Migrant Film Festival

Since 2010, the World Refugee Day (20 June) has been marked also with the Migrant Film Festival, dedicated to all refugees and migrants worldwide. The festival is organised by the organisation Slovene Philanthropy, Association for Promotion of Volunteering. The applications for eligible films are usually open till February.

A selection of insightful and provocative films on topics related to migrations, asylum and refugees is followed by thematic round tables to provide relevant information and contribute to fostering of a tolerant, inclusive and equitable society.

Migrant Film Festival 2025 visual identity (design by Martina Kokovnik)

Programme

A broad collection of films of diverse genres ranges from documentaries to animations. Usually it was divided into various sections, for instance the "Potraits" screening works that present individual migrants and their life experiences, or "Closing Borders" which included films about the difficulties and tragedies migrants have to face on the road and about the policies that affect them.

Locations

The festival is organised at several different locations. In Ljubljana, mainly at Kinodvor Cinema and Slovenian Cinematheque recently also at the AGRFT Hall. The previous festival locations also included Škuc Gallery and City Museum of Ljubljana, among others. The events and pre-events of the festival have travelled to several other Slovenian cities, for instance to Maribor, Ptuj, Murska Sobota, Koper, Novo mesto, Logatec, Cerknica, Vipava, Velenje, Črnomelj, Metlika, Žalec or Ljutomer. Summer events are organised by the network of partner venues.

The workshops at primary and high schools were organised across Slovenia to accompany a screening of the film "Cafuné". Two hundred children and youth in Kranj, Logatec, Ljubljana and Puconci attended the workshops.

Accompanying programme

The round tables and discussions accompanying the screenings usually focus on the following central themes: economic migration, undocumented migrants and Europe's role in the protection of refugees fleeing from the war-torn regions. Professionals, international filmmakers and activists are invited to share their insight on current migration trends, their opinions on the causes and consequences of migration, and their personal experiences related to the discussed topics. Accompanied by several side events with storytelling and tasting traditional cuisines, the festival also offers a glimpse of the cultural diversity of our society.

The Migrant Film Festival visual identity, 2016