PRO OTOK 2025
Events for film professionals and others interested in the film’s journey from idea to screen and beyond. No longer limited to the festival days in Izola, PRO Otok now freely explores creativity in filmmaking year round, starting in Ljubljana in May with a fresh collaboration with the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film, and Television (AGRFT), followed by the Izola lineup in June, and other events in the autumn.
PRO Otok in Ljubljana
Filmmaker in Focus: Igor Bezinović
For the last 15 years, Croatian documentary filmmaker Igor Bezinović has been developing a distinctive, insightful and playful expression as an auteur. A member of the young generation of Croatian filmmakers, he first came to prominence and scored success on the festival circuit with his highly original and mature short films. Born in Rijeka, he studied Comparative Literature, Philosophy and Sociology at the Faculty of Arts in Zagreb and Directing at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. He first toured the cinema screens with the feature documentary The Blockade (2012), documenting student protests in Zagreb. His second feature is A Brief Excursion (2017), a fiction film about a “lost” and sometimes “found” young generation. This year, Bezinović hit the screens with his third feature, Fiume o morte! (2025), which describes a very unusual, albeit brief chapter in history when Rijeka was occupied in 1919-1920 by the famous and notorious Italian writer, politician and (proto)fascist Gabriele D’Annunzio. The film won two awards, the Tiger Award and the Fipresci Prize, when it premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival. After the start of its distribution in Croatia and Italy and screenings in Slovenia, the film immediately won the hearts of wider audiences.
Dialogue: Igor Bezinović’s shorts
7. 5., 18.00–20.30, Kinodvorana AGRFT
The programme of diverse short documentaries, which explore complex interpersonal relationships with affection and humour, will be followed by a discussion on the contexts and impacts of Bezinović’s documentary filmmaking between Kino Otok’s programmer Varja Močnik and columnist and activist Miha Blažič aka N’toko.
Kratki obiteljski film / A Short Family Film, Igor Bezinović, Croatia, 2016, 20′
Mikrokaseta – najmanjša kaseta, kar sem jih videl / Mikrokazeta – najmanja kazeta koju sam ikad vidio / Microcassette – the Smallest Cassette I’ve Ever Seen, Igor Bezinović, Ivana Pipal, Croatia, Serbia, 2020, 19’
Veruda – A Film About Bojan, Igor Bezinović, Croatia, 2015, 33’
Free admission.
Masterclass: Igor Bezinović on shorts, at length
14. 5., 14.00–17.00, Kinodvorana AGRFT
A meeting with the filmmaker that combines a screening of Bezinović’s first and shortest films and a presentation of his unique view on filmmaking and auteur documentary cinema, which establishes a close contact with the people and the environment in which it is made.
Admission is free, but spaces are limited so please book yours at this application.
A Brief Excursion
Igor Bezinović, Croatia, 2017, 75’,
14. 5., 18.00–20.30, Kinodvorana AGRFT
Followed by a Q&A. Free admission.
PRO Otok in Izola
Training for Film Curators
4.-6. 6., Sončna dvorana JSKD
How to attract the widest possible range of audiences to the cinema? The three-day training course on curating a film programme in a local cinema will include film screenings, trend analysis, promoting sustainable social practices and comparing promotional strategies through lectures, practical assignments, project work, group work and examples of good practice. Organised by Slovenian Art Cinema Association with the support of Kino Otok and Motovila / CED Slovenia, co-financed by the Slovenian Film Centre.
Find out more at kinootok.org. Admission is free, but spaces are limited so please book yours at info@artkinomreza.si. Priority is given to members of the Slovenian Art Cinema Association.
Inspiration Accelerator for Video on the Beach filmmakers
6.–8. 6., Manziolijeva palača
Moderated meetings for filmmakers participating in the Video on the Beach strand to open a space for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and creative and production needs through a dialogue with selected festival guests.
Friday, 6. 6., 18.00-19.00
Rendez-vous with Johannes Gierlinger and Sami van Ingen
Saturday, 7. 6., 11.00-12.00
Rendez-vous with Igor Bezinović and Jasna Krajinović
Sunday, 8. 6., 11.00-12.00
Rendez-vous with Marina Gumzi and Sarita Matijević
Admission is free, but spaces are limited so please book yours at video@isolacinema.org.
Short Scene at Isola Cinema
6. 6., Various venues
‘Short Scene’ is an intensive 6-month screenwriting workshop organised by the Directors’ Guild of Slovenia in collaboration with the Slovenian Film Centre and in partnership with the Society for short film promotion Kraken. For more information, see dsr.si. For workshop participants.
For PRO Otok events in the autumn, please follow kinootok.org.
