Open-air cinema at Congress Square 2016

The Cinema on Congress Square was modelled after the “grand” open-air cinemas on Bologna’s and Locarno’s Piazzas. In Ljubljana it was set up for the first time in 2014 on the occasion of the 90^th anniversary of the city cinema Kinodvor. To celebrate cinema and cinemas the capital has continued the project every year by offering its inhabitants, its visitors and esteemed guests film classics at Ljubljana’s central square to mark significant anniversaries.

The three day series opened under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia upon the 25^th anniversary of the Republic of Slovenia with the national premiere of the newly restored and digitised version of The Valley of Peace. This 1956 classic by France Štiglic was presented in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where its lead actor John Kitzmiller also received the Award for Best Actor.

The centenary of the famous British writer of Norwegian descent Roald Dahl was marked with a screening of Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by one of the most original American film makers of his generation: Wes Anderson.

The 20^th anniversary of the Slovenian Cinematheque was celebrated with Harold Lloyd’s most famous comedy from the twenties Safety Last!, featuring one of the most breathtaking and hilarious scenes in motion picture history, in which the legendary star finds himself hanging off the hands of a collapsing clock on a skyscraper. An extra dose of suspense was added by Neil Brand, one of the leading silent film accompanists in the world, who acccompanied the film on piano.