4th UFF Street Film Festival

UFF 2026 Street Film Festival

On Monday, 7 September 2026, the UFF 2026 Street Film Festival begins at Largo pri špini on Ljubljanska Street in Izola.

The fourth edition of the festival turns its focus to Istria – a slightly different, rebellious and relaxed Istria, but also one marked by a harsh history. Four evenings will bring four different film stories connected with Istria, its people, landscapes, past and present.

Monday, 7 September 2026 at 8:00 pm

CONCERT IN THE STREET

The festival will open with a special archival recording made by TV Ljubljana in 1991, filmed at what is now Largo pri špini. At the time, the square did not yet bear this name and looked quite different.

The concert featured Franci Blašković – Gori Uši Winnetou, Drago Mlinarec, Vlado Kreslin, Mef and Geronimo. Today, the recording has significant documentary value, offering a glimpse of Izola 35 years ago, with the streets, faces and atmosphere of another era. Viewers will also recognise many well-known locals who are no longer with us.

The concert was recorded by a minimal television crew – one camera, a sound engineer and a presenter – yet precisely because of its simplicity, it remains an authentic document of Izola at the beginning of the 1990s.

Tuesday, 8 September 2026 at 8:00 pm

MR. DANNY & ISTRO-CID

The film by Pula-based painter and artistic activist Robert Pauletta offers a distinctive protest against construction and the transformation of the Istrian landscape caused by excessive tourism development.

Through grotesque imagery, irony, sarcasm and satire, Pauletta draws attention to the interests of tourism at the expense of the environment. Repetition of images and words, slow-motion sequences, a child’s voice, comic-book elements, animation, carefully selected music and AI-generated illustrations create a distinctive tragicomedy about a landscape undergoing irreversible change.

Wednesday, 9 September 2026 at 8:00 pm

A BRIEF EXCURSION

Wednesday evening will be dedicated to director Igor Bezinović, one of the most prominent contemporary filmmakers in the wider region. His film Fiume o morte! has received an exceptional response from festivals and audiences, while UFF will screen his feature-length docu-fiction debut A Brief Excursion.

The film follows a group of young people who, after several wild summer nights, set off on a spontaneous excursion and unexpectedly find themselves lost in the Istrian countryside. Their journey gradually turns into an allegorical voyage into the unknown.

The film was inspired by the 1965 novel of the same name by Croatian writer Antun Šoljan.

In 2017, A Brief Excursion received the Grand Golden Arena for Best Film and the Golden Arena for Sound Design at the Pula Film Festival.

Thursday, 10 September 2026 at 8:00 pm

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER: MILAN

The Croatian television documentary series U ime oca presents prominent personalities from Istria and Pula through the stories of their children. UFF will screen the film Milan, dedicated to writer, television editor, journalist and documentary filmmaker Milan Rakovac.

Rakovac grew up without his father, Joakim Rakovac, a national hero and one of the pioneers of the Istrian anti-fascist movement, whose death deeply influenced his life and work.

Milan Rakovac also witnessed the remarkable transformation of Istria from a poor, neglected and identity-complex area into one of Croatia’s most successful regions. He himself played an important role in shaping its contemporary cultural identity and is among the initiators of important Istrian cultural connections, as well as the founder of Forum Tomizza, a literary gathering that highlights Istria’s multilingualism and multiculturalism as some of its greatest values.

A short film and discussion every evening

All screenings begin at 8:00 pm. Each evening will begin with a short film, followed after the main screening by a conversation with the author or one of the protagonists.

Festival guests will include Robert Pauletta, Igor Bezinović with several collaborators, and Milan Rakovac.

Location: Largo pri špini, Ljubljanska Street, Izola
7–10 September 2026 | every evening at 8:00 pm
Free admission.

Please note: the event will be held in Slovenian.

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