A Record-Setting Film Autumn!

35 film festivals in Europe, North and South America and Asia. 11 festivals took place in September, while in October their number is going to increase to 24 festivals. Slovenian films are going to the film festivals in the following cities and states:

1. Guardian of the Frontier by Maja Weiss: Umea – Sweden, Vancouver – Canada, Warsaw – Poland, Montpellier – France, Montreal – Canada, Colorado Springs – USA, Portland – USA, Fresno – USA, Rochester – USA, Tampa – USA, Seattle – USA, Washington – USA, Hamburg – Germany, Copenhagen – Denmark, Barcelona – Spain, Bremen – Germany.
2. Glazier Blues by Harry Rag: New York – USA, Ghent – Belgium, Cork – Ireland, Hot Springs – USA, Sheffield – UK, Uppsala – Sweden
3. Blind Spot by Hanna A. W. Slak: Chicago – USA, Cottbus – Germany, Ghent – Belgium, Valladolid – Spain
4. The Last Supper by Vojko Anzeljc: Java – Indonesia, Alexandria – Egypt, Calgary – Canada, Warsaw – Poland
5. Ljubljana by Igor Sterk: Split – Croatia, Montpellier – France, Geneva – Switzerland
6. Bread And Milk by Jan Cvitkovic: Tbilisi – Georgia, London – UK
7. Director's Cut by Boris Petkovic: Chicago – USA, Cottbus – Germany
8. Perkmandeljc by Dusan Kastelic: Drama – Greece, Hamburg – Germany
9. Rustling Landscapes by Janez Lapajne: Sao Paolo – Brasil
10. How to Get Rid of Macho by Marjan Mancek: Chicago – USA

Awards And Premieres

Blind Spot by Hanna A. W. Slak is going to compete for an award at the 38th Chicago Film Festival, USA, which is going to be awarded to the director of the best first film or second film. The festival in Chicago is to take place between 4 October and 18 October. In the short films section Boris Petkovic's Director's Cut is also going to compete for an award. In 1998 Express Express by Igor Sterk and Adrian by Maja Weiss, the film that got the silver plaque, competed in Chicago. The duo from Chicago is going on to Germany to the 12th Cottbus Film Festival, which is taking place between 30 October and 3 November. Blind Spot is going to have a new opportunity for an award, while Director's Cut is going to be shown in the non-competition programme. Cottbus has brought luck to Slovenian directors until now, since Express, Express by Igor Sterk, Idle Running by Janez Burger and Bread And Milk by Jan Cvitkovic received awards here. In the Belgian city of Ghent Blind Spot and Harry Rag's Glazier Blues are going to compete. The festival in Ghent (8.-19.10.) is the most important Belgian film festival, and this year the Slovenian film succeeded in qualifying for this festival for the first time. Blind Spot is also going to compete in Spain at the festival with a long tradition, that is, at the 47th International Film Festival in Valladolid (25.10-2.11.). Hanna A. W. Slak's first film has not qualified for the competition section, it is to be shown in the Meeting Point section, where an award will be given to the producer of the best film in the opinion of the audience. In September and October Blind Spot is therefore competing at 4 more important film festivals: Chicago, Cottbus, Ghent and Valladolid. Besides the Belgian Ghent Glazier Blues will have the following opportunities for awards: its first opportunity will be the 47th film festival in Cork, Ireland, which is also going to be its Irish premiere and at the same time the first showing of a Slovenian film at the festival in Cork. This year the festival in Cork is going to take place from 6 October and 13 October. Glazier Blues is going to have its Swedish premiere at the 21st Short Film Festival in Uppsala (21.-27.10.). Its American premiere took place in New York at the World According to Shorts festival, organised by BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music). From 17 September to 19 September they have shown the most successful short films presented this year in the French Clermont Ferrand. The next American stop for Glazier Blues is the Documentary Film Festival in Hot Springs (11.-20.10.). Apart from the Irish, Swedish and American premiere, this film is going to have its English premiere at the th Documentary Film Festival in Sheffield (21.-27.10.). Glazier Blues is therefore going to be shown at 6 festivals in September and October, while the total number of all of the festivals of our currently most successful short film is 23. As regards the number of festivals in September and October, the greatest demand is for the film Guardian Of The Frontier by Maja Weiss. It is going to be shown at 16 festivals, and its total number of festivals is 32. Guardian of the Frontier is to be shown to the audiences at the following festivals: The Swedish film premiere took place between 12 and 18 September at the 17th International Film Festival in Umea. The Canadian audience was able to see it for the first time at the World Film Festival in Montreal, and then at the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, also in Montreal (19.-29.9.). After Montreal they will be able to catch it at the 21st International Film Festival in Vancouver (26.9.-11-10.). The film is going to be shown at numerous gay and lesbian film festivals, mostly in USA, where it is going to be shown in the following cities: Colorado Springs, Portland, Fresno, Rochester, Tampa, Seattle and Washington. The festival in Washington is the third biggest gay and lesbian film festival in the world, immediately after San Francisco and Chicago, where Guardian of the Frontier had also been shown. In Europe it is going to be presented at the gay and lesbian film festivals in Barcelona, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Bremen. The first film by Maja Weiss is going to have its Polish premiere at the 18th International Film Festival in Warsaw (3.-14.10.), where Vojko Anzeljc's film The Last Supper is also going to be shown. At the festival two Slovenian films were also shown last year, that is, Bread And Milk by Jan Cvitkovic and Porno Film by Damjan Kozole. Guardian of the Frontier is also going to be shown at the 24th International Mediterranean Film Festival in Montpellier, France (25.10.-2.11.). It is to be presented in the Special Events section, which is a competition section. In the main competition part of the festival Igor Sterk's Ljubljana is going to compete for the awards. Sterk has beautiful memories of Montpellier, since his first film Express Express from 1998 received as many as three awards: for best film, the jury award and the award of the audience. Let us keep our fingers crossed also this time! Besides the French premiere in Montpellier the film Ljubljana by Igor Sterk also had its Croatian premiere at the 7th International New Film Festival in Split. The film was presented to the Croatian audience between 21 and 28 September in the Focus section. This film is going to have its Swiss premiere at the Cinema Tout Ecran Festival in Geneva (21.-27.10.). It is going to be shown in the New Works section. Besides the Polish festival in Warsaw that we have already mentioned, The Last Supper by Vojko Anzeljc has also been shown at the Semarang International Film Festival in Java, Indonesia (10.-20.9.), then at the Alexandria International Film Festival in Egypt (18.-24.9.) and at the Calgary International Film Festival in Canada (1.-6.10.). Rustling Landscapes by Janez Lapajne is going to have its Brazilian premiere at the 26th International Film Festival in Sao Paolo. From 18 to 31 October it is going to compete for the award in the main competition section New Directors. Last year as many as three Slovenian films have been shown at the aforementioned film festival: The Last Supper by Vojko Anzeljc, Sweet Dreams by Saso Podgorsek, and Bread And Milk by Jan Cvitkovic. Bread And Milk by Jan Cvitkovic is to be shown at two festivals in October: first at the International Film Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia (3.-7.10.) and then at the 10th Raindance Film Festival in London. The festival of independent film in London is taking place between 23 October and 1 November. Perkmandeljc by Dusan Kastelic and How to Get Rid of Macho by Marjan Mancek have qualified for animated film festivals. Perkmandeljc by Dusan Kastelic had its Greek premiere in the competition section of the 8th International Short Film Festival in Drama (15.-21.9.). It had its German premiere at the independent film festival Filmfest Hamburg (23.-29.9.). How To Get Rid Of Macho by Marjan Mancek is to be shown in the competition section of the International Children's Film Festival in Chicago, USA (24.10.-3.11.). This is going to be its American premiere and at the same time the first time for a Slovenian animated film to qualify for this festival. The schedule of Slovenian films has never been so intense, they have qualified for important festivals all over the world, and there are heaps of invitations to new festivals. The Slovenian film is therefore fortifying its position on the map of the film festivals and conquering new festival forts.