35th Ljubljana International Film Festival - LIFFe

2024 marks the 35th edition of Liffe – the Ljubljana International Film Festival. For a number of years, the festival has featured the finest specimens of world cinema and winners of the most prominent festivals (Cannes, Rotterdam, Berlin, Venice, etc.) while bringing into spotlight the greatest achievements of national cinema. The number of its loyal audiences (between 44,000 and 50,000 visitors each year) has been increasing since the festival’s establishment in 1990. Liffe was founded by Jelka Stergel, its director of 17 years. Since March 2007, Simon Popek, an established film critic and publicist, and director of the film programme at Cankarjev dom, has served as Liffe’s Festival Director.

The festival’s aim is to encourage and promote young and emerging artists, predominantly European filmmakers, and bring them into dialogue with Slovenian audiences. Several awards are presented every year (Kingfisher Award for best young filmmaker; Best Short Film; Audience Award; FIPRESCI Prize). In recent years, applying digital innovation and educational programmes for young audiences have been important components of the festival whose mission remains the education of different age groups.

Liffe takes place at six venues in Ljubljana (Cankarjev dom’s Linhart and Kosovel Halls, Kinodvor, UL AGRFT Hall, the Slovenian Cinematheque and Kino Bežigrad). With venues across Slovenia (Maribox Maribor, Anton Podbevšek Teater Novo mesto and Union Celje Cinema), the festival addresses and remains accessible to audiences outside the Slovenian capital. This year’s new venue is MOJKINO Kranj.
 
In 1992, the International Association of Film Producers – FIAPF granted a licence to Film Art Fest, which was renamed the International Film Festival in 1996, and in 1998 acquired its current name, Liffe (Ljubljana International Film Festival). This license confirms that the festival has fulfilled all the conditions for its inclusion on the official list of global film festivals. 
Since its beginning, the festival’s producer has been Cankarjev dom, Cultural and Congress Centre Ljubljana, whose programme is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.

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Featuring a hand-picked selection of the world’s greatest achievements in cinema, including winners of pre-eminent festivals (Cannes, Rotterdam, Berlin, Locarno, Venice, etc.), the 35th Liffe will turn Ljubljana into a film hub for a period of twelve days. The variegated accompanying programme includes talks with festival guests and filmmakers, as well as round tables and workshops.  

Aimed at both film enthusiasts and everyone keen on getting an insight into international cinematography, Liffe caters for all age groups. 
 

FOREWORD

Retrospective: Costa-Gavras, The Essence of European Political Cinema 
After last year's retrospective dedicated to Italian political cinema, it seems necessary, in the wake of the resurgence of right-wing populism, to give space to critical voices of the liberal currents that have been quick to respond to the political upheavals since the mid-1960s. If Italian cinema politico was a foretoken of collective resistance against Italy's pressing issues or European colonial narratives, Costa-Gavras' filmography reflected the universal critical stance of an internationalist perfectly at home in various genres and production contexts; He has worked all over Europe and in Hollywood, tapped into the genres of political thriller and socio-critical drama, and even made one of the most original and adventurously inspired film about Resistance fighters (Shock Troops, 1966), set in France during World War II. It can be said that Costa-Gavras is a leftist at heart, he problematised the brutality of the military junta in his home country (Z, 1969), the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (The Confession, 1970), the military coup d'état in Uruguay (State of Siege, 1973), the overthrow of Allende and the establishment of Pinochet's regime in Chile (Missing, 1982), and the Vatican turning a blind eye to the Holocaust (Amen., 2002). He returned to his native country in 2019 to shoot Adults in the Room, a dramatization of the 2015 Greek economic crisis, based on the book by Greece’s former Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis. According to The Guardian, the book is "one of the greatest political memoirs ever, the inside story of high politics told by an outsider. Varoufakis gives one of the most accurate and detailed descriptions of modern power ever written."

Simon Popek 
 

Festival sections
Perspectives, the official competitive section of young filmmakers competing for the Kingfisher Award sponsored by Telekom Slovenije, d.d. 
Avant-premieres, a selection of the world’s finest films purchased for Slovenian distribution
Kings and Queens, films by notable and award-winning contemporary cinema virtuosos 
World Cinema Panorama, five-continent festival favourites 
Extravaganza, the so-called late-night cinema of daring artists addressing unconventional or sensual topics 
Kinobalon, a selection of films for audiences aged between 5 and 14; in cooperation with the Kinodvor Cinema 
Focus: alternative film in Slovenia 
Retrospective: Costa-Gavras, the Essence of European Political Cinema; in cooperation with the Slovenian Cinematheque
Tribute: a Japanese modernist classic, Yasuzō Masumura, this year marks Masumura’s centenary
Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region 
Europe in Short, competitive programme of short films

Accompanying programme
Talks with festival guests and filmmakers 
Round tables and workshops 

Awards
Kingfisher, international jury award presented by the general sponsor, Telekom Slovenije, d.d., to the best film of the Perspectives section.
Dragon Audience Award to best-rated film
FIPRESCI Prize, presented by the jury of the International Federation of Film Critics.
Best Short Film Award 
Kinotrip Young Jury Award 
Slovenian Art Cinema Association Award

Voting
The Dragon Audience Award is presented to best-rated film that has not yet been purchased for Slovenian distribution. Choosing from Festival Director Simon Popek’s selection of movies, the spectators vote for their favourite feature film. Votes can be cast when exiting the cinema or via text-messaging at all 35th Liffe venues, at Cankarjev dom, Kinodvor Cinema, UL AGRFT Hall and Bežigrad Cinema. The film with the highest average rating receives the Dragon Audience Award. The voting via text-messaging has been made possible by Telekom Slovenije, d.d., the Festival’s main sponsor. 

Festival venues
Cankarjev dom (Linhart and Kosovel Halls), Kinodvor Cinema, Bežigrad Cinema, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, University of Ljubljana – UL AGRFT Hall, Slovenian Cinematheque, Maribox, Kino Union Celje and Anton Podbevšek Teater Novo mesto, MOJKINO Kranj 
Main festival venue: Cankarjev dom’s Foyer II 

Partners