A STORM IN A TEACUP
FRIDAY 18.15h
Qualis Pater, Marko Plejić
Documentary, Croatia, 8’10”
As the clash of swords from a knights’ tournament resounds, the film delves into the powerful impact such scenes have on young and impressionable minds. Through the Latin proverb Qualis pater, talis filius – “like father, like son” – deeper connections emerge beneath the surface, shaping family bonds and historical legacies across generations.
Rescue, Ivan Shalaev
Drama, Russian Federation, 9’37”
A young guy’s girlfriend dies during a sailing regatta. His grandfather comes to help him deal with this tragedy.
Foreigners , Benjamin Martin
Comedy, South Africa, 13’09”
A loner in a new town searches for a star anomaly with the help from a peculiar girl claiming to be an extraterrestrial.
Slots, Josip Skledar
Animated, Croatia, 50″
A man is sitting at the slot machines. Does he want to hit it big or does he only care about the thrill of playing?
Uterus Diagram, Bianca Rêgo
Documentary, Brazil, 6’40”
A poetic documentary of archive images that proposes reflections on our society, on the woman herself and her indecision about how to engage or disengage in these labels that persecute us since the “It’s a girl”, said the doctor.
Deathmaiden, Nika Otrin
Drama, Slovenia, 10’03”
Based on Lucie Faulerová’s novel, the film follows a daughter and her father as they come together to arrange the funeral of her late sister. As they reflect on her final days, their conversations draw them into vivid memories. Through these fragments of the past, the story reveals the complexities of their relationships and the unspoken emotions that linger between them.
TKO TEBE KAMENOM TI NJEGA KRUHOM
FRIDAY 19.00h
Silenced Shakespeare, Aljoša Toplak
Documentary, Slovenia, 13’12”
After a 25-year battle with Thai censorship, a filmmaker discusses the value of art in society.
Lili, Helena Ileršič Salem
Drama, Slovenia, 10’12”
Sofia and Mark are preparing a big birthday party for their only child, Lili. While Sofia is full of anticipation, Mark would like to celebrate his daughter’s birthday with only Sofija and Lili for a change. Or even just with Sofia…
The Hydropower Plant Tale, Lara Jakovina, Petar Kovačićek, Lovro Sabljak
Animated, Croatia, 1’24”
Once upon a time, in a faraway village, behind seven seas and mountains, village heads encountered a problem. Their pockets were just too empty. Luckily, they soon remedied that.
Straight and in a Circle, Palina Ramashka
Animated, Belarus, 4’24”
It is a touching story of a refugee forced to leave his home in search of safety, healing, and a new sense of belonging.
The Professional Parent, Erik Jasaň
Social, Slovakia, 14’30”
Ingrid lives in a small village in eastern Slovakia, where the Roma population is the victim of a tenacious stigma. Despite this, Ingrid decides to become the legal representative of a young Roma girl, which upsets the fragile balance of her home.
I Cinque Anelli, Ivano Iglio
Drama, Italy, 8’56”
The story follows the events of Mya, a twenty-year-old girl, immersed in a toxic and violent environment. Here she is forced to hide her homosexuality from her mother, from whom she suffers constant abuse. Inspired by a true story, the short film aims to highlight the negative impact of violence on the mental health of victims.
Subj. #241; In-Situ Study, Maja Alibegović
Experimental, Croatia, 8’50”
Subject 241 is one of the participants in a scientific study investigating unusual symptoms increasingly present among women of various ages and life circumstances.
IT IS DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN
FRIDAY 21.00h
Grapes, Jovana Lazin
Drama, Serbia, 10’33”
The film is about a typical Serbian family that faces the problems of an old person.
A Letter to a Friend, Ana Prebil
Animated/Experimental, Belgium, 3’40”
A letter to a friend sent from far away. A whiff of love and loneliness in the wind and the smell of summer bringing friends back together.
Salamander’s Land, Ekaterina Ulyanova
Animated, Russian Federation, 9’00”
A man opens his eyes and discovers that he is a guest in the land of salamanders. A story inspired by the “Kappa” by R. Akutagawa and K. Chapek’s “War with Newts”.
Noble savage, Machiel van den Heuvel
Documentary, Netherlands, 16’18”
This film is about Theo, an industrial cleaner who is unhappy in these modern times. He desires a better, more natural world but feels he isn’t capable of achieving his ideals.
The Future with No Name, Lúa López Ribes
Documentary, Spain, 16’23”
“The Future with No Name” is a documentary that begins with an anthropological question related to the current environmental and social crisis: “If the world as we know it were to end, what three objects would you hide in Mataró so that future inhabitants could find them and rebuild a new society?”
Through this question, the documentary explores the lives of sixteen users of Club Social Andana, a support space for those who have experienced homelessness or are at risk of social exclusion.
Time-less, Mert Güncüer
Drama/Mystery, Turkey 7’07”
A man travels through unknown times and places while experiencing visions, which is not solely belongs to him but more: to the complex nature of humanity.
Distortion, Tina Šulc Resnik
Experimental, Slovenia, 2’53”
Harmony is slowly broken as perception becomes disturbed. The images gradually distort, as if reality is slipping out of balance. It’s unclear what causes this distortion, but it feels like the world around us is falling apart as we try to understand it. It is a subtle but profoundly distorted view—of oneself, others, or the environment—where the lines between real and illusory become blurred. It opens up questions about how fragile our perception of the world is, and where the truth breaks into a distorted picture.”
TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
SATURDAY 12.30h
Paper Players’ War, Gerard Bernardo
Comedy/Fantasy, Philippines, 14’35”
A Blue Soldier and a Yellow Soldier play a board game trying to outwit each other, struggling for control over a piece of land. The Farmer who belongs to the land is not allowed to play and must pick a side. As the fighting escalates, what side does she choose?
Neno and His Forest, Josip Skledar
Documentary, Croatia, 4’24”
Neno is 60, he lives in Zaprešić and he owns a forest. He uses the timber to heat his home. Unfortunately, he has problems with people stealing his timber.
Axinos, Anna Maria Kakona, Calliopi Villy Kotoula
Family/Kids, Greece, 5’00”
A little girl tries her best to protect her beloved sand sea turtles from the busy summer beach.
Troublemaker, Paula Benu
Experimental, Romania, 3’24”
A short documentary video-poem about a lost childhood.
Timer, Shirin Shakhs, Satar Sanjari Sanjari
Comedy, Islamic Republic of Iran, 8’00”
Two hotel employees have started a game with each other, and
this game is getting more and more scary for them.
Who’s in My Selfie?, Vid Markovinović
Sci-fi/Comedy, Serbia, 6’00”
Alyosha is a teenager and rising influencer who can’t live without his phone. However, the phone starts to behave strangely – instead of Alyosha, another character appears in the selfies.
White Dreams, Karlo Kirr
Fantasy/Drama, Slovenia, 16’53”
In the film “White Dreams,” nine-year-old Ana discovers the mysterious beauty of Idrija lace through the stories of her grandmother. The grandmother captivates her with tales of a girl who defeated the mine monster and of three sisters who uncovered the power of magical bobbins.
Through these stories, Ana begins to realize that lace is not just a weave of threads, but also a weave of stories and memories that connect generations. She immerses herself in her family heritage and uncovers how tradition holds the power of love and creativity.
Slaves, Domen Puš, Tim Luznar
Social, Slovenia, 17’29”
Roman is exhausted by his job, which he doesn’t want to do. He is waiting to clock out once and for all but he is forced to interact with his coworkers that he doesn’t like. The pressure he feels from working in a job he hates causes him to break and fall out and he is finally free to quit and enact his fantasies. Or so he wishes.
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
SATURDAY 14.00h
Cream, Tim Luznar
Social, Slovenia, 5’21”
The Alpine ghetto is drowning in mass tourism and bad local politics, and the city of steel and flowers is stuck in a socialist labor loop. Both cities without a real perspective need a revival, but is it all that bright?
Shirin’s Bitter Tears, Amin Fallah
Drama, Islamic Republic of Iran, 7’01”
Shirin, a female filmmaker under a travel ban due to restrictions on artistic activities, has turned to street vending and in order to reclaim her confiscated items, she enters the cold and harsh environment of the municipal office.
Sawdust Eyes, Marta Lario,
Drama, Spain 14’32”
Nothing is the same since Lucia’s death. Nothing is right. Nothing is in its place. Marta, her little sister, is not even able to feel good in her own skin. The banality of the funeral, the coldness of the house, the terrible feeling of not being able to return the favor to the one who gave so much for her. It all piles up on her mind and clouds her eyes, but Marta refuses to cry. To do so would be to betray Lucia’s memory. She prefers to work and let herself go in an eternal repetition. And yet Daniela has other plans for her. After all, the loss does not belong to Marta alone.
Threads of Warmth, Natanael F. Merzel
Drama, Slovenia, 10’54”
The story follows a young man, Rok Kocijančič, who struggles to fit into society despite numerous attempts. However, behind his sense of being lost and his desire for acceptance lies a deeper reason…
Shangai, Mariadiletta Coco, Andrea Bifulco
Horror, Italy, 18’37”
Rita is a young caregiver on her first day of work, hired by the extravagant Anna to assist her mother Agnès. Inside the house where Rita has to look after the old lady, time passes differently for their bodies. Unfortunately for Rita, the two women are not who they claim to be and a game of shangai will force the young girl to keep an unspeakable secret.
A metaphor of the transition from youth to old age in a disturbing drama, in the context of a Neapolitan province abandoned to itself.
DON’T FeKK AROUND
Saturday 15.30h
Line Rider, Simon Intihar
Documentary, Slovenia, 24’
Like any mad genius, Boštjan Čadež lives life on his own creative terms. Art. Music. Robotics. There’s nothing his mind can’t conquer – except perhaps the legacy of his globally famous, generation-defining video game ‘Line Rider’… and his tendency to self-destruct.
Split Ends, Hannah Koselj Marušič
Documentary, Slovenia, 15′
Špela (26), who has undergone chemotherapy due to lymphatic cancer, and her friend Hannah (26) are casually socializing in Špela’s college dormitory room. Through their conversation, we become aware of our own fragility and insecurities, even when it comes to the most mundane matters, such as visual appearance.
The Future … is Just Like You Imagined, Sara Bezovšek
Animation/Experimental, Slovenia, 13′
The film explores two distinct dystopian futures through the lens of our internet and pop culture imaginarium.
I, Deconstructed, Nika Tomažič
Experimental, Slovenia, 8’
Experiencing the self as a continuous entity is an illusion. Complex and multifaceted, the self is constantly being redefined through interaction with others. It’s a construction with a multitude of often contradictory states and aspects. Human nature is neither all good nor all bad; the contradiction itself is inherent to the human experience.
VEL_VET_VEL festival film, Miha Možina
Experimental, Slovenia, 25’
“Best Slovenian film enthusiast” gets a job to film a simple reportage for Velvet music festival at an idlilic Croatian island. In a passionate attempt at achieving something a bit more “velvety” he entangles himself and his film with an elusive lady, dragging his crew into the depths of mystery-thriller neo-noir mocumentary. “Sink or swim brother. Sink or swim…”
YOU CAN’T MAKE AN OMELETTE WITHOUT BREAKING EGGS
SATURDAY 17.30h
Jurica, Marko Plejić
Documentary, Croatia, 8’00”
Portrait of a middle-aged man whose world revolves around the rhythmic heartbeat of trains at the local railway station. With unwavering passion, he captures the essence of these mechanical giants through his lens, finding profound parallels between the tracks and life’s journey.
As the trains come and go, he reflects on the transient nature of existence, crafting a heartfelt portrait of a man deeply connected to the perpetual motion of both trains and the human experience.
Hollow, Szymon Baran
Animated/Magical realism/Character-driven, Poland, 03’33”
A day in the life of a solitary old-timer, where routine collides with the surrealism of his home – a tree hollow on the outskirts of a village.
EXO 99, Filip Antić, Gavrilo Kostić
Horror/Experimental, Serbia, 6’38”
The year is 1999 in Belgrade, in the midst of the bombing, a modest night watchman employed by a state-owned company watches pornography over a dial-up connection. However, his activities attract the attention of a far more advanced foreign force that takes a pornographic interest in him. This foreign force is moving into our world through technology and electronics, assimilating all biological and technological matter in its path. Unable to confront it, he flees, but eventually realizes that even within the walls of his house, he is not safe from this presence.
Watering Hole, Eva Blackwell-Rogelj
Drama/Dark Comedy/Thriller, UK, 14’48”
Two girls go out to get free drinks from men in a local pub. As their night and sobriety descends they realise just how different their morals are, and just how dangerous UK nightlife can be.
Prikosyhmphono
Elena Gazi, Dolan Bailey, Alejandra Diaz, Leonardo Dal Fabbro
Animated/Documentary, Greece, 4’56”
Placed in Lefkada, an island in the Ionian Sea, a little girl finds a paper from 1955, that contains a list of objects that belonged to her great aunt and proceeds to ask her grandfather about it. He explains to her that this is the list of her dowry, an old Greek tradition, in which the bride’s possessions were concede to the groom as a formal marriage agreement. Moved by this finding, he starts recalling memories of his childhood, witnessing his older sister Armenia, having an arranged marriage and leaving behind her family and the island for a better future.
Silence, Bianca Rêgo
Documentary, Brazil, 18’20”
A delicate documentary about a tough subject, our film shows many forms of abuse that silently occur in day-to-day life and almost always ends without punishment.
TETAS Y SOPAS NO CABEN EN LA BOCA
SATURDAY 19.00h
Street Light, Romain Dumont
Drama/Docu-fiction, France, 15’58”
During a documentary shoot, Cheun, a beloved traffic warden, gets into trouble with a local inspector. On Rue Clignancourt, his resignation has the effect of a street light going out. In this new darkness, a filmmaker must rediscover his humanity, while Cheun must continue to invent his cinema. The rest doesn’t matter.
And What if It Never Comes, Đorđije Petrović
Drama, Serbia, 11’59”
Marina and Damjan are going to a housewarming party at a friend’s house. While trying to come up with a cheap enough present, Marina reevaluates her life and her relationship with her boyfriend.
Days of Waiting. Days of Archive, Agustina Arrillaga Vodanovich
Experimental, Croatia, 1’30”
A poetry visual journey through Super 8 found footage.
Su di Noi, Gennaro Parlato
Drama, Italy, 16’08”
Forty years have passed since the death of Salvatore, and his brother Santo, who was just a child at the time, is forced to live in a climate of perpetual mourning due to his Mother, whose furious grief seems relentless. For Santo, the only glimmer of hope lies in Bimbo, a troubled teenager with whom he maintains a clandestine relationship.
Habana BPM, Ernesto Reyes
Documentary, Cuba, 12’10”
The pioneer DJ of the Habanera Electronic Music scene returns to his homeland after having emigrated and reconnects with his scene, his city and his people.
ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY
LUKSUZ X RESTART SELECTION
SATURDAY 20.30h
Happy New Year, Margarita Vlaović, 13’44”
Autobiographical snapshots of living with cats, dirty dishes and depression. No makeup.
I did not stop entire day, Klara Berdais, 8’06”
“And what exactly do you do?” – “Oh, you are the ones who take money from the
state and do nothing.”
A film that, using excerpts from the everyday life of a cultural worker, problematizes some of the
conditions and methods of working in the independent cultural sector and also seeks the reason
and purpose of working in it. From flexible working hours, underpayment, project financing,
multitasking several jobs at the same time, to the problem of resting, for which there is no time at
the end of the day.
Patrik Pažur, Festival svjetla 8′
Good morning, Croatia, Mara Đukez, 11’53”
Every first Saturday of the month, a group of men kneels in the square, praying
for the “intentions of the church and the world”. Meanwhile, a group of female friends, in the
intimacy of a couch, question their position in a patriarchal society.
U konco, mir, Mateja Kuka Brkić, 10’56”
Thinking about household textiles through the lens of peace.
Root, Dora Fodor, 9′
In an intimate interview with the protagonist, the author goes through the detailed phases of her
rare and long-term chronic disorder. She wants to ask whether we can develop a sense of empathy
or whether it is overcome by a sense of disgust and misunderstanding.
Dust, Kaja Rakušček
Documentary, Slovenia, 9’26”
A factory, mysterious dust and the wind that carries it.
On Being Lost, Maya Salvini,
Experimental, Slovenia, 2’30”
The video explores the concept of balance highlighting four different stories of personal fights.
Brat za brata, Aleksandar Tadić, Marko Plejić
Documentary, Slovenia, 6′
Two brothers, both passionate fighters, face a quiet yet intense rivalry that fuels not only their competitive spirit but also their brotherly bond.
Ulice in bloki, Dovile Sadauskaite, Maya Salvini
Music video, Slovenia, 03’01”
Rap music video portrais the reality oh hip hop in Krško.
SUNDAY, 2 FEBRUARY 18:00h
Dom svobode Brestanica



