{"id":11892,"date":"2025-05-26T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T08:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinootok.org\/?p=11892"},"modified":"2025-05-29T08:06:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T07:06:06","slug":"21st-kino-otok-festival-in-izola-june-4-8-festival-passes-and-tickets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2025.kinootok.org\/en\/21st-kino-otok-festival-in-izola-june-4-8-festival-passes-and-tickets\/","title":{"rendered":"21st Kino Otok Festival in Izola, June 4\u20138"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Last week, we unveiled the program of the 21st International Film Festival Kino Otok \u2013 Isola Cinema at public presentations in Ljubljana and Izola. The festival\u2019s main events will take place in Izola from June 4 to 8, with Kino Otok gatherings featuring film screenings and professional programs taking place before and after that period in various locations across Slovenia, most extensively in Ljubljana. So far, the 21st edition of the festival includes 129 films from 36 different countries \u2013 45 feature-length and 84 short films \u2013 the majority of which will be screened in Izola. The full festival program is available at kinootok.org.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The common language of Kino Otok is the language of film<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the heart of Kino Otok are, of course, the films \u2013 but that means more than just screenings. It\u2019s about lively exchanges of opinions on films and their themes among audiences and filmmakers. At Kino Otok, film is the shared language of different perspectives, fostering dialogue about creativity and the world beyond the screen. From June 4 to 8 in Izola<\/strong>, the festival will light up popular locations such as the Art Cinema Odeon, the Cultural Centre, and the JSKD Sunny Hall<\/strong>. Particularly appealing to the general public are Izola\u2019s outdoor venues \u2013 Svetilnik<\/strong> park and Largo pri \u0160pini<\/strong>, as well as the Manzioli <\/strong>and Arrigoni Open-Air Cinemas<\/strong>. The latter two will be the focus of the rest of this message, and for full program details, we recommend visiting the festival website. In case of bad weather, all screenings will move indoors.<\/p>\n

The surprise screening \u2013 a traditional gift for the early birds among the festivalgoers \u2013 will take place at the Manzioli Open Air Cinema<\/strong> on Tuesday, June 3 at 9 PM.<\/strong> The film\u2019s title will remain a secret until the screening, but we can assure you that this mystery film, true to the spirit of the island festival, will warm up the pre-festival evening and offer a welcoming invitation to the upcoming screenings.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, June 4 at 9 PM<\/strong>, we stay at the Manzioli Open-Air Cinema<\/strong> for the festival\u2019s opening film, which captures the central theme of this year\u2019s edition:\u00a0Universal Language<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (Matthew Rankin, 2024). This film portrays a quirky, touching, and humorous encounter between Canadian and Iranian cultures and their respective cinemas. The director, Matthew Rankin, said: \u201cI encourage viewers to think of the film as a cinematic Venn diagram between Winnipeg, Tehran, and Montreal. Like the confluence of rivers or Hawaiian pizza. These three elements reflect and refract through each other\u2019s lens. Of course, Iranian cinema stems from a 1,000-year-old poetic tradition, while Canadian cinema was born out of 40 years of discount furniture commercials. But that\u2019s the duality of our world, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Four festival nights at Arrigoni Open-Air Cinema<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, June 5<\/strong> we will screen F<\/a><\/em>i<\/a><\/em>ume o morte<\/a><\/em>!<\/em> (2025), a widely acclaimed documentary by innovative director Igor Bezinovi\u0107. The film playfully reconstructs the 1919\u20131920 period when the notorious writer, fascist, and political showman Gabriele D\u2019Annunzio occupied the nearby city of Rijeka. Director Igor Bezinovi\u0107, cinematographer Gregor Bo\u017ei\u010d, and Slovenian co-producer Marina Gumzi will present the film in a discussion with young selectors.<\/p>\n

Friday, June 6 at 9 PM<\/strong> we will present the Nepalese police thriller Pooja, Sir<\/a><\/em> (Deepak Rauniyar, 2024), in which a police inspector investigates the abduction of boys in the tense border region between Nepal and India. The gripping film was inspired by real events during the 2015 ethnic protests in southern Nepal. Viki Gro\u0161elj<\/strong> \u2013 an esteemed expert on the region, mountaineer, guide, rescuer, educator, and writer \u2013 will introduce the film.<\/p>\n

Saturday, June 7 at 9 PM<\/strong> – a special musical-cinematic experience awaits with Man of Aran<\/a><\/em> (Robert J. Flaherty, 1934), accompanied by live music from composer and musician Polona Jane\u017ei\u010d<\/strong>. This work by one of the pioneers of documentary filmmaking is a vivid journey through a fishing village on the Irish Aran Islands, where the sea is both a lifeline and a relentless foe.<\/p>\n

We also highlight the screening of Ca<\/a><\/em>s<\/a><\/em>t of Shadows<\/a><\/em> (2025) by Finnish director and festival guest Sami van Ingen<\/strong> \u2013 a descendant of Flaherty. The film, which screens on Thursday, June 5 at the Art Cinema Odeon, sheds light on the crucial creative role of Frances Flaherty and their daughters, through revealing family archives, thus adding context to Saturday\u2019s screening.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, June 8 at 9 PM<\/strong> at Arrigoni Open-Air Cinema<\/strong>, the festival concludes with Vermiglio<\/a><\/em> (Maura Delpero, 2024), presented as part of the new section Kino Istra \u2013 an extension of the Otok Institute\u2019s program. Kino Istra tours the Istrian hinterland during the summer, exploring the multicultural richness of the region. Vermiglio<\/em>, awarded at the Venice Film Festival, is a deeply cinematic story set in the Italian Alps near the end of WWII, where a romance between a local woman and a newcomer spins the fates of villagers in a remote mountain setting. The film is included in the program with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute.<\/p>\n

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Festival Passes, Tickets and Video Trailer<\/strong><\/p>\n

The full program is available at kinootok.org<\/a>, and we invite you to download it as a PDF as well: link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All ticket information can be found here<\/a>. Advance sales for festival passes and discounted tickets are available at mojekarte.si<\/a>, at physical mojekarte.si points of sale across Slovenia, and at Kinodvor. The festival box office at Art Cinema Odeon in Izola opens on June 3.<\/p>\n

The official video trailer of this year\u2019s festival was created by Serbian editor and director Dragan von Petrovi\u0107<\/strong>, a long-time friend and collaborator of Kino Otok. The visual identity was again crafted by our excellent designer Ur\u0161ka Ali\u010d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n