Wine and Cinema
It would be wrong to think that the nearby small Slovenian town of Ljutomer is “a provincial backwater.”
We have seen quite the opposite at the recently concluded 20th anniversary Grossmann Fantastic Film and Wine Festival. The festival began in 2009 to mark the 100th anniversary of cinematography in Ljutomer, where the first Slovenian feature film was made by Dr. Karol Grossmann.
The festival focuses on contemporary genre film production, unconventional films, mainly horror and science fiction films, but increasingly on films of other genres as well.
Slobodan Šijan, a special guest of the jubilee Grossmann festival with his wife and organizers, photo: Grossman Fantastic Film and Wine Festival
This year’s guest was Austrian horror master Severin Fiala, and the celebrated Serbian director Slobodan Šijan received his plaque on the Walk of Fame in the town center.
Over the past years, “Grossmann” has become one of the most interesting film events in this part of Europe. It is a member of the European Fantastic Film Festival (EFFF), and the most widely read independent American film magazine, Movie Maker Magazine, has included it in the Top Coolest Horror/Sci-Film Festivals in The World.
Part of the organizers and guests at the opening of the festival, photo: Grossman Fantastic Film and Wine Festival
The rich accompanying program includes wine tasting, art exhibitions, concerts, numerous workshops for children and adults, offerings of local culinary specialties…
On the last day of the festival, the traditional indispensable zombie walk through the town takes place, featuring colorful and “scary” creatures.
There is something for everyone at the festival, providing an experience of Slovenian culture in an original way. We participated in the wine program for the third time by invitation and met kind and approachable local people in a special emotional “Grossmann” dimension.
Our special occasion film wine was Sauvignon Blanc, photo: Grossman Fantastic Film and Wine Festival
We had the opportunity to meet their distinguished guests, filmmakers from all over the world.
Our fellow winemakers presented their interesting wines, some of which deviated from classic wine styles, but were liked by the youth.
Open air cinema in Ljutomer, photo: Grossman Fantastic Film and Wine Festival
The atmosphere of the entire film-wine and other events was very cheerful and creative.
With these emotions, we are already looking forward to the 21st Grossmann next year!
All infos about this fantastic festival are available on their website: Grossmann Fantastic Film & Wine Festival