In addition to Izola, the 14th annual festival will also take place in Ljubljana, Sežana, Tolmin, Idrija, and – for the first time ever – Koper. The festival will focus on films tackling colonialism, as well as various social trends in Europe and around the world.
The opening feature will take audiences to the French countryside between 1914 and 1918: The world is collapsing under the destructive weight of World War I, but several columns are still standing, quietly but firmly. Women are helping to preserve the community, culture, and the economy in a world from which men have disappeared – or lost their minds. It’s a war movie in which all battles take place far from home (and far from the view of the cameras), but they leave deep impacts in the lives of the women who have remained back home, states the film’s synopsis.
The festival’s program includes more than 20 films. Among them is Djon Africa from Cape Verde. In the movie, Miguel, who has spent much of his life in Portugal, decides to head back home in search of his father. The Italian film City Gardens, directed by Marco Piccarreda, takes audiences inside a migrant assistance center. Other titles include Bikini Moon, directed by Milcho Manchevski, Wild Boys by Bertrand Mandico, California Dreams by Mike Ott, City of the Sun by Rati Oneli, Jupiter’s Moon by Kornél Mundruczó,The Congo Tribunal by Milo Rau,
The Nothing Factory by Pedro Pinho, and The Big Shake by Sandro Baldoni
According to the festival’s program director, Varja Močnik, the organizers have come up with a section titled Home Sweet Home in an effort to draw more attention to Slovenian film. The program will include shorts by Andrej Zdravič, the film Playing Men by director Matjaž Ivanišin, and shorts by Jan Cvitkovič.
Another new addition to this year’s festival is a section titled Europe 2.0. It will include The Waldheim Waltz, directed by Ruth Beckermann. It focuses on the Nazi past of the former UN Secretary General and Austrian President Kurt Waldheim. Meanwhile, Meteors by Gürcan Keltek, tackles Turkish military repression.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will also include video screenings on the beach. They will feature 46 films by young, not-yet-established directors from 15 countries. Meanwhile, a program titled Submarine: An Island for Kids will provide screenings, workshops, and other events for young visitors. The festival will also include PRO Otok, which was established last year and is aimed at film professionals. This year, it will focus on film editing and sound design. Participants from Slovenia, Italy, and Croatia will get a chance to hear from people such as sound designer Paul Davies, who worked on the film You Were Never Really Here, directed by Lynne Ramsay and featuring Joaquin Phoenix. The sidebar program at the Lighthouse will feature several concerts, from Gregabytes / Independent Coastal Radio to Recycleman, while art installations will be organized at various venues.
Since it was created in 2004, Kino Otok has emphasized the meeting of creators with visitors alongside the screenings – with a carefully considered program and well-established guests from around the world.
