For more than twenty‑five years, Kinoatelje has transformed cinemas, squares, and public spaces on both sides of the Slovenian‑Italian border into places of encounter and exchange: between filmmakers and audiences, between languages and memories, between local communities and international cinematic landscapes. The festival has become a living platform for dialogue among cultural institutions, artists, scholars, and spectators, reaffirming the cross‑border vocation that characterizes the GO! 2025 area.
Festival sections
The programme unfolds through several thematic lines:
- Darko Bratina Award, dedicated to filmmakers whose work offers a deep reflection on contemporary society.
- First Crossings, a space for emerging short‑film authors and new cinematic languages.
- New Visions, spotlighting influential and innovative international auteurs.
- Cinemaeye, exploring Slovenian and Italian cinematic legacies and collective filmmaking as a radical social practice.
- Excursion, a journey through selected international film landscapes.
- Extra Programme, featuring film walks, workshops, meetings with festival guests, and museum discounts (with accreditation).
Focus 2026: Finland and the emerging sensibilities of Northern Europe
The first preview of the 2026 edition comes from Excursion, which this year turns northwards, towards Finland. In collaboration with the Tampere Film Festival, the largest short‑film festival in the Nordic countries, Tribute to a Vision opens a window onto contemporary Finnish cinema while expanding its cooperation with the Oulu International Children’s and Youth Film Festival.
As part of this collaboration, the festival will host Cinema Is Our Magnet 3, a special youth‑focused event designed to bring Finnish films and cultural perspectives closer to children and young audiences from both sides of the border.
The initiative is further enriched by its connection with Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026, continuing the exchange between European Capitals of Culture following the experience of GO! 2025.
The 27th Darko Bratina Award goes to Romanian filmmaker Alexandra Gulea
On 2 October 2026, the festival will present the 27th Darko Bratina Award to Romanian filmmaker Alexandra Gulea, an author whose work explores overlooked communities, invisible borders, and stories that emerge only through attentive and deeply empathetic observation.
The award will be accompanied by a retrospective of selected works and a masterclass, leading up to the official ceremony.
KINOprepustnica: your cultural pass across the border
This year, Kinoatelje introduces a new accreditation system: KINOprepustnica / KINOlasciapassare. With a contribution of €10, the accreditation grants access to the festival’s extra programme and special discounts for museums, workshops, and guided tours on both sides of the border.
Festival screenings remain free, but the KINOprepustnica becomes the key to fully experiencing the cultural richness of the cross‑border area and the festival.
Once a document required to cross the border between Italy and Slovenia, the prepustnica now becomes a symbolic cultural pass inviting audiences to join a shared, cross‑border film community.
