12th FeKK Festival: The coming of age of Werner Herzog

The 12th edition of the FeKK Film Festival will feature a retrospective of short and mid-length films by German director Werner Herzog, marking one of its highlights. The festival, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, will present ten of Herzog’s early works spanning from his debut in 1962 through the beginning of the 1990s. Among these will be Heraklej (1962), his first short film shot at the age of 19, followed by Izjemna obramba trdnjave Deutschkreutz (1966), Ukrepi proti fanatikom (1968), Zadnje besede (1968), Velika ekstaza rezbarja Steinerja (1974), How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck…, Opazovanja o novem jeziku (1976), La Soufrière (1977), Werner Herzog poje svoj čevelj (1980), Werner Herzog: filmar (1986), and concluding with Lekcije teme (1992), which is already considered among his more mature works. The retrospective has been titled Nauki teme / Lessons of Darkness, reflecting the festival's broader theme of examining lessons found both within the cinematic space and in the wider world. The festival will also welcome international guests who will contribute to the programming. Spanish-French artist and filmmaker Gálea Hernández López will present a retrospective of her work, focusing on the intersections of technology, finance, internet communities, and contemporary capitalism. She won the César Award for Best Short Documentary Film in 2024 for Mehanika tekočin. Her films have been showcased at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Berlinale, and DOK Leipzig. Additionally, Laurent Crouzeix, a program selector for the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, will introduce two guest programs from one of the world’s leading short film festivals. Anne Duffau, founder of the nomadic curatorial platform A, Z, will curate the program Vzpon podivjanega, which builds upon Herzog’s Lekcije teme and explores modern cinema through themes of war, extractivism, ecological crises, and political violence. Sanne Jehoul, currently leading the program for emerging talents at BFI Doc Society, will present Kaj preganja deželo, which examines how colonialism, imperialism, and resource exploitation continue to shape today’s social and political landscapes. Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva, founder of the Brussels-based initiative Recognition and a program selector for the International Film Festival in Rotterdam, will curate Nova ozemlja, exploring questions of migration, belonging, and new beginnings through individual stories caught between home and new environments. She will also lead the European Workshop for New Curators, part of the European network The END. The festival’s visual identity for this year’s short film section has been unveiled, featuring a design that reflects the thematic depth and artistic ambition of the lineup. One of the notable innovations of this year’s festival is FeKKids, a new international competition for short films aimed at children. It includes two categories: FeKKids for ages 5 and up, and FeKK for ages 8 and up. Decisions on the best films will be made by young audiences, adding a unique dimension to the festival’s programming. The main competition will again be led by the international and Slovenian short film programs, with the jury consisting of Laurent Crouzeix, Niels Putman, and Marina Gumzi. The festival will also include the full-night feminists, a segment dedicated to showcasing works that challenge traditional gender norms and highlight the voices of women in filmmaking. This addition underscores the festival’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the cinematic arts. As the festival prepares to open, it continues to build on its reputation as a platform for innovative and thought-provoking storytelling.