15/10/2008

In 2008, the Slovenian film industry has undergone some negative changes due to political turbulences. This mostly concerns local and European product, as Hollywood fare accounts for about 70% of the theatrical market.

One of the four arthouse cinemas in the country, Kinodvor, in the capital city of Ljubljana, closed in April and reopened in October, funded by the city rather than the Slovenian Ministry of Culture.

Nine feature films have been finished so far in 2008, the same as in 2007, including some whose production started last year. Slovenian companies participated as minor partners in three co-productions: Goran Markovic’s The Tour, Stefan Arsenijevic’s Love and Other Crimes [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Stefan Komandarev’s The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Slovenian films that traveled around world festivals the most were Damjan Kozole’s Forever [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Metod Pevec’s Estrellita [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Danijel Hočevar
interview: Metod Pevec
interview: Nerina Kocjančič
film profile].

There is currently one film in production, and three in post-production. The most active production companies are Danijel Hocevar’s Vertigo/Emotionfilms, Jozko Strugar’s Staragara and Brana Srdic’s A Atalanta. The most prominent directors are Pevec, Jan Cvitkovic, Kozole, Janez Burger and Marko Nabersnik. The Slovenian Film Fund participates in financing local films, providing about 50% of the budget for domestic projects and 20% for co-productions.

There are a total of 60 screens in a country inhabited by some two million people, including four multiplexes. The highest grossers of the year are Mamma Mia! (€432,352) and Kung Fu Panda (€400,000). The best placed European film are Asterix at the Olympic Games [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (€115,594) and Julie Delpy’s Two Days in Paris [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christophe Mazodier
interview: Julie Delpy
film profile] (€26,757). Of the three local films distributed in 2008, Estrellita earned €35,259.