LIFFe is Back in Town!

The eagerly anticipated festival offering days and nights of cinema treats has at last been launched. The opening ceremony’s frisky and playful atmosphere sent everyone in high spirits last night as Slovenian actors Lučka Počkaj and Branko Završan facetiously dubbed the noted film figures ranging from Taylor Mead to Nicole Kidman in a video collage of cuts from celebrated films such as Casablanca and Titanic while the dynamic duo Boštjan Gombač and Igor Lenardi provided the soundtrack in a jocular musical accompaniment. Thus the invigorated ambiance of the mature yet youthful LIFFe was played up.  The spontaneous, entertaining and complexly designed performance succeeded in astounding and enticing a few hearty laughs from the spectators, otherwise used to formal and starchy opening ceremonies, as well as highlighting the familiar guidelines, the revived festival’s outline and last but not least casting light on the issue of dubbing which often impairs the integrity of the film as a work of art.

Addressing the audience as the new Festival Director, Simon Popek picked up the thread of the opening act, pointing out that the backbone of the mature though fresh and vivacious LIFFe were his loyal staff.

The opening ceremony continued with the screening of Darjeeling Limited, a bitter-sweet comedy. Classed in the section of the Avant-premieres and featuring an all-star cast, the film was sold out already during the advance sales.

Then it was time for refreshments and socializing in the 2nd Foyer of Cankarjev dom where the organisers, filmmakers and film buffs rubbed elbows, later on burning the midnight oil also at the K4 Club. There will be plenty of time for rest when LIFFe has ended on the 21 November. There’s no stopping the film aficionados until then.

Tina Bilban