You are invited to the screening of the first Slovenian silent feature film. The event is part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Alpine Conservation Park, the first protected area on Slovenian territory, the predecessor of the Triglav National Park, part of the Slovenian Presidency of the Alpine Convention and the opening event of the Alpinum Forum 2024.
The first Slovenian silent film was made by young, enthusiastic mountaineers, members of the Skala Tourist Club, which aimed to popularise mountaineering in Slovenia. It was shot, edited and directed on 35 mm film by the versatile Janko Ravnik, a musician and experienced photographer.
The screening of the first Slovenian silent feature film from 1931, In the Kingdom of Zlatorog, will be performed to a live musical score by Andrej Goričar.
”Every nation has milestones in its history that usher in a new era. One of them, in the field of film art, is the first Slovenian feature film, In the Kingdom of the Zlatorog, made and directed by Janko Ravnik and his colleagues from the Skala Tourist Club. It was first screened at the Union Hall in Ljubljana on 28 August 1931.
Janko Ravnik jokingly said that he had been chosen by the Skala club as a cameraman because, as a “musician”, he was able to turn the crank on the old Ertl camera on which the film was shot steadily.
Well, in the end, the film succeeded, bringing to life the beautiful Slovenian land and its people, even a bit of a romantic story in between. And finally, it became the first Slovenian feature-length silent film.”
(Source: Jarina Bohinj Association)
Andrej Goričar’s music for the film In the Kingdom of Zlatorog was premiered by the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra under Helmut Imig on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Slovenian film in 2005. In 2018, Andrej also prepared a quartet version, which was first performed in Switzerland in the summer. As then, this time Andrej will be joined at the piano by Jakob Bobek on clarinet and Milan Hudnik on cello, with Janez Podlesek on violin.
