The 30th edition of LiFFe – the Ljubljana International Film Festival – opens today and continues until 24 November, with over 100 films on the programme and screenings in the capital and Maribor, Celje and Novo Mesto.
The first edition, back in pre-independence 1990, was led by Jelka Stergel, who today heads the Slovenian Film Festival, and showed just 13 titles. The programming director is now Simon Popek, and while the schedule has grown the aim remains the same, to present the international art cinema in Slovenia.
Note - this is an international film festival, so do check the language and the subtitles
The programme, which can be seen in full here, is divided into sections. There’s a competition section, called Perspectives, Kings and Queens, which shows the biggest art house hits of the previous year, and Avantpremieres, for first screenings in Slovenia. There are also the Panorama and Extravaganza sections, which highlight lesser known names and genre production, respectively, with dystopian, futuristic South American films getting plenty of screen time this year. Along with these there are short films, children’s films and a focus on films from Cuba. Slovenian titles also be featured, including Gregor Božič's Stories from the Chestnut Woods, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival and won 11 Vesnas, the Slovenian “Oscars”.
More details can be found on the clear and easy to navigate website
