OUR MISSION
Story Land International Film Festival's program combines screenings of various blockbusters, workshops for children and adults, discussions with authors and round tables, and a varied accompanying program. We want to bring the art of film, which is a collection of all seven branches of art, closer to all generations. With the help of good stories, we want to inspire, surprise and pamper a respected audience and establish a dialogue between them and filmmakers.
THE PROGRAM
Žanrsko raznoliki programski sklopi festivala ponujajo zanimive vsebine za vse vrste občinstva. Verjamemo, da v vsakem žanru lahko odkrijemo nove filmske zgodbe, zato se v tem pogledu ne želimo omejevati. Namesto tega smo obsežen program raje razdelili v sekcije, s katerimi nagovarjamo različne ciljne skupine. Eden od ciljev festivala je širitev filmske kulture med najmlajšimi, zato so dnevi pred festivalom vedno namenjeni otroškemu in mladinskemu programu. Osrednji del festivala pa predstavlja tekmovalni program, v katerem predstavljamo mednarodne filmske uspešnice, strokovna žirija pa ob slovesnem zaključku festivala podeli nagrade ustvarjalcem najboljših celovečernih, dokumentarnih in prvenčnih filmov.
FESTIVAL VENUE
The charm of Murska Sobota, the magic of the Prekmurje landscape and the region’s renowned hospitality are among our greatest strengths. We see the festival space as an open film studio, where cinema, the city and its people come together. This year, the entire festival programme will be concentrated across selected venues in Murska Sobota, where screenings, workshops and accompanying events will create a vibrant space for encounters between filmmakers, audiences and the city.
Duša Škof Hall
MIKK
Park Theatre
Murska Sobota Regional and Study Library
The Association of Creative Youth
Murska Sobota Gallery
OUR GOAL
Our desire is for Prekmurje to become recognized as a region with creative potential and a space where film culture can grow and the film industry can develop. We believe that with a quality international program, cooperation with established film festivals and film schools, and the involvement of children, young people and the general public, we can contribute to the development of a cultural space that will transcend local borders.
THE ORGANIZER
The Javšnik&Klapa Institute operates in the field of organizing film festivals, cultural events, and film and theater production. The founder is Matjaž Javšnik, a successful film and theater actor, producer, and screenwriter. The institute organizes several film festivals, including the Kranjska Gora International Film Festival, the European and Mediterranean Film Festival, and the Grain of Salt Children's Film Festival in Piran. One of the main activities of the institute is also the organization of educational workshops in the field of film education and visual culture.
Program
TUESDAY, 15th september 2026
PARK THEATRE
DUŠA ŠKOF HALL
POKRAJINSKA IN ŠTUDIJSKA KNJIŽNICA MURSKA SOBOTA
WEDNESDAY, 16th september 2026
PARK THEATRE
DUŠA ŠKOF HALL
MIKK
GALERIJA MURSKA SOBOTA
POKRAJINSKA IN ŠTUDIJSKA KNJIŽNICA MURSKA SOBOTA
DRUŠTVO KREATIVNE MLADINE MURSKA SOBOTA
THURSDAY, 17th september 2026
PARK THEATRE
DUŠA ŠKOF HALL
MIKK
GALERIJA MURSKA SOBOTA
POKRAJINSKA IN ŠTUDIJSKA KNJIŽNICA MURSKA SOBOTA
DRUŠTVO KREATIVNE MLADINE MURSKA SOBOTA
FRIDAY, 18th september 2026
PARK THEATRE
DUŠA ŠKOF HALL
MIKK
GALERIJA MURSKA SOBOTA
POKRAJINSKA IN ŠTUDIJSKA KNJIŽNICA MURSKA SOBOTA
DRUŠTVO KREATIVNE MLADINE MURSKA SOBOTA
SATURDAY, 19th september 2026
PARK THEATRE
DUŠA ŠKOF HALL
Workshops
THE ART OF THE TRAILER
For many filmmakers, trailers feel like a black art, something mysterious that only specialized editors know how to make. But great trailers aren't built on secret tricks or marketing gimmicks. They're built on the same storytelling principles that make great films. In this 2–3 day workshop, award-winning filmmaker and master trailer editor Jeremy Workman (Secret Mall Apartment) will demystify the trailer-making process, giving participants a practical framework for understanding how trailers work and how to create them themselves.
Designed for filmmakers of all kinds - whether directors, producers, editors, writers, or anyone interested in the craft of storytelling - the workshop explores why learning to make a trailer is one of the fastest ways to understand both your own film and storytelling mechanics in general.
Through screenings, discussion, and real-world editing exercises, we'll break down the nuts and bolts of trailer construction - from story structure, compression, music, pacing, and rhythm to selecting scenes, shaping emotion, and deciding what to reveal and what to leave out. Working together with footage (from either a participant's project or one of Jeremy's films), we'll build a trailer in real time, moving from raw material to finished cut. Participants will leave not only with practical trailer-making skills, but with a deeper understanding of storytelling itself and a process they can apply to every stage of filmmaking.
16th –18th september 2026 | The Association of Creative Youth
11.00–13.00
16.00–18.00
Participation is limited to 15.
Applicants must be at least 17 years old at the time of application. 17 let.
Jeremy Workman is a documentary filmmaker who has been praised for creating his own genre of uniquely cinematic character portraits that bring you deep inside extraordinary worlds. His acclaimed films include SECRET MALL APARTMENT (Netflix), LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD (HBO MAX, Discovery), DECIDING VOTE (The New Yorker), THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET (Prime, Kino Lorber), and MAGICAL UNIVERSE (AMC+, IFC Films).
In addition to making documentaries, Jeremy is widely known in the American film industry for his editing work, particularly for movie trailers and tribute montages. He is the Creative Director at Wheelhouse Creative, a company that he founded in 2009. Since its inception, Wheelhouse Creative has created trailers for over 100 indie movies, working with nearly every independent movie distributor. In this capacity, Jeremy had edited dozens of dozens of trailers for some of the essential arthouse films of our time. Additionally, Jeremy has edited Academy Award tribute montages, Lifetime Achievement montages, as well as Best Picture montages.
You can see him talking about movie trailers on his Letterboxd Four Favorite Movie Trailers with Jeremy Workman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKuWH-D2m_Y-link
DIRECTING
Theme: Introduction to Acting in front of the Camera.
This three-day course is aimed at people interested in working on either side of the camera—or both: performing in front of it as actors, or directing and leading actors behind it. Participants can be either professionals or non-professionals.
During the first half of the course, participants will take part in a series of exercises focusing on the presence of the film actor, body language, gestures, and, to a certain extent, the use of voice and words.
In the second half, participants will work in small crews to create their own scene or a short two-minute film, drawing on what they have learned and experienced during the previous exercises.
The course aims to provide practical experience of performing for moving images, as distinct from performing on stage. It also explores the specific nature of being in front of a camera—an intensified, rhythmic, and highly attentive form of existing in life.
16th –18th september 2026 | MIKK Murska Sobota
11.00–13.00
16.00–18.00
Participation is limited to 15.
Applicants must be at least 17 years old at the time of application.
Csaba Bollók started making short movies as an independent filmmaker. He graduated at the Hungarian Film Academy and studied in the United States. Csaba Bollók is a Budapest-based film director with a history of international and home prizes, among them the best movie of the Visegrad countries, „European Discovery of the Year” (Reykjavik, 2007), Grand Prix (Monterrey, 2007). Represented Hungary at the Academy Awards (Los Angeles, 2009), while two of his movies, Silent Years (1994) and Iska’s Journey (2007) are selected among the basic Hungarian Movies by the National Film Archive.
He is also the head of the Institute of Motion Picture Arts at Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, a core -tutor at Midpoint (Praha, 2010-2019), and creative advisor at RAWI (Amman, Royal Film Commission since 2016), he runs workshops worldwide focusing on screenwriting and independent filmmaking.
THE PRESENT TENSE
Documentary Filmmaking Workshop for High School Students, University Students, and Emerging Professionals.
During the workshop, we will explore the following questions:
◦ Kaj je dokumentarni film in čemu je namenjen?
◦ Kakšne so razlike in podobnosti med dokumentarnim in igranim filmom?
◦ Na kakšne načine je mogoče posneti resničnost?
◦ Kje se v resničnosti »skrivajo« filmske zgodbe?
◦ Kako v svojem okolju najti filmske junake?
◦ Kako sta povezani resnica in resničnost?
◦ Ali lahko dokumentarni film ujame duh časa?
◦ Ali je sedanji trenutek vreden dokumentiranja?
We will watch:
◦ kratke dokumentarne filme,
◦ celovečerne dokumentarne filme,
◦ reelse,
◦ storyje,
◦ gradivo, ki ga bomo posneli sami.
We will make:
◦ več kratkih dokumentarnih filmov,
◦ več avtoportretov udeležencev,
◦ veliko resnega in veliko zabavnega filmskega gradiva.
When applying, please send us your CV and a motivation letter to storylandsliff@gmail.com, explaining why you want to participate, how you can contribute to the workshop, what you would like to record, and the like.
16th –18th september 2026 | Murska Sobota Gallery
11.00–13.00
16.00–18.00
Participation is limited to 12.
Applicants must be at least 17 years old at the time of application.
Andrijana Stojković holds MA in Film and TV directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. Author of 15 short fiction and short documentary films; 2 feature and 2 mid-length documentary; 2 hybrid feature and 1 feature fiction film. Her films were screened and awarded at festivals like IDFA, HotDocs FF, Rotterdam IFF, FidMarseille, Raindance FF, Sofia IFF, Havana IFF, Krakow FF etc. She was a jury member at numerous international film festivals.
She is one of the founders of the Association for Education in the Field of Audiovisual
Culture FILMKULTURA. She is a member of the Association of Film Artists of Serbia, the Association of Film Directors of Serbia, the Association of Film Producers of Serbia and DOKSerbia - Documentary Filmmakers Association of Serbia. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Organization of Film Authors of Serbia UFUS AFA Zaštita.
She is a professor at Belgrade’s Faculty of Dramatic Arts’ BA and MA programs.
ACTING MASTERCLASS WITH NIKOLA KOJO
An intensive masterclass dedicated to acting in front of the camera and to the actor’s craft at a deeper artistic level.
Through practical exercises, scene work and discussion, Nikola Kojo will draw on his extensive experience in film and television, including collaborations with numerous prominent directors, to explore the actor’s relationship with the camera, director, character and story. He will share his approach to building a character, presence and authenticity on screen, creative choices and the actor-director relationship.
Moving beyond technique, the Masterclass will address broader questions of artistic integrity, the actor’s individual voice and creative responsibility — exploring the actor’s role not only as a performer, but as an artist contributing to the larger language, vision and meaning of a film.
18. september | Pokrajinska in študijska knjižnica Murska Sobota
11.00
Participation is limited to 40.
Nikola Kojo is one of the most prominent and celebrated actors in Serbian and regional cinema. He is also well known as a director, writer and producer, with an artistic career spanning more than four decades. He began acting as a child and became one of the defining screen personalities of his generation in former Yugoslavia. His most notable films include We Are Not Angels (Mi nismo anđeli, 1992), Pretty Village, Pretty Flame (Lepa sela lepo gore, 1996), The Wounds (Rane, 1998), Sky Hook (Nebeska udica, 2000), Emir Kusturica’s Life Is a Miracle (Život je čudo, 2004), The Fourth Man (Četvrti čovek, 2007) and The Parade (Parada, 2011). He made his feature directorial debut with The Herd (Stado, 2016).
Throughout his career, Kojo has received numerous acting honours, including the Grand Prix Naisa at the Niš Film Festival, the Car Konstantin Award, recognition as New European Talent in Barcelona, and the FIPRESCI Serbia Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actor for The Parade. He also received the Bata Živojinović Award for Best Actor at SOFEST and, more recently, a special award for his contribution to Serbian cinema.
Guests
JURY FOR COMPETITION PROGRAM-FEATURE FILM
PAOLO MARIA SPINA is an experienced and established Italian producer with extensive experience in European arthouse cinema and international co-productions.
Je soustanovitelj produkcijske hiše Revolver, ki se posveča avtorski kinematografiji, ustvarjalnim dokumentarnim filmom in mednarodnim koprodukcijam. Med režiserji, katerih filme je produciral, so Krzysztof Zanussi, Alexander Sokurov in Andrei Tarkovsky Jr. Njegove produkcije so bile predstavljene in nagrajene na največjih mednarodnih festivalih, med drugim v Berlinu, Cannesu, Benetkah, Rotterdamu, Locarnu, Busanu in Torontu.
Aktiven je tudi kot svetovalec, mentor in tutor v programih razvoja filmskih projektov, pri čemer je posebej izkušen na področju mednarodnih koprodukcij, filmskih trgov, razvoja projektov in distribucije neodvisnega filma. Redno sodeluje kot predavatelj, strokovnjak in član žirij na festivalih ter drugih dogodkih filmske industrije.
NIKOLA KOJO je eden najuglednejših igralcev srbskega in nekdanjega jugoslovanskega filma. Njegova bogata kariera obsega igralstvo, režijo in produkcijo. Aktiven je že od otroštva, poznan pa je po pomembnih filmih nekdanje jugoslovanske in srbske kinematografije, med drugim Mi nismo angeli (Mi nismo anđeli), Lepe vasi lepo gorijo (Lepa sela lepo gore), Življenje je čudež (Život je čudo) in Parada. Režiral je tudi celovečerni film Čreda (Stado).
Med njegovimi igralskimi priznanji so Grand Prix »Naisa« na filmskem festivalu v Nišu (2008), nagrada Car Konstantin za najboljšega igralca (1998), nagrada New European Talent v Barceloni (1996) in nagrada za najboljšega igralca v Valencii (1990).
ELANEH NOBAKHT je mednarodno priznana iranska producentka in distributerka, katere delo podpira neodvisni film in močne človeške zgodbe. Posebej se osredotoča na človekove pravice, ženske, otroke in družbeno angažirane zgodbe.
Njeni filmi so bili predstavljeni na festivalih Berlinale, IDFA in Hot Docs, med njimi Dream’s Gate, The Apple Day, Silent House, Holy Bread in Beloved. Leta 2025 je bila tudi del programa Berlinale Talents ter je sodelovala kot članica žirij na več mednarodnih filmskih festivalih.
JURY FOR COMPETITION PROGRAM- DEBUT FILM
JOSEPH ROUSCHCOP je priznani belgijski filmski producent in soustanovitelj produkcijske hiše Tarantula, ene vodilnih belgijskih neodvisnih produkcijskih družb. Produciral in koproduciral je številne mednarodno priznane filme, predstavljene na največjih svetovnih festivalih, vključno s Cannesom, Benetkami in Berlinom.
Med njegovimi najpomembnejšimi filmi so Jaz, kapitan (Io Capitano) Mattea Garroneja, Pasolini (Pasolini) Abela Ferrare, Bitka v nebesih (Battle in Heaven) Carlosa Reygadasa, Private Property Joachima Lafosseja, Baden Baden (Baden Baden) Rachel Lang, Miss Marx Susanne Nicchiarelli, Spake na plan (Freaks Out) Gabrieleja Mainettija ter Romul in Rem: Prvi Kralj (The First King) Mattea Rovereja.
Njegov največji nedavni mednarodni uspeh je film Jaz kapitan (Io Capitano), ki je bil leta 2024 nominiran za oskarja za najboljši mednarodni celovečerni film. Na Beneškem filmskem festivalu leta 2023 je Matteo Garrone prejel Srebrnega leva za najboljšo režijo, Seydou Sarr pa nagrado Marcello Mastroianni za vlogo v filmu.
Njegova prejšnja mednarodna koprodukcija Bitka v nebesih (Battle in Heaven) režiserja Carlosa Reygadasa je leta 2005 tekmovala v uradnem tekmovalnem programu festivala v Cannesu, kar dodatno potrjuje njegovo dolgoletno sodelovanje z najpomembnejšimi evropskimi filmskimi festivali.
GIOVANNI BATTAGLIA je italijanski filmski novinar in strasten poznavalec evropske ter mednarodne kinematografije. Piše za filmsko revijo Taxi Drivers, kjer pokriva festivale, intervjuje, filmsko kritiko in sodobni film, pri čemer se močno osredotoča na mednarodno kinematografijo in filmske festivale ter ima z njimi dolgoletne povezave.
Revija Taxi Drivers ga navaja med svojimi sodelavci. Med njegovimi novejšimi deli so tudi intervjuji s festivala v Cannesu, med drugim z osebnostmi, kot sta Alberto Barbera in Pan Nalin.
JURY FOR COMPETITION PROGRAM-DOCUMENTARY FILM
ANDRIJANA STOJKOVIĆ je večkrat nagrajena srbska režiserka in producentka ter izredna profesorica dokumentarne filmske produkcije in režije na Fakulteti dramskih umetnosti v Beogradu. Njeni filmi so bili predstavljeni na številnih pomembnih mednarodnih festivalih, med drugim na IDFA, Hot Docs, v Rotterdamu, FIDMarseille in Raindance.
JOHN BLEASDALE je britanski filmski kritik, pisec, avtor in filmski novinar s sedežem v Italiji. Redno piše za pomembne mednarodne medije, med drugim Variety, Sight and Sound, The Economist, Financial Times in The Guardian, ter poroča z vodilnih evropskih festivalov, kot sta Cannes in Benetke.
Je tudi avtor knjige The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick, ki jo je leta 2024 izdala založba University Press of Kentucky in je bila opisana kot prva celovita biografija Terrencea Malicka.
MINA MIHAYLOVA ZARKOVIC je mednarodno aktivna direktorica kastinga in producentka ter ustanoviteljica igralske agencije KINOIST, ki ima sedež v Londonu in Moskvi. Povezuje filmske ustvarjalce, producente in strokovnjake za kasting iz različnih držav ter sodeluje pri mednarodnih filmskih produkcijah.
FESTIVAL’S HONORED GUESTS – awards for extraordinary contribution to the world cinema
MARIA GRAZIA CUCINOTTA is a one of Italy’s most internationally recognised actresses and one of the contemporary Italian cinema. She is also an accomplished producer and screenwriter with a strong international profile.
Mednarodno je zaslovela z vlogo Beatrice ob Massimu Troisiju v filmu Poštar (Il Postino / The Postman) (1994) režiserja Michaela Radforda. Kasneje je nastopila tudi v filmu o Jamesu Bondu Vse in še svet (The World Is Not Enough) (1999) in v seriji Sopranovi (The Sopranos).
Delovala je tudi za kamero kot producentka in scenaristka. Med drugim je producirala in igrala v mednarodnem omnibusu Vsi nevidni otroci (All the Invisible Children) (2005), ki je nastal v podporo UNICEF-u.
Some of strongest awards/honours to mention are:
◦ Special Nastro d’Argento (2012) – nagrada za njen režijski prvenec, kratki film Il Maestro.
◦ Capri Peace Award (2005).
◦ Feature Film Award – Best Actress (1998).
◦ America Award (2010), ki ji jo je podelila fundacija Italy–USA.
◦ Zvezda na italijanskem Pločniku slavnih v Torontu (2012).
Leta 2009 je bila izbrana tudi za gostiteljico oziroma botro (madrina) 66. beneškega mednarodnega filmskega festivala.
KRYSZTOF ZANUSSI je ena najpomembnejših in najbolj uglednih osebnosti evropske avtorske kinematografije. Je poljski režiser, scenarist in producent, dobitnik Zlatega leva v Benetkah in nagrade žirije v Cannesu, njegova izjemna kariera pa že več kot pet desetletij pomembno zaznamuje evropski film.
Deluje tudi kot gledališki režiser in esejist. Njegovi filmi so znani po filozofskem in moralnem raziskovanju posameznikove odgovornosti, vere, svobode in etičnih odločitev.
Med njegovimi najpomembnejšimi filmi so Struktura kristala (The Structure of Crystal) (1969), Osvetlitev (Illumination) (1973), Kamuflaža (Camouflage) (1977), Konstantni faktor (The Constant Factor) (1980), Leto mirnega sonca (The Year of the Quiet Sun) (1984), Življenje kot spolno prenosljiva bolezen s smrtnim izidom (Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease) (2000) in Persona Non Grata (2005).
Med njegovimi najpomembnejšimi mednarodnimi priznanji so Zlati lev na Beneškem filmskem festivalu za for The Year of the Quiet Sun (1984), nagrada žirije na festivalu v Cannesu za for The Constant Factor (1980) in zlati leopard v Locarnu. Njegova dela so prejela nagrade tudi na festivalih v Berlinu, Moskvi, Chicagu, Montrealu in Tokiu.