Slovenian films showcased in Pula

Days of Slovenian Film will see four Slovenian contemporary films screened in as many days. The festival has been organised by the Slovenian Cultural Association Istria in cooperation with the Slovenian Film Centre and the Valli cinema, where the screenings will take place.

The opening film explores the topics of peer violence, loneliness, and the helplessness of a young man living with an alcoholic mother. The lead role is played by France Mandić, the son of established actors Pia Zemljič and Marko Mandić.

For her supporting role in the film Vesna Pernarčič won the Vesna Award at the 2023 Festival of Slovenian Film. The film also took the best costume design award.

Wake Me, a 2022 drama by Marko Šantić that focuses on the theme of xenophobia, will also be screened at the festival. The film won five Vesna Awards, including best live action feature, screenplay and best male leading role and male supporting role for Jure Henigman and Jurij Drevenšek, respectively. The film also won Šantić the best directing award from the Directors' Guild this year.

The other two films to be screened are Riders, a debut feature by Dominik Mencej, which was Slovenia's candidate for a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars, and Body, an award-winning documentary by Petra Seliškar about a woman with a series of rare auto-immune diseases.