Germany
The retrospective Oriente Vzhod / Occidente Zahod – Border Through Film and History travels to Berlin in November, where, together with our partner Kino Krokodil, it marks the final stop of this year’s international tour. The retrospective, organized by Kinoatelje in collaboration with various film institutions from Slovenia and Italy, is part of the official programme of European Capital of Culture GO! 2025 Nova Gorica and Gorizia.
Some borders are visible, others invisible. Some divide, others connect. The border region between Slovenia and Italy has for centuries been a meeting ground of intertwining cultures, a space where histories shift and individual destinies are shaped, sometimes tragically. Kinoatelje, active for nearly fifty years in the cross-border area and based in the twin cities of Nova Gorica and Gorizia, promotes intercultural dialogue through film by producing documentary works, organizing the cross-border film festival Tribute to a Vision, and developing research projects dedicated to local film heritage. Kinoatelje celebrates film as a powerful language that connects people beyond borders, inspiring dialogue, empathy, and shared understanding.
The retrospective invites us on a journey through cinematic images that explore life on the margins and at the heart of Europe. At a time when borders are once again being raised and Europe is questioning its future, this programme offers a chance to reflect on what it means to live at the crossroads of nations, ideologies, and historical change.
The programme presented at Kino Krokodil opens on Friday, 21 November, at 20:00 with Boundless Hearts (Luigi Zampa, 1950), accompanied by the short films Karst (Il Carso, Franco Giraldi, 1960), Krast – A Fairytale World (Kras - pravljični svet, Matjaž Klopčič, 1974), and Where is the Iron Curtain? (Kje je železna zavesa?, Mako Sajko, 1961).
On Saturday, 22 November, the afternoon begins with a block of Slovenian and Italian newsreels, followed by Cranes Fly South (Žerjavi letijo na jug, Dorica Makuc, 1975) and Our American Days (I Nostri Giorni Americani, Chiara Barbo & Andrea Magnani, 2014). The evening continues with The Border (La Frontiera, Franco Giraldi, 1996).
The digitisation of The Border was initiated by Kinoatelje in collaboration with Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia / Cineteca Nazionale (Rome) as part of the long-term preservation and presentation work of the Vzhod Oriente / Zahod Occidente retrospective.
Sunday, 23 November, features the thematic strand Small Apocalypse – Spaces That Disappear, including the essay film Timeless River (Trenutek reke, Anja Medved & Nadja Velušček, 2010), and concludes in the evening with The Last Resort (L’ultima spiaggia, Thanos Anastopoulos & Davide Del Degan, 2016).
On Tuesday, 25 November, we continue with a contemporary look at the Trieste border in Trieste Shines at Night (Trieste è bella di notte, Matteo Calore & Stefano Collizzolli & Andrea Segre, 2023), preceded by the short Wind Storm Over Trieste (Bora su Trieste, Gianni Alberto Vitrotti, 1953).
The closing night, Wednesday, 26 November, presents a double bill, Red Boogie (Rdeči boogie, Karpo Godina, 1982) and Smuggler’s Confessional - Views Through the Iron Curtain (Spovednica tihotapcev - Pogledi skozi železno zaveso, Anja Medved, 2010). The screening of Red boogie will be introduced by filmmaker and curator Gari Vanisian.
During the Berlin stop we will also present the trilingual publication of the retrospective (Slovenian–Italian–English). The catalogue will be introduced on Saturday, 22 November, by Donatello Fumarola (editor), Mateja Zorn (project lead), and Jasna Pintarič (retrospective coordinator). The publication offers editorial introductions, essays, filmmakers’ reflections on the border, a compass for navigating the programme strands, and insights into the wider historical and cultural context.
The Berlin selection, which Kinoatelje prepared in collaboration with the Slovenian Film Centre, Slovenian Film Archive, Istituto Luce, and the cinematheques in Ljubljana, Rome, Gemona, and Bologna, weaves together classics, archival gems, and contemporary perspectives, using the figure of the border to open questions of memory, identity, and coexistence. We look forward to meeting the Berlin audience and to a shared conversation about how cinema crosses boundaries, both geographic and within us.
Retrospective Oriente Vzhod / Occidente Zahod – Border in Film and History et Neisse film festival
The retrospective Oriente Vzhod / Occidente Zahod – The Border through Film and History is travelling to the 22nd edition of the Neisse – Nysa – Nisa International Film Festival, held at the tri-border area between Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic—where three cultures and histories meet.
As part of the festival’s Crossing Borders section, which explores borders as spaces of separation, control, encounter, and solidarity, three Slovenian short films will be screened. The lineup includes War of Words or Respectful Silence? (Vojna besed ali spoštljiva tišina?) by Leo Černic, the documentary Where Is the Iron Curtain? (Kje je železna zavesa?) directed by Mak Sajko, and the experimental film Newsreel 670 – Red Forests (Obzornik 670 – Rdeči gozdovi) by Nika Autor.
The screenings will take place at three venues: on Wednesday, May 21 at 11:00 PM at Kunstbauerkino 3 Open Air in Großhennersdorf; on Friday, May 23 at 10:00 PM at Kino Traktor in Dolna; and on Saturday, May 24 at 1:00 PM at Kulturfabrik Meda in Mittelherwigsdorf.
The retrospective is part of the official programme of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025. The event is organized by the cross-border film festival Tribute to a vision in cooperation with the Neisse – Nysa – Nisa Film Festival.
