FILMS AND GUESTS
Wednesday, 10. 6. 2026
Good Valley Stories / Historias del buen valle
José Luis Guerin, Spain, France, 2025, 125’, ap + svp
The film closely documents the stories of generations of residents in Vallbona, a long-forgotten, now lively Barcelona suburb facing an uncertain future.
With support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain.
My Semba / Meu semba
Hugo Salvaterra, Angola, 2026, 93’, ap + svp
A colorful city symphony set to the rhythms of rap poetry reveals stories of unwavering resilience and dignity amid the harsh daily life of Luanda’s working people.
Introduction: Hugo Salvaterra
Video on the Beach I: Beyond Space
Found & Lost, Reza Rasouli, Austria, 2025, 17’22’’, ComputerVision.py, Lenart Sušnik, Slovenia, 2026, 3’42’’, DEATH – An Introduction for Beginners: A Handbook with Regulations, Norms, and Useful Tips. Third, Revised Edition, Martin Horvat, Slovenia, 2025, 24’03’’, Our Lady of Rot, Bibi Erjavec, Slovenia, 2025, 5’08’’, Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites / Chao Somnop Chet, Chheangkea, Cambodia, France, USA, 2025, 19’, Samba Infinito, Leonardo Martinelli, Brazil, France, 2025, 15’25’’, Stop!, Brina Fekonja, Slovenia, 2025, 2’20’’, When I Was Little, I Wasn’t Afraid / Toen Ik Klein Was, Was Ik Niet Bang, Guido F. G. Jeurissen, The Netherlands, 2025, 20’
Thursday, 11. 6. 2026
KINO BASAGLIA: Alda Merini – A Woman on Stage / Alda Merini – Una donna sul palcoscenico
Cosimo Damiano Damato, Italy, 2009/2021, 60’, sp
A deeply personal account in which the poet Alda Merini bares her soul, recounting life in a mental health institution, love, children, and the importance of being a poet.
My Friend Sely
Maja Alibegović, Croatia, 2025, 45′, sp + avp
The filmmaker returns to the place where she grew up to tell the story of her friend, the rebellious hunter Sely, raising the questions of intergenerational friendship, emancipation, and self-realisation.
Screened with:
Bambi By the River
Ester Ivakič, Italy, Slovenia, 2025, 6’, sp + avp
Two girls want to go to the cinema to see Bambi, but the screening is sold out.
In collaboration with Kinoatelje.
Talk: Maja Alibegović, Ester Ivakič
Les Misérables
Claude Lelouch, France, 1995, 175′, ap
This epic, nuanced, and—for many—the finest film adaptation of Hugo’s classic transposes the novel’s events to the 20th century, delivering a film-within-a-film while preserving the essence of the original work.
Masterclass: Laurent Tesseyre
In collaboration with the Slovenian Association of Set Designers, Costume Designers, and Make-up Artists, with support from The Slovenian Federation of Filmmakers’ Guilds.
Vasko Pregelj – The Constants of Vanishing
Vasko Pregelj, Slovenia (Yugoslavia), 52′
Dreams, 1966, 5’, Fantasy, 1965, 8’, Old Courtyard, 1967, 11’, Requiem, 1966, 14’, Nocturne, 1965, 14’
In the late 1960s, Vasko Pregelj makes a series of visually sophisticated, darkly grotesque, and baroquely surreal experimental films. As sound has been preserved for only two of the five films in the programme, Tine ‘Nitz’ Mulej Vrabič will create a live soundscape for the event by sampling existing recordings and reinterpreting them in a contemporary ambient style. In collaboration with the Slovenian Cinematheque.
A Year of School / Un anno di scuola
Laura Samani, Italy, France, 2025, 102’, ap + svp
After moving from Sweden to Trieste, Fred enrolls in a technical high school, where, as the only girl in her class, she experiences the role society assigns to women in a male-dominated world.
In collaboration with Cinema Istria.
Introduction: Giacomo Covi, Pietro Giustolisi, Samuel Volturno
Video on the Beach II: Spaceless
Welcome Home, Filip Jembrih Jandras, Slovenia, Croatia, 2025, 18’56’’, Etaf, Maya Salvini, Slovenia, 2025, 13’, things that i was gathering, Ekaterina Zhuzhleva, Finland, Belgium, Portugal, 2025, 6’30’’, Suiside Fish, Tenej Davidović, Slovenia, 2025, 9’49’’, Housing Problem / Stambeno pitanje, Marko Plejić, Croatia, 2025, 14’45’’, Last Shot, Parham Rahimzadeh, The Netherlands, 2026, 17’49’’, Concrete Kids / Betono vaikai, Saulius Baradinskas, Lithuania, 2026, 20’, The Ninth Peak, Gregor Kocjančič, Slovenia, 2026, 6’31’’
Friday, 12. 6. 2026
God Will Not Help / Bog neće pomoći
Hana Jušić, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia, 2025, 137’, sp + avp
In this raw, poetic neo-western, the arrival of a mysterious stranger in the Croatian hills in the early 20th century disrupts the established order of a traditional shepherding community.
Zebra Poetry Film Festival Presents
Programme of shorts, 50’, ap
Best shorts from the Zebra Poetry Film Festival, a platform showcasing short films based on poetry since 2002, brought to Kino Otok by its producer, Berlin-based Haus für Poesie.
In collaboration with Cinema Istria.
Talk: Thomas Zandegiacomo Del Bel, art director
The Virgin of Pessac / La Rosière de Pessac
Jean Eustache, France, 1968, 65’, sp + avp
During the French student protests of May 1968, Eustache’s first documentary follows the century-old tradition of the annual selection of the “most virtuous” girl in the village.
In collaboration with the Slovenian Cinematheque.
My Armenian Phantoms / Mes fantômes arméniens
Tamara Stepanyan, France, Armenia, Qatar, 2025, 75’, ap + svp
This intimate journey through the forgotten world of Armenian cinema explores a tradition that has produced some of the most visually stunning and thematically powerful works of its time.
Talk: Tamara Stepanyan
Orphan / Árva
László Nemes, Hungary, France, Germany, UK, 2025, 132’, sp + avp
A harrowing, sombre film about a boy named Andor who, in the wake of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, finds himself confronting dark family secrets in an occupied country still recovering from WWII.
If You Are Afraid You Put Your Heart into Your Mouth and Smile / Wenn du Angst hast nimmst du dein Herz in den Mund und lächelst
Marie Luise Lehner, Austria, 2025, 87′, Slovene descriptive subtitles + szj + avp
In high school, Anna struggles with feelings of shame stemming from her social background. A story of belonging, caring for others, friendship, and solidarity, set to a rich soundtrack.
Talk: Marie Luise Lehner
Habibi Hussein
Alex Bakri, Palestine, Germany, Saudi Arabia, 2025, 96’, ap
A cinematic portrait of projectionist Hussein Darbi, serving as a tribute to all those dedicated to preserving film heritage even under occupation, and a reflection on the pitfalls of cultural colonialism.
Yugo Goes to America / Yugo ide u Ameriku
Aleksa Borković, Filip Grujić, Serbia, Croatia, 2026, 87’, sp + avp
In the iconic Yugo, this road documentary takes us on a journey of brotherhood and remembrance, passing by numerous auto repair shops and warm-hearted encounters from NYC to LA.
Introduction: Aleksa Borković, Filip Grujić
Video on the Beach III: Premičnost
Fačuk, Maida Srabović, Croatia, Slovenia, 2025, 12’47’’, Peaceful Protest, Toma, Slovenia, 2025, 4’57’’, Preventive Attack, Ajda Zupan, Slovenia, Jordan, 2026, 10’51’’, Some Things Are a Sign, But Some Aren’t, Danaja Kurnik, Slovenia, 2025, 4’20’’, How to Listen to Fountains, Eva Sajanová, Slovakia, 2025, 10’07’’, Deconstruction, Neda Ivanović, Slovenia, 2025, 3’09’’, A Fistful of Feathers, Emanuel Krajnc, Slovenia, 2026, 17’16’’, S The Wolf, Sameh Alaa, France, Egypt, 2025, 10’30’’, No Skate!, Guil Sela, France, 2025, 24’, Caries, Aline Höchli, Switzerland, 2025, 9’41’’
Poetry in Images and Words
An evening of film & poetry, 60’, in Slovene and Italian
A program of short films inspired by the poetry of the author whose name appears next to the title. The films were made by young filmmakers under the tutelage of directors Paolo Comuzzi, Jan Cvitkovič, and Maja Prettner as part of the project ‘The Poetry of Dialects and the Landscape of Images.’ The screening will be accompanied by a reading of poetry by Maurizio Benedetti and others.
In collaboration with Cinema Istria. With support from the Italian Cultural Institute.
From the Port of Isola – Maurizio Benedetti
El Color Griso / The Colour Grey – Dorina Beržan
San Martino di Carso – Giuseppe Ungaretti
Under the Bridge / Sotto il ponte – Ana Pepelnik
Loneliness / Solitudine – Lili Novy
Saturday, 13. 6. 2026
How It Grows… 3 (4+)
Ema Muc, Slovenia, 2026, 20′, in Slovene
New episodes of the popular animated series portray the life cycles of a dolphin, wolf, beaver, and octopus.
Workshop: Look how it grows, hops, swims—my quirky little animal
Join us for an animation workshop to create quirky little animals and watch them come to life right before your eyes.
Admission is free for both the screening and the workshop.
Mary Anning / Mary Anning, chasseuse de fossils (7+)
Marcel Barelli, Switzerland, Belgium, 2025, 72′, dubbed in Slovene
The animated film depicts Mary, a brave and unruly girl who breaks the rules and norms of her time, and grows up to become a palaeontologist and one of the first female scientists.
Film and archaeology walk
After the screening, join us for a walk to the Archaeological Park San Simon and learn about the lives of the Romans, who once lived there. Admission is free for the walk.
Forget Me Not / Non ti scordar di me
Anja Medved, Slovenia, 2025, 104’, ap + svp
Personal childhood memories of the filmmaker and the participants reconstruct the landscape of memory in the border region of Gorizia, a place ravaged by war and political violence.
Talk: Anja Medved, Nadja Velušček
Home Is the Ocean (12+)
Livia Vonaesch, Switzerland, 2024, 94′, in German with Slovene and English subtitles
Over the course of seven years, this documentary film follows an eight-member family living on a sailboat and traveling the world’s oceans, challenging conventional views on education, home, safety, and relationships.
Selected by young programmers from the Elvira Vatovec Prade Primary School.
Chronicles from the Siege
Abdallah Alkhatib, Algeria, France, Palestine, 2026, 98’, ap + svp
In a besieged city, people facing hunger, scarce medical care, snipers, and bombs persist in living their lives, seeking friendship, love, intimacy, and the pleasure of a cigarette.
Circusboy (8+)
Julia Lemke, Anna Koch, Germany, 2025, 86′, in German with Slovene and English subtitles
A documentary film about Santino, a boy who travels the world with his large circus family and animals, growing up listening to the wild stories told by his great-grandpa.
Juggling workshop
After the screening, try your hand at juggling with the help of circus instructors from the Cirkokrog association. Admission is free for the workshop.
White Lies
Alba Zari, Italy, 2025, 99’, ap
In this personal documentary, the filmmaker sets upon a journey to dissolve the fog of lies and silence about her childhood, spent with her mother and grandmother in the Children of God cult in Thailand.
With support from the Italian Cultural Institute.
Talk: Alba Zari, Manuela Buono
The Reserve / La Reserva
Pablo Pérez Lombardini, Mexico, 2024, 93’, ap + svp
In this gritty environmental thriller, the lines between duty, sacrifice, and survival begin to blur for forest ranger Julia as she fights illegal loggers destroying the forest around her village.
Video on the Beach IV: Distinctive Space
Everything I’ve Ever Wanted to Hear, Ema Paš, SSlovenia, 2025, 21’59’’, The Girl Who Wasn’t Afraid of Bears, Lea Vučko, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, 2025, 20’, One Meter Is Six Centimeters, Juš Jeraj, Atila Urbančič, Slovenia, 2025, 11’26’’, Arachnophobia, Melita Sandrin, Slovenia, 2025, 2’49’’, Dog and Wolf / Pes a vlk, Terézia Halamová, Czech Republic, 2025, 20’, Stone of Destiny / Kámen Osudu, Julie Černá, Czech Republic, 2025, 10’26’’, HYENA, Altay Ulan Yang, USA, China, 2025, 21’
Sunday, 14. 6. 2026
Lampie / Lampje – de film (10+)
Margien Rogaar, The Netherlands, 2024, 94′, in Dutch with Slovene subtitles
Lampie, the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, must light a lamp every night to warn ships away from the rocks. But after a stormy night, she befriends Edward, a boy with a fish tail.
Film and sea walk
After the screening, join curators from the local Maritime Museum to learn many more interesting facts about the sea. Admission is free for the walk.
In the Land of Arto / Le Pays d’Arto
Tamara Stepanyan, France, Armenia, 2025, 104’, ap + svp
After her husband dies, Céline travels to his hometown in Armenia, in the heart of a country plagued by constant armed conflict, where she is confronted with his secrets and the ghosts of past wars.
Talk: Tamara Stepanyan
Daisies / Sedmikrásky
Věra Chytilová, Czechoslovakia, 1966, 76′, sp + avp
Teenagers Marie I and Marie II are passionately eager to dismantle the world of constraints, compartments, and rules of patriarchal culture. A gem of the Czech New Wave, the film is a blend of anarchy and cinematic experimentation.
Screened with:
The Gratinated Brains of Pupilija Ferkeverk / Gratinirani mozak Pupilije Ferkeverk
Karpo Godina, Serbia, Slovenia (Yugoslavia), 1970, 11’, svp + avp
A collage of scenes bathed in various lights and the iridescent hues of the sky above salt pans.
Young programmers talk to: Karpo Godina
The two films were selected by young programmers in collaboration with the Slovenian Cinematheque.
White Snail
Elsa Kremser, Levin Peter, Austria, Germany, 2025, 115′, ap
Physicality, beauty, death, and love through the eyes of a girl who dreams of a modelling career and a boy who works in a morgue while pouring his inner world—which he rarely shares with others—into his paintings.
With support from the Austrian Cultural Forum.
The Last One for the Road / Le città di pianura
Francesco Sossai, Italy, Germany, 2025, 100’, sp + avp
A chance encounter grows into a chaotic journey through the Venetian plains, where plans are constantly thwarted by bad advice, hangovers, and unexpected friendships.
With support from the Italian Cultural Institute.
Screened with:
In the Clouds of Memory / Nelle nuvole della memoria
Francesco Sossai, Italy, Slovenia, 2025, 8′, sp + avp
A man returns from a future in which the art of cinema no longer exists, searching for a copy of a film starring Nora Gregor.
In collaboration with Kinoatelje.
See You Beyond the Horizon
Afro-Cuban fever from the Adriatic hinterland
The fever of Afro-Cuban rhythms from the fiery fingers of local Bend-it! Orchestra promises to sweep up Istria from its free-spirited yet down-to-earth lyricism.
Video on the Beach V: Unfixed Space
Loynes, Dorian Jespers, Belgium, France, North Macedonia, UK, 2025, 25’03’’, Nazorjeva Street, Matevž Jerman, Rok Kajzer Nagode, Niko Novak Slovenia, 2025, 11’27’’, Dollhouse Elephant, Jenny Jokela, Finland, 2025, 11’11’’, The Dark Hill, Vanja Miloš Jovanović, Slovenia, 2025, 14’37’’, Baby Money, Matjaž Jamnik, Gaja Naja Rojec, Slovenia, 2025, 15’13’’, No Contest / La Première Marche, Olivier Wright, France, 2025, 18’02’’, No Photos Please, Asiana Jurca Avci, Urša Rahne, Slovenia, 2025, 6’09’’, Women’s Club, Anđelina Petrović, Slovenia, 2025, 3’56’’
