Goriška Region
Goriška Region: Retrospective at the Border – Stories Through Film and History
Oriente Vzhod / Occidente Zahod – The Border Through Film and History is not just a film retrospective, but a multi-year project that explores history, memory, and identity along the Slovenian-Italian border through the lens of cinema. Although the original concept was inspired by Trieste, the project found its true home in the Goriška region—in the twin cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, which together hold the title of European Capital of Culture GO! 2025. In this culturally rich space where languages, traditions, and historical experiences converge, the retrospective will have its official launch.
Opening of the Retrospective – April 10, Gorizia
The day will begin at the House of Film in Gorizia with screenings of works by three local filmmakers: Zoran, My Nephew the Idiot (dir. Matteo Oleotto), Stories from the Chestnut Woods (dir. Gregor Božič), and the documentary essay Timeless River (dir. Anja Medved). These films, deeply rooted in the local environment, offer intimate portrayals of life along the border.
A guided film walk through Gorizia will follow, taking visitors on a journey through the layered cinematic history of this once-divided, now-connected city.
In the afternoon, a roundtable discussion titled Cultural Identity of Border Communities: Past and Present will bring together voices from the worlds of film, history, and the social sciences to reflect on the role of border identities in shaping Europe’s cultural landscape.
The day will conclude with the official opening ceremony, introduced by speeches from the organizers and invited guests. The evening’s centerpiece will be a program of short films that reflect on life at the border—films that explore themes of belonging, migration, memory, and ideological conflict. The selection includes War of Words or Respectful Silence?, We Don’t Want What’s Theirs, We Don’t Give What’s Ours, UN Request for Trieste to Return to Italy, Trieste and Italy, The Train of Friendship: American Aid for Italy, Where Is the Iron Curtain?, Il Carso, Karst – A Fairytale World, and Abyssinia.
This curated screening invites audiences on a cinematic journey through the region’s past and present—where borders have never been mere lines on a map, but dynamic spaces of encounter, transformation, and coexistence.
Continuing the Retrospective Across the Goriška Region
With the support of local partners, the retrospective will continue its journey throughout the Goriška region, visiting locations that each tell their own unique story about the border and its people. The focus remains on understanding the border not as a barrier, but as a space of exchange, migration, and memory.
April 11 – Nova Gorica / University of Nova Gorica
In partnership with the University of Nova Gorica, the program will highlight the Karst landscape as both a natural and political space. The screening includes Wind Storm Over Trieste by Gianni Alberto Vitrotti, Il Carso by Franco Giraldi, and Il Carso - un mondo fiabesco by Matjaž Klopčič. After a break, the program continues with Newsreel 670 – Red Forests by Nika Autor, Abyssinia by Karpo Godina, and Chicory and Coffee by Dušan Kastelic.
April 11 – Tolmin / Tolmin Cinema Theater
At the Tolmin Cinema Theater, the program will feature Cuori senza frontiere (dir. Luigi Zampa) and Red Boogie (dir. Karpo Godina)—two films that delve into postwar border realities and shifting ideologies.
April 14 – Deskle
In Deskle, the retrospective will present the animated short Chicory and Coffee, a humorous and touching story of rural marriage, followed by That Beautiful Day (dir. France Štiglic), a comedic classic of Slovenian cinema.
April 15 – Komen
In Komen, two films will be screened: Il Carso, offering an Italian perspective on the Karst landscape, and La frontiera, a reflective film essay on the meaning and impact of borders.