike with its lineup of feature films and documentaries. This year, the festival will showcase fourteen feature films, with half of them being documentaries. The rise in documentaries in the festival’s program reflects the recent strategic directions and investments made by the Slovenian Film Center (SFC) in documentary film development.

The festival received a total of 138 applications. Of these, 55 were selected for competition and an additional 39 were chosen for the review section, making it a diverse offering of Slovenian cinematic talent.

Opening with a Tale of Adventure

The festival is set to kick off with the screening of Igor Šterk’s “Šterkijada,” a film that tells the story of Jure Šterk, the first Slovenian to sail around the world alone. The festival chose “Šterkijada” for its opening due to its wide appeal and its symbolic connection with the sea, given that the festival is based in the coastal town of Portorož.

Recognizing Cinematic Greats

The opening ceremony will also be an occasion to honor veterans of the film industry. This year, the festival will present the Milka and Metod Badjura Award for lifetime achievement in film creativity to renowned cinematographer Rado Likon.

Other notable films featured at the festival include Nejc Gazvoda’s “Vzornik,” Žiga Virc’s black comedy “Poslednji heroj,” and Janez Burger’s thriller “Opazovanje.”

Documentaries in the Spotlight

In the documentary category, two films are expected to draw significant attention. These are Damjan Kozole’s “Pero,” a portrait of the late actor Peter Musevski, and Tomaz Grom’s experimental documentary “Ne misli da bo kdaj mimo.”

Commemorating Anniversaries and Remembering the Late Greats

The festival will also mark several significant anniversaries, including the 100th and 60th anniversaries of the facilities that house Kinodvor and the Slovenian Cinematheque, the 80th birthday of director Karpo Godina, and the 100th birthday of cinematographer Ivan Marinč.

Additionally, the festival will pay tribute to the late theater and film great Radko Polič Rac with the screening of the Croatian film “I Only Remember Happy Days,” in which he played his final role.

A Glimpse into the Future

Despite this year’s festival not featuring any films directed by women, there are promising signs for the future. Four female directors have commenced filming their projects, suggesting a wave of female-directed films at next year’s festival.

Professional Program and Jury

The festival will also host a professional program, which will include a lecture by renowned Spanish documentary film producer Marta Andreu as well as the presentation of a strategic plan for the development of the AV industry by 2030. A roundtable on sustainable practices in Slovenian film production will conclude the event.

The festival’s professional jury for feature films will include actress Anuša Kodelja, director Andrina Mračnikar, and Ekran magazine editor-in-chief Ana Šturm.