The 29th edition of the Festival of Slovenian Film, which ran from 13-18 October in the coastal town of Portorož, came to a close with an award ceremony held in the iconic Auditorium that also hosted most of the festival’s screenings. A total of 129 Slovenian films – majority and minority co-productions – of different types and formats were presented at this edition of the event.

Ester Ivakič’s debut feature Ida Who Sang So Badly Even the Dead Rose Up and Joined Her in Song emerged victorious. Besides Best Feature Film, the jury – consisting of Ingird Kovač Brus, journalist, as well as scriptwriter and producer Iza Strehar and filmmaker Nebojša Slijepčević – bestowed it three more Vesna Awards : for Best Supporting Actor (Matej Puc), Best Original Music (Alenja Pivko Kneževič and Simon Penšek) and Best Sound Design (Samo Jurca).

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Another film bagged four awards : Luka Marčetić’s fantasy-comedy Girl in the Night, which earned Marčetić the Vesna for Best Screenplay, Lev Predan Kowarski another one for Best Cinematography and Špela Murenc Škulj a third one for Best Editing. The film also won the award of the Slovenian branch of the FIPRESCI. Darko Štante was voted best director for his sophomore feature, The Lost Son, which also won Best Production Design (Miha Knific). Best Lead and Best Supporting Actress went to Anuša Kodelja and Klara Kuk for their roles in Urša Menart’s Everything That’s Wrong With You. Gregor Baković got the Vesna for Best Actor in a lead role for Jan Cvitkovič’s Hotel Alcohol.

Another jury including filmmaker and video artist Ana Čigon, filmmaker and curator Jurij Meden as well as filmmaker and festival selector Igor Stanojević was entrusted with the task of deciding on the winners in the documentary, animated film, experimental film, short film and student film categories. Amongst the documentaries, Siniša Gačić’s Dance of Life came out on top; Leo Černic’s short film Cosmonauts was deemed the best animated film; Gregor Kocjančič’s short film The Ninth Peak won Best Experimental Film; Nika Jurman’s Little House was voted best short; Živa Divjak’s Our Walls won Best Student Film.

Interestingly, the documentaries dominated three more categories which usually lean towards fiction: Srđan Kovačević’s The Thing to Be Done won the Vesna for Best Minority Co-production, Kauniaro: Dance for Love or Kill and Die, directed by Tomo Križnar, Bojana Pivk Križnar and Maja Weiss, won the hearts of the audience and Shadows of Silence, by Jure Kreft and Darko Sintič, scooped the Art Cinema Network of Slovenia Award.

Here is the full list of awards

Vesna Awards

Best Feature Film
Ida Who Sang So Badly Even the Dead Rose Up and Joined Her in Song – Ester Ivakič (Slovenia/Croatia)

Best Director
Darko Štante – The Lost Son (Slovenia/Croatia/Italy/Greece)

Best Screenplay
Luka Marčetić – Girl in the Night (Slovenia)

Best Lead Actress
Anuša Kodelja – Everything That’s Wrong With You (Slovenia/Germany/Serbia)

Best Lead Actor
Gregor Baković – Hotel Alcohol (Slovenia/Croatia/Germany)

Best Supporting Actress
Klara Kuk – Everything That’s Wrong with You

Best Supporting Actor
Matej Puc – Ida Who Sang So Badly Even the Dead Rose Up and Joined Her in Song

Best Cinematography
Lev Predan Kowarski – Girl in the Night

Best Editing
Špela Murenc Škulj – Girl in the Night

Best Original Music
Alenja Pivko Knežević, Simon Penšek – Ida Who Sang So Badly Even the Dead Rose Up and Joined Her in Song

Best Sound Design
Samo Jurca – Ida Who Sang So Badly Even the Dead Rose Up and Joined Her in Song

Best Production Design
Miha Knific – The Lost Son

Best Costume Design
Mateja Fajt – Skateboarding Is Not for Girls (North Macedonia/Belgium/Slovenia/Croatia)

Best Make-up
Mojca Gorogranc Petrushevska – The Last Slap (Italy/Slovenia)

Best Minority Co-production
The Thing to Be Done – Srđan Kovačević (Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia)

Special Achievement
Whites Wash at Ninety – Marko Naberšnik (Slovenia/Serbia/Croatia/Italy/Montenegro/North Macedonia)

Best Documentary
Dance of Life – Siniša Gačić (Slovenia)

Best Short Film
Little House – Nika Jurman (Slovenia)

Best Animated Film
Cosmonauts – Leo Černic (Slovenia/Italy, short film)

Best Experimental Audiovisual Work
The Ninth Peak – Gregor Kocjančič (Slovenia, short film)

Best Student Film
Our Walls – Živa Divjak (Czech Republic, short film)

Special Achievement
Everything I’ve Ever Wanted to Hear – Ema Paš (Slovenia)

Audience Award
Kauniaro: Dance for Love or Kill and Die – Tomo Križnar, Bojana Pivk Križnar, Maja Weiss (Slovenia)

Other awards

Art Cinema Network of Slovenia Award
Shadows of Silence – Jure Kreft, Darko Sintič (Slovenia)

FIPRESCI Award
Girl in the Night – Luka Marčetić

Milka and Metod Badjura Life Achievement Award
Janez Kovič