Heritage brought to life through film and labor tradition

Hrastnik is a place that throughout history has been characterized mainly by mining and its related industry, but in recent years it has also become recognizable for its various cultural contents. Among them, the film festival has a prominent place Comradewhich grew directly from the local environment, and derives its uniqueness from it: the only labor film festival in our country (and beyond), which was held for the sixth time in a row between June 18 and 21, namely, it combines the city’s industrial heritage and the tradition of struggles for workers’ rights in a unique event that addresses the issues of labor and social justice in content, while at the same time it is given a very special stamp by the venues in the various spaces of the former mine of the complex – from a mine tunnel in which films are shown 40 meters underground, to a recently renovated compressor station or an open-air cinema located in the area of a former mining colony.

Watching a film in a mine requires some preparation: for example, visitors sign a declaration that they enter at their own risk, familiarize themselves with the safety rules, and, of course, they also have to wear a helmet. Photo: Julija Pristovnik

This year, over four days, approximately 40 films of all genres and lengths were screened at the festival, from short to feature-length, from feature to documentary, animated, dance or experimental; among them was, for example, the Slovenian premiere of the film Made in the EU by the well-known Bulgarian director Stefan Komandarev, who tells the story of a textile worker struggling with an illness. “We are open to all types of films, but of course it is not enough that they relate to labor issues in one way or another, they must also be of suitable quality in terms of film,” says the festival’s program manager Simon Tanšek.

The route to the scene in the tunnel, which leads past several abandoned installations, is already picturesque. In particular, sets of short films are lined up there, which do not last too long, since the temperature in the mine is only 12 degrees even during the worst heat. Photo: Julija Pristovnik

An increasingly diverse program

The already established dimension of Kamerat is a varied accompanying event, from round tables and conversations with creators to workshops for the youngest, exhibitions and, of course, various forms of socializing, this time upgraded with a pub quiz, which passed in an extremely exuberant atmosphere. On the other hand, the presentation of the book aroused quite a bit of interest Images from who knows when Petr Goleta, in which he collected short stories from life in the mining colony, the projection of archival contributions and reviews about Zasava labor, created in the 70s and 80s of the last century, also received an exceptional visit.

The accompanying event was marked, among other things, by two round tables in the Mašinhaus gallery: the first was devoted to the challenges of film festivals in our country, while the second dealt with the situation of foreign workers in Slovenia. Photo: Julija Pristovnik

This year’s edition of the festival attracted the most visitors so far. “The first year we were a bit uncertain, as we didn’t know how much interest there would be in such a festival with a rather specific profile, which is not exactly relaxing in terms of the topic,” recalls the “foreman” of the festival Nina Kavzar. “However, we can already say that it has established itself well among the residents, and the audience from elsewhere is also increasing. Perhaps a clear content focus is also a certain advantage of Kamerat, but probably at least some people are also attracted by unusual locations.” Those who are more curious could also enjoy a guided tour of Hrastnica’s mining heritage at the festival this time as well.

The freshly renovated former compressor station, which will house the Hrastní business incubator in the future, immediately became the festival’s main social and event meeting point. Photo: Julija Pristovnik