About & team
The Kino Otok – Isola Cinema International Film Festival has been exploring the art of film since 2004, discovering various film expressions in the company of filmmakers and an audience of all generations. Our programme is centred on world, European and Slovenian auteur cinema, which we understand as both art and an influential medium that reflects society, culture and life in general. We endeavour to raise key questions about and in relation to film, without imposing the answers; rather, we encourage an in-depth dialogue and critical reflection.
A decade ago, we at Isola Cinema decided not to continue with the competition section and so we no longer confer any awards. Today, the festival is thus an open space for showing and mediating films, one that promotes the equality of different expressions and modes of reflection that broaden our views and freshen our thoughts. A carefully curated programme of each edition includes around 130 films of all lengths, most of which are shown in Slovenia for the first time. The festival’s Mediterranean character is manifested in the balance between ease and temperament, which functions as our magic formula – whoever visits us wants to return again and again.
The main part of the 22nd edition of Kino Otok – Isola Cinema will take place between 10 and 14 June 2026 in Izola, but some of the screenings and meetings with filmmakers will also take place at the Slovenian Cinematheque and Kinodvor City Cinema in Ljubljana, at the art cinemas in Cerknica, Idrija, Sežana and Tolmin as well as in Koper and Marezige.
THE 22nd KINO OTOK – ISOLA CINEMA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IS:
- an exciting film programme that takes place under the stars in the Arrigoni Open-air Cinema and Manzioli Open.air Cinema, and in the haven of the Odeon Art Cinema and the House of Culture,
- a selection of short films by rising independent filmmakers in a relaxed atmosphere of Video on the Beach,
- Submarine – a programme of films and activities for children, young people and families,
- PRO Otok – a programme for film professionals and all who are interested in a film’s path from the idea to the screen and beyond,
- the festival feel in Izola’s streets, the artistic atmosphere in Izola’s galleries and the evening music programme on the Lighthouse beach,
- a programme of select festival films in Ljubljana, Cerknica, Idrija, Sežana and Tolmin,
- is Slovenia’s first film Festival to move towards zero waste
FESTIVAL TEAM
ISOLA CINEMA FESTIVAL DIRECTOR: Tanja Hladnik
HEAD FILM PROGRAMMER: Varja Močnik
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME BOARD: Ana Cerar, Tanja Hladnik, Anna Ladinig, Petra Meterc, Teja Miholič, Varja Močnik, Lorena Pavlič, Gaia Sluga, Tinkara Uršič Fratina, Meri Viler, Neil Young
PROGRAMME COORDINATOR: Nika Osredkar
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Gaia Sluga
OTOK INSTITUTE DIRECTOR: Lorena Pavlič
OTOK INSTITUTE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: Nina Jeglič
FESTIVAL DEPARTMENTS
VIDEO ON THE BEACH: Teja Miholič, Tinkara Uršič Fratina, heads
CINEMA ISTRIA AT ISOLA CINEMA: Lorena Pavlič, head, Meri Viler
SUBMARINE AT ISOLA CINEMA: Lorena Pavlič, head, Meri Viler, Ana Cerar, Sara Šabec, Ana Peršič, Lea Škerlič, Marco D’Agostino, Veronika Sofia Kalc, Andrea Mitrović
YOUNG PROGRAMMERS: Vita Mikičić, Veronika Zupančič, Eva Strle, Maja Drešar, Gašper Oražem, Davor Mikelič, Ayla Mušić Tana Vodopija, Erik Šegula in Ervin Ramulić. – in collaboration with Elvira Vatovec Prade Primary School, mentors Meri Viler, Natalia Gorenc; Enja Podboj, Lana Sirc, Vita Vehar, Lejla Naomi Butala, Uršula Stopar, Pia Gaberšček Škoa, Erazem Uršič Fratina, Olivia Jazbec Trpkova, Mark Antonij Novak – in collaboration with the Slovenian Cinematheque, mentors Ana Cerar, Vitja Dominkuš Drev
INDUSTRY PROGRAMME: Ana Cerar, head, Marco D’Agostino, Veronika Rakovec
FESTIVAL VISUAL IDENTITY: Urška Alič
PRINT COMMUNICATIONS EDITOR: Maja Ropret
TRANSLATORS OF TEXTS: Maja Ropret, Maja Lovrenov, Prevajalska agencija Lingo
PUBLIC RELATIONS: Maja Ava Žiberna, head, Kaja Rakušček, Kaja Stanič, Ana Ferluga Bordon
FESTIVAL TEASER: Dragan von Petrović
HOSPITALITY: Marja Kodre, head, Anuša Rojc, Ema Babnik, Gaja Zorič
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: Ana Bajt
TECHNICAL CREW AND INTERVENTION SQUAD: Lukas Medveš, Tadeja Jerman, Urban Košir, heads, Luka Dragar, Matej Mrčun, Tenej Davidovič, Martin Pavunc, Vladimir Nikolić, David Ljubojević
HEADS OF FILM SCREENINGS: Joop! van Langen & Polona Kuzman, Green DCP
PRINT TRAFFIC COORDINATOR: Kaja Bohorč
MANZIOLI AND ARRIGONI OPEN-AIR CINEMAS: Antonio Mastrolia, Stefano Tono & Stefano Ganzitti, L’Image; Urban Košir & Peter Persoglia, Kinoatelje
PROJECTIONISTS: Joop! van Langen, Antonio Mastrolia, Stefano Tono, Gašper Milkovič Biloslav, Marko Turkuš, Marko Horvat, Urban Košir, Rok Petrič, Peter Persoglia, Lukas Medveš
FILM TRANSLATORS AND VIDEOSUBTITLERS: Maja Lovrenov, head, Ana Grmek, Anja Naglič, Daša Cerar, Denis Debevec, Diana Jenko, Janina Kos, Luka Pieri, Miha Jenko, Tanja Bulajić, Urša Jernejc
HOSTS AND INTERPRETERS: Petra Meterc, Vanja Gajić, Neil Young, Marco D’Agostino, Peter Szabo, Mateja Sulič
BOX OFFICE: Tjaša Šteblaj, Irena Verbič, heads, Tina Jančič, Nuša Selič, Ana Prebil, Zala Klinar
USHERS: Aljoša Toplak, Phil Winter, Sofija Bošković, Nina Sinković, Ksenija Simonović, Matjaž Vidmar, Tatum van Bekhoven, Tara Dekleva, Fabian Ballweg
PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO: Pi Marie Schmidt, head, Yue Feng, Nikan Salari, Jelena Novaković, Patricia Šušteršič, Marko Rosikj, Fedja Saksida, Domen Ožbot & Maja Andlovic, Videokeks, recap video
DRIVERS: Mario Knapić, head, Irena Žgank, Žiga Tanko
KITCHEN: Andrijana Vesovska, head, Kalina Ristevska, Uroš Slemenjak, Urša Fornazarič, Kristina Dimovska
FESTIVAL CAMP: Peter Erzetič, head, Ratko Stojiljković, Tim Delač Hrovatin, Pavle Hrnčić, Eshwari Ramsali, Andrea Dragoj, Eva Pestotnik
BEACH LIBRARY BY IZOLA PUBLIC LIBRARY AND GALLERIES: Nika Pušlar, Monika Meško, Tatjana Srebernič-Sinkovič, Jovana Čolović
THE GREEN TEAM: Ana Golja in Ema Otavnik, Ecologists Without Borders; Ajda Kok, Andrea Poljak
RUNNERS: Tina Škrlin, Dragica Mackic, Maša Antonijevič, Julija Stolec, Teodora Dinić, Agata Alagjozovska, Miona Dimitrijević, Marc Borillo Garcia, Milica Gutovic, Goran Mojsic
STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES UP: Anastasiia Chemerys, Daša Mlakar, Matej Mrčun, Nina Sinković, Veronika Sofia Kalc, Andrea Mitrović, Kaja Stanič, mentors Nikolai Jeffs, Aleksandra Melanšek, Lorena Pavlič
CO-PRODUCERS’ AND PARTNERS’ TEAMS: Cultural Center Izola, Comunità autogestita della nazionalità italiana, Slovenian Cinematheque, Kinodvor. City Cinema., Kinoatelje
AND OTHERS
Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
Programme and schedules: link
Tickets: link
The festival online archive:
– 21th Kino Otok – Isola Cinema, 2025
– 20th Kino Otok – Isola Cinema, 2024
– 19th Kino Otok – Isola Cinema, 2023
– 18th Kino Otok – Isola Cinema, 2022
– 17th Kino Otok – Isola Cinema, 2021
– 16th Kino Otok – Isola Cinema, 2020
– 1st till 15th Kino Otok – Isola Cinema, 2004-2019
