Promotional Video on Slovenian Culture Again Ranks Among the World’s Top Tourism Films

The video titled Slovenian Culture: A Bonfire of Creativity, Art and Craft has garnered a remarkable series of international awards this year, significantly reinforcing Slovenia’s profile as a destination for rich and inspiring cultural experiences. As part of the International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals (CIFFT) circuit, the film competed at leading festivals worldwide, with its achievements securing an impressive fourth place overall. The film received a Gold Award at the Japan World Tourism Film Festival, was shortlisted as a finalist at the US International Awards 2025 in Los Angeles in June, claimed second place at the SilkFest Festival in Belgrade in September, and earned third place at the 16th Amorgos Tourism Film Festival. Together, these honours resulted in fourth place worldwide in the Tourism Products category at the World Tourism Film Awards 2025, organised by CIFFT with the support of UN Tourism.

In 2025, more than 4,000 tourism films competed across festivals forming part of the CIFFT Circuit, with only 120 advancing to the shortlist and just 31 ultimately receiving awards. The grand finale was hosted in Guimarães, Portugal’s oldest city, which will hold the title of European Green Capital in 2026. At the gala ceremony, awards were presented to the top five promotional films across the categories of cities, regions, countries, services and products. In addition, a special award chosen by tourism journalists was presented, alongside a newly introduced Sustainability Award, designed to encourage environmentally responsible and forward-looking approaches to tourism film production. All award recipients were honoured with unique, handcrafted statuettes created by the renowned Portuguese artist Nuno Martins.

Recognition for the video extended beyond the CIFFT Circuit. At the 7th International Tourism Film Festival in South Africa, the film was also honoured with a Gold Award, further underscoring its international impact and creative excellence.

About the video

Slovenian Culture: A Bonfire of Creativity, Art and Craft tells the story of a small yet remarkably diverse country, where a rich literary and artistic heritage continues to shape contemporary cultural life. Generations of writers and artists have forged traditions that remain vibrant today, living on in libraries, festivals and galleries across Slovenia. This cultural richness is brought to life through the personal perspective of Noah Charney, an American writer deeply inspired by Slovenian architecture, art and culture. The film follows Noah through moments of everyday discovery, connecting places, people and creative expression. His journey begins by a bonfire on the night of the Kresnik Literary Award ceremony on Rožnik Hill above Ljubljana, where Slovenia’s most distinguished novelists are celebrated. From there, he reflects on his affection for Slovenia and his admiration for the work of architect Jože Plečnik, tracing views from the iconic Triple Bridge to the arcades of Ljubljana’s central market. Viewers accompany Noah to the National and University Library, where he explores some of the country’s oldest books, and to Plečnik’s birth house, where he spends hours reading and reflecting. The story continues in the contemporary cultural scene, with meetings among friends at the Cukrarna Gallery and the Pen restaurant, a long-standing gathering place for writers. From Ljubljana, the film moves beyond the capital to a distinctive gallery in Kostanjevica na Krki, highlighting Slovenia’s cultural life beyond its urban centre. The video was produced by Tent and directed by Ciril Jazbec, and forms part of a series of four first-person video stories designed to present the key products and experiences of Slovenian tourism through authentic, personal storytelling.

Watch the video

V okviru zaključnega dela CIFFT Circuit 2025 pa je letos zopet potekala tudi medijska konferenca s t.i. World Tourism Film Talks, na kateri so bili moderirani pogovori na temo trajnosti ter tudi predstavitve primerov dobrih praks načrtovanja, izvedbe in promocije nagrajenih turističnih filmov. Pri tem je sodelovala tudi Tina Sračnjek iz sektorja za vsebinski digitalni marketing na STO, sicer vodja projektov video produkcije. Predstavila je tako delo STO na splošno kot tudi nastanek vseh štirih video zgodb, katere del je tudi nagrajeni na tematiko kulture. Poudarila je pomembnost ustreznih pripovedovalcev zgodb, avtentičnosti in nenazadnje tudi skrbi pri načrtovanju za produkcijo materialov, ki pokrijejo celoten spekter komuniciranja, ne zgolj dotične video zgodbe. Poleg slovenskega so bili izpostavljeni tudi primeri turističnih filmov mesta Sarajevo, Črne Gore, Düsseldora, Madrida in švicarskega sodelovanja z ambasadorjem Rogerjem Federerjem.  

As part of the closing programme of the CIFFT Circuit 2025, a media conference featuring the World Tourism Film Talks was held once again this year. The event included moderated discussions on sustainability as well as presentations of best practices in the planning, production and promotion of award-winning tourism films.

The conference also attended by Tina Sračnjek from the Slovenian Tourist Board’s Content and Digital Marketing Department, who leads video production projects. She presented the work of the STB overall, as well as the creation of all four video stories, including the award-winning film focused on culture. She highlighted the importance of selecting the right storytellers, authenticity and careful planning of production materials that support the full spectrum of communication, not just the individual video stories themselves.

In addition to Slovenia, notable tourism film case studies from Sarajevo, Montenegro, Düsseldorf, Madrid and Switzerland’s partnership with ambassador Roger Federer were also presented.

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