Since 2015, Mini teater Ljubljana and the Jewish Cultural Centre Ljubljana have been organising the House of Tolerance festival, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Since 2015, the festival has screened more than 200 films from over 30 countries, many of which have won awards at the most important international film festivals. Over the last ten years, more than thirty artists of different profiles have visited the festival, Ljubljana and Slovenia: film and theatre artists, visual artists, composers and musicians.
Since 2015, we have organised more than 50 film screenings and talks with Slovenian public figures for pupils and students as part of the Education Morning programme. We have discussed topics such as the culture of remembrance, the Holocaust, violence in schools, as well as success stories of migrants in Slovenia, peer violence, the situation of LGBTQ+ people, racism in sport, symbols of hatred, with representatives of the public sector, prominent artists, athletes, journalists, humanitarian workers, professors and intellectuals.
In addition to the film programme, which is the core of the festival, we have also organised a number of theatre performances for children and adults, classical and contemporary music concerts, numerous exhibitions in the Mini teater, the Jewish Cultural Centre, as well as on the streets of Ljubljana. We have presented numerous books, organised discussions and workshops.
On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, the festival's director Robert Waltl wrote: It is our great honour and pleasure to invite you to the 10th anniversary Festival of Tolerance, which will take place from 4 to 11 November at the Mini teater, Križevniška 1 in Ljubljana. For a decade now, the Festival has been unwavering in its commitment to promoting acceptance of difference, diversity and tolerance in all its forms. This year's edition of the festival takes place in difficult and painful times. In the shadow of horrific wars, rising terrorism, hatred and anti-Semitism - phenomena that we once believed would never return in this form - our responsibility is all the greater. At a time when the last witnesses of the Holocaust are passing away, all of us who remain must accept the heavy burden of remembrance and remind ourselves of the tragic lessons of history.
The Festival of Tolerance thus remains a beacon of hope, an ally of dialogue and peace, and a strong voice against intolerance and hatred. Join us to continue this important journey together - for peace, for coexistence and for a world that can welcome everyone.
The festival will open with a screening of the documentary film THE BOOKS HE DIDN'T BURN by Claus Bredenbrock and Jascha Hannover (duration: 92 min - year: 2023 - genre: documentary - Germany) on 4.11.2024 at 19.00 in the Mini teater.
The Books He Didn’t Burn takes a critical look at the history of Western thought by examining the remains of Adolf Hitler’s private library. The dictator and mass murderer owned 16,000 books at the end of his life, 1,200 of which are kept in the Library of Congress in Washington D.C today. The documentary follows American historian Timothy Ryback, who studied these books for almost a decade. While many still confine racism and antisemitism to the ideological extremes in the history of the West, Hitler’s library shows that the opposite was the case: many of the books in his library were bestsellers long before the Nazis took power in 1933 – the ideas in them paved the way for Hitler and have a strong impact until this day.
At this year's festival, which is special because all events are free of charge, audiences will have the opportunity to see some of the most engaging documentaries, feature films and shorts of recent production, focusing on tolerance, human rights, the relationship between the individual and the state, social engagement, as well as topical and important issues such as war, media propaganda and the culture of memory. The festival will screen more than 15 films from the USA, Germany, Poland, Austria, Romania, Hungary, the Netherlands, Australia, the Czech Republic, Israel... Guests of the festival will be the director and producer of the film Putin´s Playground, Konrad Szołajski and Malgorzata Prociak from Poland, the screenwriter of the film Anne, Adi Eshman from the USA, and the director of the film Unbroken, Beth Lane from the USA. All films are subtitled in English and Slovenian.
A very important part of the festival is a special programme for primary and secondary schools - the Education Morning programme. This year, young audiences will be able to experience a Virtual Tour of Auschwitz - Auschwitz in front of your eyes. This is a live virtual guided tour that takes place directly at the authentic memorial site. The tour will be followed by a discussion on the Holocaust, human rights and tolerance.
During the festival, visitors will be able to see the theatre performance Shopping and Fucking at the Pioneer House in Ljubljana, the puppet show Vampire Goes to School at the Mini teater, and the festival will close with the documentary performance INFINITE ARCHIVE #1 The Unstoppable, a guest production by Domino, Zvonimir Dobrović from Zagreb.
During the festival, the audience will also be able to see the permanent exhibition Holocaust in Ljubljana.
All programmes of the House of Tolerance Festival, except the theatre performances, are free of charge for visitors. Tickets can be picked up at the Mini teater box office.
In 2024, the festival is supported by the Municipality of Ljubljana - Department of Culture, the Embassy of the United States of America, the Embassy of Germany, the Embassy of Poland, the Austrian Cultural Forum Ljubljana, the Embassy of Romania, the Liszt Institute - Hungarian Cultural Centre Ljubljana and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
