07 Jun Kino Otok – Isola Cinema: a festive beginning of the weekend
Friday’s prelude to the festival weekend is already upon us in Izola, full of bustling spectators, guests, volunteers and other friends of Kino Otok. Among the film directors we will meet and talk with Laura Samani, Bill Morrison, Emilija Gašić, Neil Young and Davorin Marc. Most of them are returning to this year’s festival with their latest films, as one of the important constants of the festival is the intertwining of bonds of friendship between filmmakers, who then return as cinema-going friends. The Submarine is also warming up for the arrival of film guests with Friday’s carousel of images, which will be dedicated to the youngest guests.
Art Kino Odeon: from the great film humanist to the reinterpretation of archives
The great auteur Ken Loach starts a day full of films at 11am. In The Old Oak (2023), the indefatigable humanist once again describes a social reality, this time life in a once-rich mining town, where the resentment of the inhabitants is fuelled by the arrival of refugees from Syria. At 13:00, the first event of the Found Image program will take us into the field of researching archival, so-called found footage materials. At the screening of Programme of Short Films: Premio Cesare Zavattini, Gabriele Ragonesi, representative of the Audiovisual Labour and Democratic Movement (Aamod) and member of the UnArchive Festival’s Programme Council, will present the Italian AV archive, which, through various initiatives, contributes to the creation of a freer flow of information and creative possibilities. An eclectic programme of short films will follow at 4pm, after which there will be a wide-ranging discussion on the creative issues surrounding the use of found images, with guests Laura Samani, Emilija Gašić, Neil Young, Ivan Ramljak and Bill Morrison. At 7pm, the day concludes with Bas Devos’ Here (2023), a film that invites us to pay attention – to nature and to people we would otherwise not notice.
Film days also start at the House of Culture
At 14:00, a hypnotic meditation on the life of people and nature will be screened at the House of Culture. While the Green Grass Grows (2024), the latest film by Peter Mettler, is an experience of the cycle of decay and birth, in which everything flows, multiplies and continues, revealing no meaning.
Submarine continues its trip into a weekend full of films and workshops
After a packed morning of school screenings, Submarine takes a spin on the carousel of images, from camera obscura to social media, with And the King Says, What a Fantastic Machine (2023) at 6pm today at the House of Culture, exploring media culture in detail and asking provocative questions about society and the images that surround us with a challenging wit. And we’re announcing a guest appearance on Saturday, with the renowned Italian illustrator and animator Michele Bernardi presenting his world of animation in a masterclass at 10am in the Manzioli Palace, tailored for young and adult audiences, and then continuing with a hands-on animation workshop with children at 3pm. On Saturday at 18:00, young selectors from Prade Primary School present will present Der Pfad (The Road, 2022), an adventure about two children and a dog escaping from the Nazis, and have a discussion with the film’s director, Tobias Wiemann.
The longest night in the Arrigoni Open-Air Cinema
The film 78 days (78 dana, 2024) by the young Serbian director Emilija Gašić, who will also talk about its making, intertwined with the experience of the time of the NATO bombing of Belgrade, before the screening at 9pm, is a film of out-of-the-box videos that portray the life of three sisters, in which friendships, first kisses and disappointments are overshadowed by the fear of the NATO bombs (78 dana, 2024). At 23.15, the night stars will be winked at by the powerful and tender musical Manga d’terra (Basil Da Cunha, 2023), which draws its explosive material respectfully from the personal stories of the inhabitants of the Lisbon ghetto, a tribute to women’s indomitable perseverance and the therapeutic power of music.
Friday is also a day of a get-together at Largo pri Špini
On Friday, we’ll be hanging out in Izola’s charming smallest event square. At 9pm, at Largo pri Špini, Italian director Laura Samani will present her short film L’estate è finita – Appunti su Furio (2023), a journey through the memories of past summers in search of lost love and ourselves. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the director.
Video on the Beach and Nights of Lights
Video on the Beach at 20.45 will screen a programme on the theme Beyond Atmospheres, and the musical programme Nights of Lights will start at 23.00 with a concert by Andrej Stanič, who will take to the stage with his project Caro Mio. Angelica & Alex Sasch will take the stage next.
For a detailed overview of the festival programme, check out the schedule of all the film screenings!