Jan Cvitkovič

Jan Cvitkovič (born 1966) is a Slovenian film director, screenwriter and actor.

Life and career

Jan Cvitkovič was born in Ljubljana. He attended primary school in Tolmin and finished his high school studies in Idrija. He graduated in Archaeology from the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana.

In the late '90s, he entered the world of filmmaking as a screenwriter, soon after that as an actor and finally as a film director.

His films have been screened at more than 200 festivals around the world and have received more than 60 awards. The most notable awards he received were the Lion of the Future at the Venice Film Festival and the Best New Director Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

His films have been broadcast in several European countries on well-known television stations such as TV1000, RAI, HBO, ARTE, SBS Australia.

Cvitkovič received the Prešeren Fund Award at the University of Ljubljana for his significant artistic works in the field of film and television.

He is a member of the European Film Academy and has also been a jury member at several international film festivals in Locarno, Sarajevo, Miami, Gijon, Palm Springs, Warsaw, Skopje, Herceg Novi, and Belgrade.

He was a guest lecturer at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), where his feature films were screened.

Cvitkovič is also the co-founder of the film production company STARAGARA and the initiator and honorary president of the International Film Festival Kino Otok (Isola Cinema).

Filmography (feature films) Director

Bread and Milk (2001) ... Kruh in mleko (SI) Gravehopping (2005) ... Odgrobadogroba (SI) Archeo (2011) Šiška Deluxe (2015) The Basics of Killing (2017) ... Družinica (SI)

Screenwriter

Idle Running (1999) – co-writer ... V leru (SI) Bread and Milk (2001) ... Kruh in mleko (SI) Gravehopping (2005) ... Odgrobadogroba (SI) Archeo (2011) Šiška Deluxe (2015) The Basics of Killing (2017) ... Družinica (SI)

Actor

Idle Running (1999) – co-writer ... V leru (SI) Bread and Milk (2001) ... Kruh in mleko (SI) Oda Presernu (2001) Desperado Tonic (2004) Good Night, Missy (2011) ... Lahko noč, gospodična (SI) Zoran, My Nephew the Idiot (2013) ... Zoran, il mio nipote scemo (IT) Driving School (2014) ... Avtošola (SI) Volevo fare la rockstar (Italian TV Series, RAI, 2019) Eppure cadiamo felici (Italian TV Series, RAI, 2022) Primeri inspektorja Vrenka (2023)

Filmography (short films)

Director

The Heart Is a Piece of Meat (2003) ... Srce je kos mesa (SI) I Know (2007) ... Vem (SI) This is Earth, My Brother (2009) Hundred Dogs (2012) ... Sto psov (SI) I Was a Child (2013) ... Bil sem otrok (SI) Love on the Roof of the World (2015) ... Ljubezen na strehi sveta (SI) Fishing (2016) ... Ribolov (SI) Versopolis (2018) Do You See Me? (2022) ... A ti mene vidiš? (SI)

Screenwriter

Robbery of the Century (1998) ... Rop stoletja (SI) The Heart Is a Piece of Meat (2003) ... Srce je kos mesa (SI) I Know (2007) ... Vem (SI) This is Earth, My Brother (2009) Hundred Dogs (2012) ... Sto psov (SI) I Was a Child (2013) ... Bil sem otrok (SI) Love on the Roof of the World (2015) ... Ljubezen na strehi sveta (SI) Fishing (2016) ... Ribolov (SI) Versopolis (2018) Smehljanje nasih pesnikov (2019) Do You See Me? (2022) ... A ti mene vidiš? (SI)

Actor

I Was a Child (2013) ... Bil sem otrok (SI) Reconciliation (2014) ... Sprava (SI) Versopolis (2018)

TV Series

Odklop (1997) – co-writer Daleč je smrt (2002) – director and co-writer Lenin's Park (2022) – actor

Documentaries

Total Gambit (2010) – director and co-writer Gram of Heart (2024) – director

Awards Robbery of the Century (Rop stoletja) Grossman Award for Best Screenplay

Krakow Film Festival Awarded film

Klagenfurt Film Festival Awarded film

Idle Running (V leru)

Festival of Slovenian Film (1999) Award for Best Screenplay Stop Award for Best Actor of the Year

Kyiv Film Festival (1999) Best Actor Award FilmFestival Cottbus (1999) Best Actor Award

Faces of Love Film Festival (2000) Best Actor Award

Bread and Milk (Kruh in mleko)

Foreign language OSCAR candidate

Festival of Slovenian Film (2001) Vesna Award for Best Actor – Peter Musevski Vesna Award for Best Supporting Actress Award – Sonja Savic

Venice Film Festival (2001) Lion of the Future – Best Debut Feature Film Award FilmFestival Cottbus (2001) Special Jury Prize Don Quijotte – Prize of the International Federation of Film Clubs Special Mention of the FIPRESCI Jury

Ljubljana International Film Festival (2001) KingFisher Award – Best Film of the Perspective section

Gorizia Film Festival (2001) Darko Bratina Prize

Bratislava International Film Festival (2001) Best Actor Award of the Festival Jury FIPRESCI Jury Special Mention Award

Motovun Film Festival (2002) Jury Special Mention Award

Valencia International Film Festival (2002) Best Actor Award – Peter Musevski

The Heart Is a Piece of Meat (Srce je kos mesa)

Source:

Venice Film Festival (2004) International premiere in the Corto Cortissimo Competition

Gijon International Film Festival (2004) Best Short Film Award

FilmFestival Cottbus (2004) Special Mention Award

Festival Internacional de Cortos FIB, Spain (2005) Best Actor Award – Primož Petkovšek

Gravehopping (Odgrobadogroba)

Foreign language OSCAR candidate (2005)

San Sebastian International Film Festival (2005) Altadis New Director Award

Warsaw International Film Festival (2005) CentEast Award

FilmFestival Cottbus (2005) Ecumenical Jury Award for Best Film Main Prize for Best Film

Torino Film Festival (2005) Best Script Award Best Film Award

Ljubljana International Film Festival (2005) Jury Special Mention Award

Festival of Slovenian Film (2005) Best Feature Film Best Supporting Actress Award Best Supporting Actor Award

Spirit of Fire Film Festival in Russia (2006) Second Prize (Silver Taiga) Special Jury Award for the most impressive film scene

Sofia International Film Festival (2006) Best Balkan Film Award

Festroia Film Festival (2006) Special Jury Prize (Silver Dolphin)

Palic European Film Festival (2006) Best Film Award (Golden Tower)

Pécs International Film Celebration (2006) Best Actor Award – Gregor Baković Best Cinematography Award – Simon Tanšek Audience Award

International Torun Film Festival TOFFI (2006) Special Jury Prize Critic Award of Zygmunt Kałużyński

Noordelijk Film Festival (2006) Student Jury Award

South East European Film Festival (2007) Critics Award for Best Film

I Know (Vem)

World premiere at the Locarno Film Festival (2008) Festival of Slovenian Film (2000) Vesna Award for Best Short Fiction Film Gong Award of the Delo Newspaper (2008)

Total Gambit (Totalni gambit)

Documentary of the Month on Slovenian National Television (2010)

Archeo

Festival of Slovenian Film (2011) Vesna Award for Best Feature Film Vesna Award for Best Director – Jan Cvitkovič Vesna Award for Best Cinematography – Jure Černec International Film Festival Innsbruck (2012) Best Film Award

Hundred Dogs (Sto psov)

Festival of Slovenian Film (2012) Vesna Award for Best Original Music

I Was a Child (Bil sem otrok)

the film was created upon the proposal of the Venice Film Festival World premiere at the Venice Film Festival (2013)

Love on the Roof of the World (Ljubezen na strehi sveta)

Festival of Slovenian Film (2015) Vesna Award for Best Short Fiction Film Vesna Award for Best Director – Jan Cvitkovič Vesna Award for Best Original Music – Niko Novak Vesna Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Ivo Barišič

Šiška Deluxe

World premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival (2015) FilmFestival Cottbus (2015) Audience Award

The Basics of Killing (Družinica)

Montreal World Film Festival (2017) Best Actress Award – Irena Kovačević Festival of Slovenian Film (2017) Vesna Award for Best Cinematography – Marko Brdar Vesna Award for Best Costume Design – Polonca Valentinčič in Emil Cerar Vesna Award for Best Original Music – Damir Avdić Zagreb Film Festival (2017) Special Jury Award Belgrade International Film Festival (2018) Special Jury Award Mostar Film Festival (2018) Best Actress Award See Online Film Festival in Los Angeles (2018) Special Mention Award

Do You See Me? (A ti mene vidiš?)

Veracruz Itinerant Short Film Festival (2022) Special Mention

Gram of Heart (Gram srca)

Independent Film Festival in Ljubljana (2025) Grand Prix Award

Film Opus

FICE – Federazione Italiana Cinema d'Essai (2025) FICE Award for Life's Work