31/10/2022 - In terms of the number of awards won, Matevž Luzar’s movie has ended up tying with Riders and The Happiest Man in the World, which got three Vesnas each

Orchestra director Matevž Luzar, producer Petra Vidmar and cinematographer Simon Tanšek with their awards (© Katja Goljat and Matjaž Rušt)

Although three films are tied on the winners’ list of the Festival of Slovenian Film, with three Vesna Awards each, Matevž Luzar’s Orchestra [+see also:
film review
film profile] could be considered the overall winner, as it scooped the Best Feature Film Award, following the verdict of the fiction-feature competition jury, consisting of filmmaker Darko Sinko, actor Milivoj Miki Roš and film scholar Ivana Kronja. Luzar’s movie was also crowned with the Vesnas for Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography, handled by Simon Tanšek.

Two more films scooped three Vesna Awards each. Dominik Mencej’s Riders [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dominik Mencej
film profile] emerged victorious in the categories of Best Lead Actor (Petja Labović), Best Editing (Andrej Nagode and Matic Drakulić) and Best Sound (Samo Jurca), while Teona Struga Mitevska’s The Happiest Man in the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile] came out on top in the categories of Best Minority Co-production, Best Costume Design (Monika Lorber) and Best Make-up (Mojca Gorogranc Petrushevska).

The contingent of multiple Vesna Award winners is rounded off by Sara Kern’s Berlinale Generation title Moja Vesna [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sara Kern
film profile]: Kern herself was crowned Best Director, while Loti Kovačić was deemed Best Lead Actress. Riders also got the Audience Award and the IRIDIUM Award for Best Debut, while Moja Vesna was rewarded with the Art Kino Network of Slovenia (AKMS) Award. The Vesna for Best Original Music went to Gregor Strniša, Bojan Adamič and Vojko Sfiligoj for Miha Vipotnik’s Wrecked Piano, which also scooped the FIPRESCI Award.

Five more feature-length fiction and documentary films were presented with awards. The gong for Best Documentary went to the mid-length film Competition, directed and produced by Miha Mohorič, Matjaž Ivanišin’s short film That’s How the Summer Ended triumphed in the live-action category, while the animated, experimental and student shorts categories also crowned their respective winners.

The Festival of Slovenian Film took place in the coastal town of Portorož from 25-30 October and invited 11 domestic or majority-domestic co-produced feature-length films, ten minority co-productions, and five more feature-length documentaries and hybrid films on the national topic to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the country’s independence. Three more documentaries, 19 shorts and 15 student films rounded off the list of competition titles.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Vesna Award for Best Feature Film
Orchestra [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Matevž Luzar (Slovenia)

Vesna Award for Best Director
Sara Kern – Moja Vesna [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sara Kern
film profile] (Slovenia/Australia)

Vesna Award for Best Screenplay
Matevž Luzar – Orchestra

Vesna Award for Best Lead Actress
Loti Kovačič – Moja Vesna

Vesna Award for Best Lead Actor
Petja Labović – Riders [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dominik Mencej
film profile] (Slovenia/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Croatia/Serbia)

Vesna Award for Best Supporting Actress
Alenka Kraigher – The Space Among Us (Slovenia)

Vesna Award for Best Supporting Actor
Jonas Žnidaršič – Grandpa Goes South (Slovenia/North Macedonia)

Vesna Award for Best Cinematography
Simon Tanšek – Orchestra

Vesna Award for Best Original Music
Gregor Strniša, Bojan Adamič, Vojko Sfiligoj – Wrecked Piano (Slovenia)

Vesna Award for Best Editing
Andrej Nagode, Matic Drakulić – Riders

Vesna Award for Best Production Design
Robert Černelč – The Birdbreeder (Slovenia)

Vesna Award for Best Costume Design
Monika Lorber – The Happiest Man in the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile] (North Macedonia/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Denmark/Belgium/Slovenia/Croatia)

Vesna Award for Best Make-up
Mojca Gorogranc Petrushevska – The Happiest Man in the World

Vesna Award for Best Sound
Samo Jurca – Riders

Vesna Award for Best Minority Co-production
The Happiest Man in the World – Teona Struga Mitevska

Vesna Award for Best Documentary
Competition – Miha Mohorič (Slovenia, medium-length)

Vesna Award for Best Live-action Short
That’s How the Summer Ended – Matjaž Ivanišin (Slovenia/Hungary/Italy)

Vesna Award for Best Animated Short
The Legend of Goldhorn – Lea Vučko (Slovenia)

Vesna Award for Best Experimental Short
www.s-n-d.si – Sara Bezovšek (Slovenia)

Vesna Award for Best Student Film
Pentola – Leo Černic (Italy)

Vesna Award for Special Achievement
Disappearing [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Andrina Mračnikar (Austria/Slovenia)

Vesna Award for Special Achievement
X1-Eschaton – Juš Premrov (Slovenia)

Other awards

Audience Award
Riders – Dominik Mencej

IRIDIUM Award for Best Debut
Riders – Dominik Mencej

Art Kino Network of Slovenia (AKMS) Award
Moja Vesna – Sara Kern

FIPRESCI Award
Wrecked Piano – Miha Vipotnik