The Marathon Women are Running Their Second Lap

Three years ago, in October 1997, the first Slovene women's film and
video festival took place in Slovenska kinoteka. This was an important and
unique event in Slovene film history. Thirty films by thirty women were shown; most
of them in an empty cinema. Consequently, a heated round-table debate entitled Female
Authors-Creativity-Politics, which included the directors and some of their
film colleagues, ensued. The media, with the exception of three outlets,
completely overlooked this lively event. The media were interested in the great
foreign artists hosted by the City of Women;
thirty small Slovene voices were not important enough for them. It is true,
however, that in 1997, a film marathon with so many interesting films would
have remained even less noticed if it had not been for the following pronounced
facts: the Slovene film history has not produced a feature film by a woman
director, no woman has been on the board of the Film Fund or on a committee. In
contrast to the weak domestic response to the film marathon, the event and the
accompanying catalogue brought fruitful results abroad: interest in Slovene
women's film and video increased.
In October 2000, during the City of Women, the second Slovene women film and
video marathon in Slovenska kinoteka will be held. What is the current
situation? Two women and four men have a seat on the board of the Film Fund,
three men are on the programme committee. I am not even counting the number of
women editors, counsellors or woman members on the committees. It seems that
the presence of women in cinematic cultural politics is growing rather slowly.
After four years, the feature film Guardian of Frontier (Varuh meje), which I directed, got the green light,
and is currently in editing.
Some short films, awarded at home and abroad, have been shot. So have
some really good documentaries. The deeply rooted and innovative tradition of
video art continues. Next year, a least one new "woman's" feature
film and a few short films, supported by the Film Fund, should be made. It
seems that things are slowly looking up. It seems that the production of
Slovene women's films is growing, that women's cinematic creativity can
materialise. It also seems that a period with more film screenings is coming, a
period of various approaches to the matter, which will encourage debates about
different women and other themes, about different forms, about aesthetics,
about art, about film, about life. I hope that in the end, actions will
speak louder than words.
Maja
Weiss

The following directors
will be presented at the second Slovene women's film and video marathon:

Documentaries: Alenka Auersperger (Majnik Jožefa Čudna), Janja Glogovac (Showtime),
Jasna Hribernik (Povej naprej: Milko Đurovski / Ko nam je žoga padla na glavo),
Elke Gaga Stojan (Vstajenje), Hanka Kastelic (Okus po cvetju), Marjeta Keršič Svetel
(Valentin Stanič), Helena Koder (Prizori iz življenja Hlebanjevih), Alma
Lapajne-Granič (Arija iz druge sobe), Bojana Rudl (Človek z jajci), Majda Širca
(Who is she), Maja Weiss (Cesta bratstva in enotnosti)
Youth films: Polona Sepe (Razpoke v času: Zmajeva skrivnost – Ljubljana)
Short films: Urška
Kos (Rop stoletja), Siena Krušič (Vrt), Špela Kuclar (Jezni), Varja Močnik
(Gusarski pohod), Nataša Prosenc (Rojstni dan), Hanna A. W. Slak (Predor),
Urška Žnidaršič (Koromandija)
Video
art: Zemira
Alajbegović (Vortex), Marina Gržinić in Aina Šmid (O muhah s tržnice), Ema
Kugler (Menhir)
Animation: Eka Vogelnik (Pozabljene knjige naših babic:
Trdoglav in Marjetica)
TV drama: Marija Šeme (Dobrotnica)

For this event, Slovenska
kinoteka will publish an extensive catalogue containing more information on the
artists and their films.

In cooperation with Slovenska kinoteka
Project coordinator: Jure Meden