FILMS AND GUESTS
Wednesday, 4. 6.
From Ground Zero
Ala’a Ayob, Kareem Satoum, Alaa Damo, Aws Al-Banna, Rabab Khamees, E’temad Weshah, Mustafa Al-Nabih, Hana Awad, Wissam Moussa, Basil Al-Maqousi, Nidaa Abu Hasna, Mahdi Karirah, Palestine, France, Qatar, Jordan, 2024, 115′
In Gaza, artists and filmmakers pour their daily lives during the genocide into short fiction, documentary, and experimental films.
Video on the Beach I
Beyond the Face, Anja Resman, Slovenia, 2024, 9’50’’, The Singers, Fabian Rausch & Zorah Berghammer, Austria, 2024, 16’, Rats with Flowery Hats, Hannah Koselj Marušič, Slovenia, 2024, 9’43’’, No Time, Tina Furlan, Slovenija, 2024, 2’13”, Oops!, Matic Dominko, Slovenia, 2024, 21’12’’, I Did Not Stop the Entire Day, Klara Berdais, Croatia, 2024, 8’, Vox Humana, Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, Filipini, 2024, 22’, The Future… Is Just Like You Imagined, Sara Bezovšek, Slovenia, 2024, 13’
With the support of Austrian Cultural Forum.
Une Langue Universelle / Universal Language
Matthew Rankin, Canada, 2024, 89’
A funny and gently moving encounter between Canadian and Iranian cultures and cinemas that cradles the spirit and warms the heart.
Thursday, 5. 6.
Kouté vwa / Listen to the Voices Maxime
Jean-Baptiste, Belgium, France, French Guiana, 2024, 77′
Through the eyes of a young boy, this highly personal documentary fiction film explores the tragic consequences of colonial rule in French Guiana.
Otapanje vladara / Wondrous Is the Silence of My Master
Ivan Salatić, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, France, Italy, 2025, 93’
A mesmerising historical drama about a 19th century Montenegrin poet and ruler and his servant; about homesickness, roots, loyalty, and myths of historical figures.
Ivan Salatić will join us after the screening for a Q&A.
Cast of Shadows
Sami van Ingen, Finland, 2025, 121’
The filmmaker explores the rich archive of his grandfather, documentary pioneer Robert J. Flaherty, shedding light on the key role of Flaherty’s wife Frances and daughters in his creative oeuvre.
Sami van Ingen will join us after the screening for a Q&A.
Video on the Beach II
How I Waited for the Sun, Veronika Francesca Štefančič, Slovenia, 2025, 30’, Letter to a Friend, Ana Prebil, Belgium, 2024, 3’45’’, Their Eyes, Nicolas Gourault, France, 2025, 22’, You Are the Truck and I Am the Deer, Max Ferguson, Belgium, 2023, 5’, Isthmus, Ema Paš, Slovenia, 2024, 14’15’’, We Were No Desert, Agustina Comedi, Chiachio & Giannone, Argentina, 2024, 12’, From Peter to Aida, Petra Pavetić Kranjčec, Croatia, 2025, 6’32’’, Husky, Lana Bregar, Slovenia, 2024, 6’33’’
Fiume o morte!
Igor Bezinović, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, 2025, 112’
A playful reconstruction of the years 1919-1920, when the notorious literary and political show-off Gabriele D’Annunzio occupied the nearby town of Rijeka.
Selected by young programmers in collaboration with the University of Primorska Faculty of Humanities. Before the screening, they talk to the film director.
Friday, 6. 6.
Common Pear and La Jetée
Common Pear, Gregor Božič, Slovenia, 2025, 15’, La Jetée, Chris Marker, France, 1962, 28’
At the crossroads of the past and the future, this dreamlike yet striking double bill reflects on the nature and importance of human memory, both personal and collective.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Marina Gumzi and Gregor Božič.
With the support of Institut français.
L’Empire / The Empire
Bruno Dumont, France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, 2024, 110′
Strange events in an idyllic French village escalate into a battle of unearthly proportions, a bizarre sci-fi parody.
Generationen von Bildern / Generations of Images
Johannes Gierlinger, Albania, Austria, 2025, 103’
Research into Albanian film archives reveals images of the regime and the regime of images to explore how much history still resonates in the Albanian present.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Johannes Gierliner and Mira Klug.
With the support of Austrian Cultural Forum.
Night Moves
Kelly Reichardt, USA, 2013, 112′
Part of a retrospective produced by the Slovenian Cinematheque in cooperation with the Ljubljana Film Festival Liffe and Kino Otok and to be screened in the autumn, the film follows three environmentalists who take radical action and try to live with the consequences.
Cinema in Dialogue with the Written Word
Lady Lazarus, Sandra Lahire, UK, 1991, 24’, Gli anni / The Years, Sara Fgaier, Italy, France, 2018, 20’, You and Me, Karsten Krause, Germany, 2010, 4’
Archival footage and a kaleidoscope of fragmented images enter into dialogue with memory, diary entries, poetry, extracts from prose texts, and elements of autofiction. Film critic Veronika Zakonjšek discusses cinema as an intimate immersion into the subjective experience of a time, body, and space with director Sara Fgaier and all-round artist Tomaž Grom.
With the support of Italian Cultural Institute.
Cuori senza frontiere / The White Line
Luigi Zampa, Italy, 1950, 86’
A humane film about the tragedy of a small town on the border between Italy and Yugoslavia being split in half by the post-WW II line of demarcation.
In cooperation with the project ‘EAST—WEST Border through film and history’, which is part of the official programme of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025. Followed by a presentation of Kinoatelje and Otok Institute’s projects that are part of the official GO! 2025 programme.
Simón de la montaña / Simon of the Mountain
Federico Luis, Argentina, Chile, 2024, 97’
A lonely young man befriends a group of young people with special needs and together, in a world not designed for them, they begin to set their own rules for love and happiness.
Video on the Beach III
Heirloom, Lucija Rosc, Slovenia, 2024, 24’19”, Severinin pas / Dog of a Famous Person, Jozo Schmuch, Croatia, 2024, 19’, Where the Log Went,Tara Caruso Bizjak, Slovenia, 2024, 10’12”, Sixty-seven Milliseconds, Fleuryfontaine, France, 2025, 15’, Grčke marelice / Greek Apricots, Jan Krevatin, Hrvaška, Slovenia, 2024, 20’, The Ninth Village, Gregor Kocjančič, Slovenia, 2025, 4’, Žarko, razmazit ćeš dite! / Žarko, You Will Spoil the Child!, Veljko Popović, Milivoj Popović, Croatia, France, 2024, 13’37”
Pooja, Sir
Deepak Rauniyar, Nepal, USA, Norway, 2024, 118’
This gripping crime thriller follows DI Pooja as she investigates the kidnapping of two boys along Nepal’s troubled border to India.
Il volo / The Flight
Silvano Agosti, Italy, 1975, 32′
“Basaglia invited me to Trieste, where he had managed to borrow a plane, wanting to take a walk in the sky with patients who had always been confined. The film is a simple chronicle of this happy day.” (Silvano Agosti)
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Mila Mazić.
In cooperation with the Kino Basaglia project, which is part of the official programme of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025.
Saturday, 7. 6.
Colorful Worlds for Little Dreamers 4+
Lithuania, 30′, no dialogue
Patrikas / The Perfect Fit, Meinardas Valkevičius, 2022, 10’26”, Kanoposir pačiūžos / Hoofs on Skates, Ignas Meilūnas, 2024, 12’24”, Katu katu, Giedrė Narušytė Boots, 2021, 5’30”, Močiutės blynai / Grandma’s Pancakes, Vykintas Labanauskas, Dominyka Adomaitytė, 2019, 2′
A programme of stylistically diverse animated films, in which courage overcomes the most seemingly daunting obstacles. In cooperation with the Vilnius Short Film Festival.
Followed by an optical toys workshop. A playful way to learn the ABCs of animated cinema and its history. Admission is free to both the screening and the workshop.
Nech je svetlo / Let There Be Light
Marko Škop, Slovakia, Czechia, 2019, 93’
Focusing on a father and son, the story reflects on a society steeped in traditionalism and machismo, and the mechanisms enabling the rise of the radical right in Slovakia and beyond.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Marko Škop and Igor Mirković.
Véletlenül írtam egy könyvet / I Accidentally Wrote a Book 8+
Nóra Lakos, Hungary, the Netherlands, 2024, 98′, in Hungarian with Slovene subtitles
Can books be written by accident? A vivid and playful tale of creativity, imagination and the trials and tribulations of growing up.
This screening is accessible to the blind and partially-sighted, and the deaf and hard of hearing, with audio description, Slovene subtitles, and Slovene Sign language interpreting.
Selected by young programmers from Elvira Vatovec Prade Primary School. After the screening, they talk to the film director.
Sulla terra leggeri / Weightless
Sara Fgaier, Italy, 2024, 94′
Meandering through time and space, this tender tale seeks to answer what happens when we forget the love of our life.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Sara Fgaier.
With the support of Italian Cultural Institute.
Matti da slegare / Fit to Be Untied
Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli, Silvano Agosti, Marco Bellocchio, Italy, 1975, 135’
A groundbreaking documentary, a historical document of exceptional value, and a compelling example of Italian activist cinema, the film supports the premises of psychiatrist Franco Basaglia and contributes to the political and social commitment to abolish psychiatric hospitals. Followed by a discussion on Basaglia, an important reformer of psychiatric institutions, and on the representation of his work in cinema.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Stefano Rulli and Mila Lazić about the film and the work of Franco Basaglia.
In cooperation with the Kino Basaglia project, which is part of the official programme of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025.
Video on the Beach IV
Do You Know Where the Birds Live?, Anja Paternoster, Slovenia, South Korea, 2025, 3’, Mentor, Tinkara Klipšteter, Slovenia, 2024, 15’, Getty splavi / Getty Abortions,Franzis Kabisch, Austria, Germany, 2023, 21’, World at Stake, Total Refusal (Susanna Flock, Adrian Jonas Haim, Jona Kleinlein), Austria, 2025, 17’, Hell Thunders, Milan Bajčetić, Slovenia, 2024, 13’42”, Nema mjesta / No Room, Jelena Oroz, Croatia, 2024, 6’22”, Vel Vet Vel_Festival Film, Miha Možina, Slovenia, Croatia, 2024, 24’31”
With the support of Austrian Cultural Forum.
Man of Aran
Robert J. Flaherty, UK, 1934, 77’
A turbulent journey through time to a fishing village in the Aran Islands, where the sea is both the main source of survival and a relentless enemy.
With live music accompaniment by Polona Janežič!
Sunday, 8. 6.
Ghatashraddha / The Ritual
Girish Kasaravalli, India, 1977, 108’
The debut work by one of the pioneers of the Indian New Wave is a film about the cruel ostracism of a young widow who breaks the rigid code of the orthodox Brahmin caste.
Sauvages! / Savages 8+
Claude Barras, Switzerland, France, Belgium, 2024, 87′, dubbed in Slovene
Keira, Selaï and young orangutan Oshi join forces to protect Borneo’s tropical forest, discovering the power of nature, community, and friendship.
Followed by an creative workshop ‘Plastic Gobblers‘ 5+
A recycling workshop to explore the underwater world and its pollution, and to make sea creatures out of plastic waste. Free admission. In collaboration with Gumb.
Le chambre de Damien / Damian’s Room 14+
Jasna Krajinovič, Belgium, Slovenia, 2008, 73′
This sensitive yet relentless portrait of the lost youth of the socially alienated Damjan is one of the highlights of Slovenian documentary cinema.
Selected by young programmers in collaboration with the Slovenian Cinematheque. After the screening, they talk to the film director.
Restitucija, ili, San i java stare garde / Eighty Plus
Želimir Žilnik, Serbia, Slovenia, 2025, 118’
Through a series of encounters, the film shows the life of eighty-something Stevan and his spirit of solidarity as he returns to Serbia due to denationalisation after decades of living in Germany.
Želimir Žilnik will join us for a discussion after the screening.
Young Hearts 12+
Anthony Schatteman, Belgium, the Netherlands, 2024, 97′, in Dutch and French with Slovene subtitles
The film shows the transition from the easy everyday life of adolescence to the rapid heartbeat, a symptom of first love.
With the support of the Flemish Government.
Grand Tour
Miguel Gomes, Portugal, Italy, France, 2024, 129’
A whirlwind love story set in early 20th century colonial Asia, the film takes us on a dreamlike journey through past and present.
Video on the Beach V
The Tower 1, Andraž Žigart, Slovenia, 2025, 4’30’’, Inventory, Ivan Marković, Serbia, 2025, 21’, Blooming, Lara Šifrer, Slovenia, 2025, 25’17”, Leptir / Butterfly,Sunčana Brkulj, Croatia, Denmark, 2024, 8’07”, Cuando todo arde / When Everything Burns, Maria Belen Poncio, Argentina, USA, 2024, 15’, Starvation, Aleksandra Stosić, Slovenia, 2024, 12’, Catlands, Ana Čigon, Slovenia, 2024, 9’44’’, Gerhard, Ulu Braun, Germany, 2025, 10’15”
Vermiglio
Maura Delpero, Italy, France, Belgium, 2024, 119’
In a remote village in the Italian Alps just before the end of World War II, the love between a local girl and an incomer sets the wheel of fate in motion. Venice Silver Lion winner!
With the support of Italian Cultural Institute.
