SlovenščinaA pleasant, warm day in Rogaška Slatina provided a wonderful backdrop for the closing day of the ISFF festival. The morning started quite actively for the festival’s film guests, who gathered at 9 AM in the largest number so far, as the festival team organized an almost all-day excursion for them.
First, they visited the venue in front of the II. OŠ Rogaška Slatina elementary school, which traditionally hosted the Mini Olympiad, organized by the Olympic Committee of Slovenia (OKS). Over 600 children from local and surrounding schools had the opportunity to try their hand at various sports disciplines, accompanied by great music and excellent moderation. The laughter and joy were immense, surely reaching even those at the top of the high Kristal Tower. This year, they were visited by top athletes from the sports unit of the Slovenian Armed Forces: cyclist Jaka Primožič, swimmer Janja Šegel, runner Klemen Španing, triathlete Tjaša Vrtačič, top kayak coach Simeon Hočevar, and track and field athlete and Olympian Brigita Bukovec, who later also visited the children in the film hall.
The group of film festival guests, who had gathered from all corners of the world (traveling to Rogaška Slatina for three days from Australia, Indonesia, the USA, England, the Netherlands, and Hungary), continued their excursion with a tour of our world-famous Rogaška Glassworks (Steklarna Rogaška). They viewed the production facilities and listened intently to the guide’s explanations. From there, their path led them to the Slovenian house of beauty, Kozmetika Afrodita, where they toured the company. This was followed by a group ascent—or rather, a lift ride—up to the 104-meter-high Kristal Tower, which offers a stunning view of Rogaška Slatina and its surroundings. Next, they headed to the Pomona tourist farm, described as a fairytale corner in the countryside of Rogaška Slatina. They returned from the excursion full of impressions, just in time to rest a little and prepare for the evening’s announcement of the film festival winners.
In the evening, all the guest filmmakers gathered in the hall of the Cultural Center. The Mayor, Mag. Branko Kidrič, rushed over from another event to dedicate a part of his surely busy day to the festival. Also present were the members of the jury, who reviewed many films this year and selected the best ones in their opinion, as well as the residents of Rogaška Slatina. All attendees were welcomed by the host, Vid Valič, who visited Rogaška Slatina with his stand-up comedy show “Moška pamet” (Men’s Mind).
This year, a remarkably large number of winners accepted their awards in person, which proves that the festival is gaining recognition and that filmmakers love to visit it, always creating the atmosphere of a big film family. This year’s award recipients by category are as follows:
Feature film
23 SECONDS
Directed by: Peter Taslim
Production: 2025, Indonesia, Thailand
Feature short film
THIS IS NOT THE RUNNING JOKE
Directed by: Xavier Diskeuve
Production: 2026, Belgium
Documentary feature film
THE LOST DREAM TEAM
Directed by: Jure Pavlović
Production: 2025, Croatia, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia
Documentary short film
NOTHING BUT BLUE
Directed by: Sebastian Bechtel
Production: 2025, Germany
Olympic/paralympic spirit
BREAKING
Directed by: Dan Faber
Production: 2025, United Kingdom
Sport and society
KICKOFF
Directed by: Roser Corella, Stefano Obino
Production: 2025, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Spain
TV audience – Arena Sport Channel award
THE BRIDGE
Directed by: Jimmy Hedger
Production: 2025, United Kingdom
I FEEL SLOVENIA – festival director’s award
BROTHERHOOD OF THE COURT/THE BEGINNING
Directed by: Gašper Pavli, Alen Djordjević
Production: 2025, Slovenia
Following the conclusion of the award ceremony, the filmmakers left the hall for a reception and social gathering, as film festivals offer a rare opportunity for creators to exchange views and experiences. Meanwhile, the audience in the hall stayed on to watch the show, which was performed in Slovenian. Interestingly, this option was also extended to the international guests, as Vid Valič jokingly suggested they stay even if they didn’t understand Slovenian—noting they could simply laugh along with everyone else when they laughed.
Once the comedy show concluded, a reception was waiting for the theater audience as well. The evening, filled with beautiful impressions, handshakes, and shared wishes to meet again, came to a close.
See you next year in Rogaška Slatina!