The 28th edition of the Festival of Slovenian Film, which ran between 21 and 26 October in the coastal town of Portorož, came to a close with an awards ceremony held this Sunday in the town’s Auditorium. This particular edition offered detailed insight into the quality of this year’s film production, and dominating trends and topics. The festival’s industry sidebar hosted the unveiling of the European Film Academy memorial plaque on First of May Square in the neighbouring town of Piran, which was listed as one of the eleven new European Film Culture treasures earlier this year by the EFA, as well as a conversation with EFA director Matthijs Wouter Knol, conducted by Slovenian producer and EFA member Danijel Hočevar, and a talk on how to include series in existing financing schemes, alongside various other events.

In terms of the movies themselves, a jury consisting of Croatian director Juraj Lerotić, Slovenian film scholar Natalija Majsova and Slovenian critic Andrej Gustinčič decided Urška Djukić’s Little Trouble Girls [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Urška Djukić
scheda film] was the overall winner at the festival, singling it out for six awards. In addition to Best Film, it also triumphed in three out of the four acting categories (with Jara Sofija Ostan named Best Actress, Mina Švajger Best Supporting Actress and Saša Tabaković Best Supporting Actor), while the outlier in these same categories was Icelandic actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson who claimed victory for his part in Miha Hočevar’s Hidden People [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film]. Julij Zornik was also recognised for sound design, while Djukić’s work was crowned Best Film by the jury of FIPRESCI’s Slovenian section.

Kukla’s Fantasy [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Kukla
scheda film] closely emulated the performance of Djukić’s film in terms of Vesna awards, dominating the artistic categories. It triumphed in the categories of music (Relja Ćupić), production design (Maja Šavc), costume design (Damir Raković) and make-up (Tinka Prpar), whilst also nabbing a Vesna for Special Achievement.

Petra Seliškar’s documentary The Mountain Won’t Move [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] scooped two Vesna awards, for Best Director and Best Editing (won by Laureline Delom and Sashko Potter Micevski respectively) - though, surprisingly, not Best Documentary, which went to Urban Zorko’s short animated film Man With Straw Hat – as well as a trophy from the Art Cinema Network of Slovenia. The Czech-Slovak-Slovenian-French parity co-production Tales from the Magic Garden [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] was crowned Best Animated Film and also bagged Best Screenplay thanks to a group of writers from all four of the film’s co-production countries who drew inspiration from stories by Arnošt Goldflam. The long list of Vesna award winners was rounded off by Igor Bezinović’s Fiume o morte! [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], which nabbed the award for Best Minority Co-Production, while Gregor Božič triumphed in cinematography.

The full list of awards:

Vesna Awards

Best Feature Film
Little Trouble Girls [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Urška Djukić
scheda film] – Urška Djukić (Slovenia/Italy/Croatia/Serbia)

Best Director
Petra Seliškar – The Mountain Won’t Move [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] (Slovenia/France/North Macedonia)

Best Screenplay
Petr Krajíček, Marek Král, Patrik Pašš, Jerneja Kaja Balog, Maja Križnik, Blandine Jet – Tales From the Magic Garden [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Slovenia/France)

Best Actress
Jara Sofija Ostan – Little Trouble Girls

Best Actor
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson – Hidden People [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] (Slovenia/Iceland/Serbia)

Best Supporting Actress
Mina Švajger – Little Trouble Girls

Best Supporting Actor
Saša Tabaković – Little Trouble Girls

Best Cinematography
Gregor Božič – Fiume o morte! [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] (Croatia/Slovenia/Italy)

Best Original Music
Relja Ćupić – Fantasy [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Kukla
scheda film] (Slovenia/North Macedonia)

Best Editing
Laureline Delom, Sashko Potter Micevski – The Mountain Won’t Move

Best Production Design
Maja Šavc – Fantasy

Best Costume Design
Damir Raković – Fantasy

Best Make-up
Tinka Prpar – Fantasy

Best Sound Design
Julij Zornik – Little Trouble Girls

Best Minority Co-Production
Fiume o Morte! - Igor Bezinović

Special Achievement Award
Fantasy – Kukla

Best Documentary
Man With Straw Hat – Urban Zorko (Slovenia) (short film)

Best Animated Film
Tales from the Magic Garden – David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, Jean-Claude Rozec

Best Short Film
DEATH 101 – An Introduction for Beginners: A Handbook with Regulations, Norms, and Useful Tips. Third, Revised Edition – Martin Horvat (Slovenia/Italy)

Best Student Film
Arachnophobia – Melita Sandrin (Slovenia) (short film)

Best Experimental Film
N/A

Special Achievement
OHO Film – Damjan Kozole (Slovenia/Croatia)

Audience Award
When I Get Out – Metod Pevec (Slovenia)

Other Awards

Art Cinema Network of Slovenia Award
The Mountain Won’t Move – Petra Seliškar

FIPRESCI Award
Little Trouble Girls – Urška Djukić