Echos of the celebration of the 15th International Film Festival Kino Otok – Isola Cinema

Echos of the celebration of the 15th International Film Festival Kino Otok – Isola Cinema

The central Isolean part of the 15th international film festival Kino Otok – Isola Cinema, ended on Sunday. The very next day island films continued their journey to the cinemas of Ljubljana.

The 15th edition in Isola was visited by 69 guests, among them old friends of the festival, who came from far and wide – Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Georgia, Croatia, India, Italy, Serbia, Great Britain and Slovenia. Over one hundred and twenty short and feature films were shown to thousands of spectators in cinemas and under the starry night. Five film-loving days were prepared by a festival team of over one hundred people.

The director of Kino Otok, Tanja Hladnik, said at the festival conclusion that: “The celebration of 15th Kino Otok was a great success, as in Isola and other festival cities, a community of film creators and lovers was created. Its influence will surely spread over the official festival days, all the way to the next edition. A deep, but nevertheless relaxed gathering with no boundaries between filmmakers, visitors, journalists, team members and all those who visited us, always creates a lasting bond that will in the future bloom in a variety of ways.”

Three-year programme FOCUS concluded
With projections and accompanying programme, the team, guests and visitors co-created not only the film programme, but the programme for film professionals PRO OTOK and film educational programme Submarine – Island for children. The PRO Otok section brought many costume designers and film makeup artists to Isola, where a masterclass and a case study inspired the FOCUS subprogramme, rounding up a three-year cycle of showcasing less visible film professions. Submarine anchored into a new venue, Sončna dvorana JSKD, where she joined pre-school, school children, the young and their teachers through activities and different elements of film education. The Submarine events will continue in many places in Primorska region and widely throughout the whole year.

 

The Island caravan moved from the festival shores of Isola to Ljubljana on Monday. Kinodvor hosted The History of the Pig (Within us), the projection was followed by a talk with the director, kinootok guest Jan Vromman. Next week, two island films return to the cinema theatre Zama by Lucretia Martel and The Most Beautiful Country in the World by Želimir Žilnik that will have its premiere in cooperation with the Festival of Migrant Cinema with the director’s presence.

Kino Otok’s big screen flickered with the memories of shoots
Just this week the Island programme reached Slovenian Cinematheque with Žilnik. On Tuesday, you could see his film Among the People: Life and Acting. In the film Žilnik finds some of his film heroes; memories intertwine with film excerpts and footage from his shoots. The Legendary darkwave director was a guest at this year’s festival in Isola, during which an exhibition of his Early Works was available to the public. A nod to the multicultural, raw and deeply spiritual Jamaica followed at the screens of Kino Otok. The film Black Mother by Khalik Allah thrilled the audience of Isola’s Art Cinema Odeon.

At Kinodvor’s section of Kinobalon a family feature film Vitello by a Danish director Dorte Bengson will be shown, after it was lovingly accepted by the young audience at Kino Otok. Film based on the Danish bestselling book brings a warm tale of searching for a father, with a fresh and odd humour.

See you at Otok in Ljubljana!