It has been an unpredictable year, a year of restrictions, of looking for alternatives, and of adjustments. In 2020, in the challenging situation caused by the pandemic, the festival temporarily moved to Ljubljana in what turned out to be the right move, the 23rd FSF having been the last major cultural event in the country carried out live before lockdown. Looking ahead now as another summer beings, we feel optimistic enough to bring the festival back where it truly belongs—in Portorož. Here is where it had put down roots, and to make this readily apparent, we have renamed it officially the Festival of Slovenian Film Portorož. This, however, is not all that is new: running from 12 to 17 October 2021, the 24th FSF Portorož has a new director. Replacing Jelka Stergel as the head of the festival is screenwriter and director Bojan Labović, who will continue to build on the solid foundation with some fresh wind in the festival sails.

Our greatest wish for the forthcoming edition is to hold all events in person, with as few adjustments as possible, to allow the visitors to enjoy a shared experience and the usual hustle and bustle of the festival. But while we remain hopeful for the coming months, the ongoing uncertainty requires us to plan for multiple scenarios, to be able to hold the festival in a hybrid format or move it online entirely should the situation worsen. Whatever the outcome, we are committed to making sure that films are presented in the best possible way.

We hope you join us at another edition of FSF, and we kindly invite you to enter your films to have a chance of being selected and running for festival awards. The deadlines for submission are 9 August 2021 for short and medium-length films, and 16 August 2021 for feature-length films. Submissions are now open on the festival website.