The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr Janez Janša, this evening attended the opening of the 2nd International Mountaineering Film Festival.  He expressed his thanks for the invitation to be the honorary sponsor of the festival and said he was convinced that the festival would continue to be a traditional event in the future.

 

(Photo: Dejan Ogrinec)

 

He described Slovenia as a superpower in mountaineering terms, producing people who are the greatest climbing icons and world champion competitive climbers. “Slovenian climbers go abroad and win Golden Ice Axe awards, Slovenian film-makers win awards at film festivals, and that’s even without mentioning the beautiful Slovenian mountains which enrich the lives of many climbers,” said the Prime Minister in his opening address, going on to add that Slovenia is the only country whose national emblem features a mountain.

 

(Photo: Dejan Ogrinec)

 

It is not easy to make a good mountaineering film, since this would mean having to capture something which is unforgettable for an individual but which, in the life of a mountain, is only a fleeting moment.  “In the mountains we find a beauty which can be shown only in part through film, but which can be appreciated in its entirety solely through direct experience,” said the Prime Minister. He said he was delighted that some of this beauty would be shown over the coming days in Ljubljana and Domžale and affirmed that the 2nd International Mountaineering Film Festival was an important event since it again portrayed Slovenia to Europe and the world as a country that understood and supported the culture of the world of mountaineering.

 

In closing, the Prime Minister hoped that all festival goers would give free rein to their imagination and dreams and go home with new inspiration and new goals, and added that “one of the goals should be a mountaineering film that will win international awards in the future”.