In 2023, the shooting of eleven live-action features will begin: Tartini’s Key (directed by Vinci Vogue Anžlovar, produced by Blade produkcija), Ciao Bela (directed by Jani Sever, produced by Sever & Sever ), the debut Little Trouble Girls (directed by Urška Djukić, produced by SPOK Films), the debut Fantasy (directed by Katarina Rešek – Kukla, produced by December), the debut Neither Voice (directed by Ester Ivakič, produced by Temporama), Block 5 (directed by Klemen Dvornik, produced by A Atalanta), Everything That’s Wrong With You (directed by Urša Menart, produced by Vertigo), the debut This Is a Robbery! (directed by Gregor Andolšek, produced by Temporama), The Lost Son (directed by Darko Štante, produced by Staragara), FC Freedom (directed by Boris Petkovič, produced by Iridium film), and Tales of Friuts and Monsters (directed by Gregor Božič, produced by Nosorogi).
At the 2022 calls for applications, the Slovenian Film Centre, Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (SFC), supported the following films:
- Seven live-action feature projects with a total value of EUR 3,745,000: Whites Wash at Ninety (directed by Marko Naberšnik, produced by Perfo), 20 Metres (directed by Damjan Kozole, produced by Vertigo), FC Freedom (directed by Boris Petkovič, produced by Iridium film), Girl of the Night (directed by Luka Marčetič, produced by Temporama), Tales of Friuts and Monsters (directed by Gregor Božič, produced by Nosorogi), Tartini’s Key (directed by Vinci Vogue Anžlovar, produced by Blade produkcija), Ciao Bela (directed by Jani Sever, produced by Sever & Sever);
- Two documentary feature projects with a total value of EUR 270,000: Once Upon a Time in the Soča Valley (directed by Ema Kugler, produced by Zavod Zank), OHO (directed by Damjan Kozole, produced by Vertigo);
- Three live-action shorts with a total value of EUR 150,000: Rimbaud From My Backyard (directed by Matjaž Jamnik, Gaja Naja Rojec, produced by Nosorogi), Becoming/Unbecoming (directed by Ivana Vogrinc Vidali, produced by Temporama), Welcome Home (directed by Filip Jembrih, produced by Perfo);
- Four animated shorts with a total value of EUR 123,700: Nobody Has Ever Looked at Elephants Like You (directed by Sandra Jovanovska, produced by Staragara), The Girl Who Was Not Afraid of Bears (directed by Lea Vučko, produced by Invida), Fin People (directed by Veronika Hozjan, produced by Dagiba), Dystopias (directed by Sara Bezovšek, produced by Temporama).
From the beginning of January 2023, the following films will be screened in Slovenian cinemas: the live-action documentary film Wracked Piano (directed by Miha Vipotnik, produced by Casablanca), the live-action film Grandpa Goes South (directed by Vinci Vogue Anžlovar, produced by A Atalanta), and at the end of January also the documentary film Melting Dreams (directed by Haidy Kancler, produced by Studio Virc). In April, the distribution of Riders – the first film by the director Dominik Mence, which had its world premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival and won four Vesna Awards (for Best Leading Actor, Best Editing, Best Sound, and the Audience Award) at last year’s Festival of Slovenian Film in Portorož – will begin. The film was produced by the Staragara production house. This year’s cinema distribution will also include the following works: Wake Me (directed by Marko Šantić, produced by Vertigo), the debut The Man Without Guilt (directed by Ivan Gergolet, produced by Staragara), the experimental film The Birdbreeder (directed by Robert Černelč, produced by Tramal Films), Lunatic (directed by Igor Šterk, produced by A. A. C. Production), Role Model (directed by Nejc Gazvoda, produced by Perfo), The Last Hero (directed by Žiga Virc, produced by Studio Virc), and the documentary films Pero (directed by Damjan Kozole, produced by Vertigo), Cannabis Will Set You Free (directed by Miha Čelar, produced by Astral film), The Body (directed by Petra Seliškar, produced by Petra Pan Film), The Table (directed by Neli Maraž, produced by Cvinger film), and the debut Cent’anni (directed by Maja Doroteja Prelog, produced by Cvinger film).
In 2022, Slovenian films were seen by 307,776 out of a total of 1,760,000 cinema-goers. According to the data collected so far, the estimated market share of Slovenian films in 2022 was 17.49 %. This is an absolute record: while this share exceeded 9 % in 2013 and 2016, it has never been higher than 10 % in independent Slovenia.
The SFC Director Nataša Bučar highlighted the current international successes of the Slovenian national cinema and its filmmakers: “The most successful year for Slovenian film is behind us. It was record-breaking both in terms of the number of viewers in the Slovenian cinemas and international successes, including the European Film Award for the short film Granny’s Sexual Life by Urška Djukić. Regarding the efforts to attract foreign productions to Slovenia, 2022 was also a landmark year, as the shooting of Netflix’s The Union, the biggest foreign production ever in Slovenia, took place in Piran. In 2023, the SFC will have significantly increased funding for national film production at its disposal, heralding an even brighter future. I am positive Slovenian film is in excellent shape and on the right track.”
In 2023, the SFC and its partners will continue to work on already established projects such as Our Films at Home, Slovenian Film Premiere, Slovenian Film Database, the so-called Scenarnica, Scenarnica ABC, and Dokumentarnica workshops, the Filmarija podcast, Incubator, as well as the new project titled Short Scene.
Meanwhile, the 26th Festival of Slovenian Film will take place between 3 and 8 October 2023 in Portorož.
