WEDNESDAY, 23. October
11.00–13.00
Green Hall
Film and audiovisual co-productions between Austria and Slovenia: Industry meeting
The Slovenian Film Centre, in collaboration with the Austrian Film Institute, organises the second co-production industry meeting of Slovenian and Austrian film institutions, filmmakers, and producers. The meeting will start with a presentation of funding opportunities in Austria and Slovenia.
The first meeting took place at Diagonale, Graz earlier this year. The event aims to discus further possibilities for enhanced collaboration between Slovenian and Austrian producers and filmmakers, based on Article 20 of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Austria on collaboration in culture, education, and science. Slovenia and Austria are countries with rich cultural heritage that share a passion for cinema. Cinema is a universal language of art that transcends borders, and by signing the agreement, the two countries have committed to advance co-produced filmmaking. In line with the agreement, the two sides are working towards enhanced cooperation in the field of film production and co-production. The event is an important step towards realising these joint efforts and creating better conditions for international film co-productions in both countries.
17.00
Green Hall
DAYS OF SLOVENIAN CINEMA ANNIVERSARY: Presentation of the book commemorating 10 years of the festival
The Sava Slovenian Society in Belgrade was formed at the turn of the century to bring together Slovenian intellectuals in Serbia’s cultural landscape and help preserve the Slovenian language. When after the war the borders reopened, this allowed for cultural exchange that saw a selection of contemporary Slovenian films travel each year from Portorož to the Yugoslav Cinematheque in Belgrade. The first edition of Days of Slovenian Cinema was held in November 2015. In the following decade, more than 200 Slovenian features and shorts were screened to a warm reception from the audience in Belgrade.
To mark the 10th edition, a book was released, celebrating the key events, filmmakers and artists credited with developing the festival and keeping it alive. The publication was produced by members of the Sava Society with editorial and technical support from Planeta Magazine.
The presentation will be partly in Serbian.
18.00
Avditorij Portorož
Opening of photography exhibition by Irena Herak
Irena Herak’s photographs have left their mark on the Days of Slovenian Cinema with expressionist aesthetics, her portraits documenting and visually interpreting moments from the world of cinema since the festival’s very beginnings. It was thanks to Herak’s camera that many personalities and encounters have gone down in history, such as the first reunion of actors from Klopčič’s Funeral Feast, Snežana Nikšić and Rade Šerbedžija, in decades.
First exhibited in Belgrade during the 10th anniversary edition of Day of Slovenian Cinema, the portraits will be on display at the Festival of Slovenian Film Portorož in their first ever show outside Serbia.
THURSDAY, 24. October
10.00
Green Hall
LECTURE AND PANEL DISCUSSION: The ABCs of copyright law – the rights of AV work co-authors
The event will start by briefly outlining the basics of copyright law (types, content and subject of copyright and related rights, their economic meaning, limitations of rights, the meaning of monetary compensation, legal sources); the legal status of co-authors of AV works; and the general rules of contract law in the film industry. This will be followed by an explanation of the new starting points (safeguards) for fairer film contracts for co-authors of AV works (adequate, proportionate and non-transferable remuneration, compulsory collective management, transparency principle, best-seller clause, good practices with collective or guild agreements, etc.).
The introductory lecture will be delivered by Dr Miha Trampuž of the Copyright Agency of Slovenia (AAS), a legal adviser on copyright law.
12.15
Main Hall
CELEBRATING THE CENTENARY OF IGOR PRETNAR’S BIRTH: Eisenstein’s Student: Director Igor Pretnar in Moscow (Slavko Hren, 2012)
Of the Slovenian directors who made a name for themselves after World War II, Igor Pretnar was the only one who also trained in Moscow at the All-Russian University of Cinematography under Sergei Eisenstein, in addition to studying at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Ljubljana. Using biographical data, written memoirs and personal testimonies of contemporaries, the documentary Eisenstein’s Student seeks the truth about little-known, largely unexplored chapters of Slovenian cinema in the immediate aftermath of the World War II, when the architects of the country’s ‘new cultural policy’ decided that future film workers would learn their craft from filmmakers from Eastern Europe, especially the Soviet Union. Igor Pretnar, who would later make some of Slovenia’s most iconic classics with films such as Wild Growth (Samorastniki) and Idealist, was assigned to travel to Moscow.
After the screening, Nerina Kocjančič talks to the director Slavko Hren.
13.00–17.00
Green Hall
Green Film Making with Ines Kežman
The green transition is the key challenge of our time, which is why delivering on the Green Deal objectives is one of the European Commission’s top priorities. This has a direct impact on the film industry and its need to adapt its practices to reduce its environmental footprint. The EU’s Creative Europe programme encourages concrete action, requiring applicants to submit a ‘Green Strategy’ together with their application. The seminar looks into how the film industry can contribute to reducing its carbon footprint. The event welcomes all filmmakers interested in gaining useful knowledge and guidance on how to introduce environmentally sustainable practices in their work.
Organised by The Slovenian Federation of Filmmakers’ Guilds in collaboration with Motovila.
16.00–17.00
Amphitheatre
3rd film student networking event: DETECTION
This year’s festival edition brings the third networking event for film students of the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Ljubljana, the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film, and Television, University of Ljubljana, and the School of Arts, University of Nova Gorica, aimed at bringing students together to meet and share their impressions of being film students.
As the organiser this year, the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana (ALUO) is running a tombola of experience to bring together students that are on the same wavelength both professionally and personally. The event was conceived and will be hosted by ALUO students Hannah Koselj Marušič, Erik Bočko, and Lan Mohorič Bonča.
FRIDAY, 25. October
10.00–11.15
Green Hall
Creative Europe opportunities in film and cross-sector integration with music
Motovila (Creative Europe Desk Slovenia) and the Slovenian Music Information Centre (SIGIC) invite film producers and other interested film professionals to a presentation of current Creative Europe international funding opportunities for film projects and opportunities for cross-sector integration between the film and music sectors.
The event will be partly in Slovene and partly in English, without interpretation.
10.00–10.45
MEDIA strand opportunities for AV sector (Sabina Briški Karlić, Motovila / CED Slovenia)
The latest funding opportunities for the AV sector under the Creative Europe MEDIA strand are presented in the light of upcoming deadlines and application conditions, along with changes to consider and tips on how to produce a better application in the increasingly competitive funding & tender environment.
More information and registration: sabina.briski@ced-slovenia
10.45–11.15
MUSIC IN FILMS – an obstacle or opportunity? (Markus Linde Talking to Barbara Zemljič)
Dogodek bo deloma potekal v slovenščini, deloma pa v angleščini brez tolmačenja.
Many film school curricula pay little attention to music, so students are often left to their own devices when it comes to scoring their films. Music supervision or licensing are crucial roles in synchronisation, and finding the right creatives for the job often depends on the budget. The Europe in Synch (EinS) project brings together the film and music worlds by organising workshops at European conferences and promoting dialogue and better understanding between the two sectors. Meet the EinS experts and take the opportunity for a one-to-one consultation on music for your film.
More information and registration: manca.ogrin@sigic.si
The event will be partly in Slovene and partly in English, without interpretation.
11.30
Green Hall
FIPRESCI Association of Slovenian Film Critics: WOMEN MAKING FILMS
Although Slovenian cinema didn’t get a feature directed by a woman until 2002, it seems that in 2024, when the City of Women festival celebrates its 30th edition, the film industry is finally ready for a more equal representation of women. Or is it? The director and screenwriter Sonja Prosenc, producer Ida Weiss, editor Sara Gjergek, and director Maja Doroteja Prelog, who has won an award for the promotion of gender equality for her documentary debut, discuss the social and systemic challenges they face in their field of work today. Chaired by Dr Polona Petek.
Organised by the FIPRESCI Association of Slovenian Film Critics with financial support from the Slovenian Film Centre.
13.00
Green Hall
LITERATURE ON FILM: Panel discussion on literature and film adaptations
To mark the 90th birth anniversary of Matjaž Klopčič, who adapted his Funeral Feast (1969) from Beno Zupančič’s novel ‘Sedmina’, and the centenary of birth of Igor Pretnar, who transferred works by Prežihov Voranc and Ivan Cankar to Wild Growth (1963) and Idealist (1976), we discuss connections between cinema and literature. In a time of renewed interest in literature on film with female authors, such as Suzana Tratnik, Bronja Žakelj, and Dijana Matković, we look into what makes literature cinematic, how adaptations of classics differ from those of contemporary literary works, and why it is important to build bridges between literary and screenwriting worlds.
Speakers include Aljoša Harlamov, a former editor of Cankarjeva založba publishing house, member of the Ekran Magazine editorial board and film podcaster; writer Suzana Tratnik; Dr Matevž Rudolf, a scholar and author of ‘Ko beseda podobo najde’, a book on Slovenian literature and cinema in theory and practice; and director and screenwriter Matevž Luzar. Chaired by Veronika Zakonjšek.
17.00
Green Hall
The Screen Actors Guild of Slovenia: PRESENTATION OF ‘ISKRA’ CERTIFICATE
The Iskra Certificate allows creatives to affirm their commitment to zero tolerance of sexual harassment and violence in the workplace and in the artistic process. To obtain it, candidates must be familiar with a few transparent steps that will prevent or at least limit sexual harassment and violence. The results of a survey carried out in 2021 show that both are present in the audiovisual sector. The certificate is aimed at public institutions, NGOs, AV producers as well as individual projects. It is a commitment to use tools that empower all those involved in the artistic process. The Iskra Certificate is already resonating in the performing arts, and now the aim is to introduce and extend it to the AV sector.
The Iskra Certificate was conceived by the Screen Actors Guild of Slovenia and the Slovenian Association of Dramatic Artists with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Slovenia.
Presentation by Nika Rozman, Rina Pleteršek, and Barbara Skubic, members of the Screen Actors’ Guild #itendswithus working group.
SATURDAY, 26. October
10.00
Green Hall
WORKSHOP PRESENTATION AND CLOSING SESSIONS
The Directors Guild of Slovenia (DSR) invites you to a presentation and closing sessions of three workshops:
‘Kratka scena’, a short film script development workshop, is organised in a creative partnership between DSR and the Society for short film promotion Kraken. An introduction of the workshop and its programme by the head of the workshop, Tanja Hladnik, is followed by project pitches by the participants of its ninth edition.
‘Dokumentarnica’, a documentary filmmaking lab, has been underway for the fourth year with directors Matjaž Ivanišin, Rok Biček, and Petra Seliškar. Presentations of their projects will be delivered by participants of Year 2023.
‘Scenarnica’, an intensive feature film script development workshop on how to turn an idea into the first version of the screenplay, has seen its ninth edition, this time with Elma Tataragić as the tutor. A presentation of the workshop by its artistic head Matevž Luzar is followed by project pitches by the participants, who will also read short excepts from their scripts.
All three workshops are funded by the Slovenian Film Centre.
14.00
Amphitheatre
DSR SOCIAL GET-TOGETHER
Join us for a social get-together over lunch!
All film enthusiasts are welcome: professionals or professionals-to-be.
The Saturday afternoon get-together is hosted by the Directors Guild of Slovenia (DSR) and the Slovenian Film Centre.
KOSOBRIN AWARD CEREMONY
At the 10th Kosobrin Awards Ceremony, the Directors Guild of Slovenia presents its 2024 Kosobrin Award for a priceless crew member.
The Kosobrin Awards Ceremony is part of ‘Evenings of the Directors Guild of Slovenia’, a programme funded by the Slovenian Film Centre.
FREE CHESS ZONE
FSF traditionally provides the opportunity to invite your colleagues or random strangers to a game of chess, a royal game where rather than defeat, losing is a chance for another game. Come and join us at one of the two tables with a chessboard!
The tournament is organised by the Chess Division of the Directors Guild of Slovenia (DSR).
16.00
Main Hall
CELEBRATING THE 90TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF MATJAŽ KLOPČIČ: Funeral Feast (Matjaž Klopčič, 1969)
Funeral Feast was the third feature film directed by Matjaž Klopčič, one of the aesthetically most distinct Slovenian filmmakers, whose 90th birth anniversary we celebrate this year. This was also his first adaptation of a literary work – Beno Zupančič’s 1957 novel ‘Sedmina’ – and his first film in colour, with few black & white scenes. Despite being set in Ljubljana during World War II, in the first year of Italy’s occupation, this is no ordinary film about the national liberation struggle. Against this historic background, its focus is on students about to graduate from high school, whose coming of age is brutally interrupted as they seek contact with the resistance movement in the midst of their first amorous longings and erotic experiences. According to Zdenko Vrdlovec, Funeral Feast made the national liberation movement an aesthetic category, a set of associative images that disrupt the usual perception of time, space and events, thereby undermining the solidity of the expected ideological frameworks.
Followed by a conversation.
SUNDAY, 27. October
10.00
Green Hall
CO-PRODUCTION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE REGION: Panel discussion
Traditionally, countries from the wider region have been Slovenia’s most important partners for film co-productions. According to all statistics, Croatia and Serbia have been at the top of the list in terms of the number of co-productions with Slovenia in recent years, and there are growing opportunities for cooperation in the wider region. In a discussion with the Director of the Slovenian Film Centre, Nataša Bučar, the directors of film centres from the region present the possibilities for cooperation in their countries and the support they offer. The panellists include Athena Kartalanou, Director of the Greek Film Centre, Aleksandra Božović, Director of the Film Centre of Montenegro, Petar Todorov, Director of the Bulgarian National Film Centre, Ivan Karl, Director of Film Center Serbia.
In the closing session, the panellists will be available for questions from the audience.