The New Slovene Avant Garde

November 18 - 24, 2004

Northwest Film Forum, Neumo's and other venues.

With its seductive architecture, stunning landscape and rich cultural history, Slovenia's capital city of Ljubljana is fast replacing Paris and Prague as a destination for adventurous travelers. The first of the former Yugoslav republics to declare independence from the Yugoslavian Federation, Slovenia largely avoided the ravages of the Balkans conflict, setting the stage for a remarkable cultural renaissance. In recognition of this region's unbridled creativity, Northwest Film Forum and Scala House Press are pleased to present "State of Art: The New Slovene Avant Garde." This project will feature the best of a new breed of contemporary Slovenian filmmakers, writers, artists, and musicians.

This weeklong festival, from November 18 through 24 will screen over 20 feature length and short films, many viewed for the first time by Northwest audiences. Among the highlights are Sweet Dreams, introduced by director Šaso Podgorsek and screenwriter Miha Mazzini; Guardians of the Frontier, introduced by director Maja Weiss; and 2001Academy Awardä winner No Man's Land. Among the featured readings will be translator Michael Biggins' selections from Vladimir Bartol's classic Alamut, the first-ever English translation of this European classic bestseller. A visual art exhibition, organized by veteran curator Larry Reid, in Northwest Film Forum's spacious new lobby will include artists from the conceptual collective Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK), together with their frequent Seattle collaborator, Charles Krafft. A highlight of this ambitious festival will include a performance by Slovenia's seminal industrial band Laibach, performing on the ninth anniversary of their historic concert at Bosnia's National Theater in war-torn Sarajevo, which coincided with the announcement of the lasting Dayton Peace Accords. An array of workshops, panels, readings and receptions with notable Slovene and Northwest cultural literati assure an entertaining and enlightening celebration of cutting-edge Eastern European avant garde aesthetics.

A web site is currently being built for the festival and will be at the following link
www.nwfilmforum.org/slovenia