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Video: Gaja Madžarevič

Yesterday, on 12 November, the 25^th Ljubljana International Film Festival opened spectacularly since Liffe’s 25^th anniversary had to be celebrated in style. Moreover, the jubilee has also contributed to a greater diversity in programming. Playtime, the opening film by Jacques Tati, was another of the Festival’s irregular features; the Festival had never before been opened by a film from the Retrospective section, and a classic from the 1960s at that. The Big Screen Retrospective this year centres on films that require cinematic viewing in order for the synergy between the film-reel projection and big screen to occur. Simon Popek, the Festival Director, recounted some anecdotes about the film (He told us, among other things, that this was a comedy that attained its current status of an icon only gradually, in the course of time, and that budget overruns forced Tati to take out large overdrafts to cover the ever-increasing production costs.), and then the entertainment programme ensued.

On taking the stage, actor Bojan Emeršič asked the audience whether Simon Popek had already had his stand-up, complaining that he envied Popek’s inherent sense of comedy and that he had to invest a great deal of effort into being funny. He entertained the audience with his stories about shopping and camping, also including some Liffe details, the festival’s huge attendance figures, for example: annually, the Festival is attended by approx. 50,000 film buffs, which is an enviable number. The host addressed several members of the audience, among others actress Polona Vetrih and her partner, the former Director General of Cankarjev dom, Mitja Rotovnik, and then vanished offstage. When he reappeared, in was on a TV-show called Liffe Is Looking for a Chef. Chef Janez Dolšak and the host baked a cake in honour of the Festival’s 25^th anniversary.

After the screening of Tati’s excellent French comedy featuring elements of surrealism and absurd theatre, Bojan Emeršič went on stage again, taking the viewers back to the show and the delicious cake. The Festival Director blew out the candles to the accompaniment of the Happy Birthday song played by the Fešta Brass Band. The cinema-goers were then invited to follow the musicians to Foyer II and have some birthday cake. The socialising and exchange of opinions about this and that, among others also Tati’s masterpiece and the Festival’s silver anniversary continued till the small hours of the night. Among the notable guests we spotted TV-host Miša Molk, filmmakers Karpo Godina and Miha Hočevar, theatre director Vito Taufer as well as the new Director General of Cankarjev dom, Uršula Cetinski.

Andraž Jež

Photo: Iztok Dimc

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