Evelina Ferrar

Applications are now open for the ASEF Research Abroad program 2027.

At the MOPS-9 Slovenian Language School, they are launching a new online lecture series titled Slovenian History of the 20th Century.

The course offers a structured overview of recent Slovenian history, from the early 20th century, through Slovenia as part of Yugoslavia and up to the early years of Slovenian independence. It will consist of three chapters, each delving into a period of Slovenian history in an informative, fun and engaging way:

1. Chapter 1: Early 20th Century (90 minutes)
   From Occupation and Resistance to the Socialist Heaven of the Balkans
   13 October 2026 at 19:00 Ljubljana time (CET)
   Click here for a time converter if you’re unsure when that is where you come from.

2. Chapter 2: Late 20th Century (90 minutes)
   How Slovenia Navigated the 90s and Found Its Voice
   20 October 2026 at 19:00 Ljubljana time (CET)

3. Chapter 3: Slovenian Independence & Bonus Q&A (90 minutes)
   Extra Chapter devoted to Slovenian Independence, and everything you may have missed so far
   22 October 2026 at 19:00 Ljubljana time (CET)

The lectures will be delivered by Professor Aleksander Peklar, our resident history professor and the creator of the Izi zgodovina (Easy History) educational platform.

The lectures will be held online and conducted in English, so knowledge of Slovenian is not required. The course will be delivered in three 90-minute lectures, consisting of a 60-minute lecture and a 30-minute discussion.

Pricing:

• The total cost for the series is 76.5 € (additional bank fees might apply if not paid from a SEPA region country)

➡️ Those interested can apply here. ⬅️

We would be very grateful if you would consider sharing our course announcement with anyone who you feel might find this initiative valuable. There will also be a Facebook announcement, which we can share with you once it is available.

What is MOPS-9?

MOPS-9 (https://www.mops-9.si/) is a Slovenian language school offering online lessons in Slovenian language, history, and heritage to learners around the world. They serve Slovenians abroad, their descendants, and anyone interested in Slovenian language and culture through regular Slovenian courses, their popular history series, and their 14K+ Facebook community.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact mopsmops9@gmail.com.

Message from the Slovenian Embassy in London:

Still from the film Fantasy by Kukla

Slovenian cinema takes the spotlight at the Barbican’s Kino Bloc season, with two directors representing the country’s distinctive contemporary voice. The programme includes Fantasy, Slovenia’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards.

Fantasy (15)

Dir. Kukla | Slovenia/North Macedonia | 2025 | 1hr 38mins

Wednesday 16 September 2026 at 6.10 pm

Barbican Centre, Cinema 3
Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

MORE INFO & TICKETS

Fantasy is the striking debut feature from Slovenian director Kukla. Premiering at the Locarno Film Festival, the film follows three young women whose encounter with a transgender woman opens new possibilities for freedom, desire and self-expression.

__________________

As part of the Short Stories from the Balkans Screening

Common Pear (12)

Dir. Gregor Božič | Slovenia/UK | 2025 | 15 mins

Wednesday 30 September 2026 at 6.20 pm

Barbican Centre, Cinema 3
Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

MORE INFO & TICKETS

Slovenian–UK co-production, Gregor Božič’s short film Common Pear offers a haunting glimpse into a climate-ravaged future, where scientists turn to archival footage of farmers in search of humanity’s lost connection with the natural world.

Message from the Slovenian Embassy in London:

Obveščamo, da je Javni štipendijski, razvojni, invalidski in preživninski sklad Republike Slovenije objavil javni razpis za štipendije za Slovence v zamejstvu in Slovence po svetu za študijsko leto 2026/2027.

Predmet razpisa je dodelitev štipendij Slovencem v zamejstvu in Slovencem po svetu za študij na višješolskih ali visokošolskih programih prve ali druge stopnje na javno veljavnih (akreditiranih) izobraževalnih ustanovah in v javno veljavnih (akreditiranih) izobraževalnih programih v Republiki Sloveniji v študijskem letu 2026/2027.

Rok za prijavo je 30. september 2026.

Pogoji razpisa in dodatne informacije so na voljo na naslednji spletni povezavi:
https://www.srips-rs.si/vsi-razpisi/razpis/stipendije-za-slovence-v-zamejstvu-slovence-po-svetu-za-studijsko-leto-20262027-396-jr

Message from the Slovenian Embassy in London:

Are you ready to start or continue studying Slovene? Join evening Slovene language courses starting in October 2026 at UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies.

These small interactive courses are designed for adults and develop conversation skills without losing sight of the fundamentals of grammar. They are ideal for anyone interested in the rich culture and unique language of Slovenia.

All courses are scheduled to run 6:30-8:30pm online and will start in the week commencing 5^th of October.

This year we will be offering the following courses:

Beginners (Tuesdays)

Lower Intermediate (Thursdays)

Upper Intermediate (Wednesdays)

Advanced (Thursdays)

Advanced Plus (Mondays)

More information about the Slovene courses is HERE

If you are interested, please enrol HERE

The courses will be taught by Maja Rančigaj Beneš (Advanced and Advanced Plus course) and Ana Ilievska Završnik (Beginners, Lower Intermediate  and Upper Intermediate course).

For more information contact Maja Rančigaj Beneš, Slovene language lector: m.rancigaj@ucl.ac.uk

Esther Miles, member of the British-Slovene Society, learned Slovene in Slovenia. Below she tells how she did it.

This July, I took part in the University of Ljubljana’s Summer School funded by their scholarship for Slovene descendants, which the British Slovene Society very kindly endorsed. I was excited for the course, though a little nervous as I hadn’t learned much Slovene before.

However, I was quickly made to feel welcome on the course, placed in a beginner class where we started with the alphabet (abeceda). Both my morning and afternoon teachers, Lara and Iris, and all my classmates, were lovely. We balanced the fast-paced textbook with plenty of games, which could be simple (making statements about objects and answering “to je res” = “this is true”/ “to ni res” = “this is false”) but were very helpful for getting us to express ourselves only in Slovene and practice vocabulary. We also discussed Slovene culture, family stories, songs, and dialects. The organisers were very accommodating, helping students, including myself, to switch groups during the programme. My new classmates and teachers, Petra and Maja, were just as friendly.

Just as valuable as the language learning was the chance to meet people on the course and learn about their connections to Slovenia. It was especially interesting meeting fellow descendants of Slovenes from all parts of the world and hearing their family stories. Break times and our evening programme of activities brought us together from across classes and gave us a chance to explore Ljubljana together. Highlights included a screening of a Slovenian film, a trip to lake Bled and an evening of karaoke.

I was surprised by how much I had learned by the end of the 2 weeks – we covered 5 units, the present and past tenses, and 3 cases (and the dreaded dual!). After the programme, I could grasp parts of conversations around me. I even found I could understand some Croatian in Zagreb. The programme felt very worthwhile, not only for the fantastic teaching but also for the chance to learn more about Slovenia, meet others with an interest in the country and language, take part in a fun programme of activities, and build my own sense of what it means to be Slovene.

I hope to take part again, and encourage anyone who is interested to look into the programme. There are scholarships for both descendants and non-descendants, and courses year-round: https://centerslo.si/en/courses-for-adults/courses/summer-school/

Message from the Slovenian Embassy in London:

Spoštovani starši, dragi otroci,

obveščamo vas, da bo tudi v šolskem letu 2026/27, od 12. septembra dalje, potekal dopolnilni pouk slovenščine.

Pouk je namenjen predšolskim in šoloobveznim otrokom od 4. leta starosti dalje, ki imajo slovenske korenine. Organizirata ga Zavod Republike Slovenije za šolstvo in Ministrstvo za izobraževanje, znanost in mladino v sodelovanju z Inštitutom za narodnostna vprašanja.

Dopolnilni pouk bo potekal na daljavo v manjših skupinah. Starejši učenci, ki s poukom nadaljujejo, se bodo srečevali ob ponedeljkih v večernih urah, mlajši učenci in začetniki pa ob sobotah dopoldne oziroma v zgodnjih popoldanskih urah.

Za dodatne informacije o organizaciji pouka, terminih in prijavi se lahko po elektronski pošti obrnete na učiteljico slovenščine, Urško Rozman: dps.londonuk@gmail.com

Vljudno vabljeni k vključitvi v dopolnilni pouk slovenščine!

Message from the Slovenian Embassy in London:

Following their successful previous appearances, the acclaimed Slovenian trio Širom return to the UK for another series of live performances.

Renowned for their distinctive fusion of experimental folk, improvisation and richly textured soundscapes, Širom continue to captivate audiences around the world with their singular and immersive musical language.

Experience Širom live at the following concerts:

03.09. 2026 – Club 100, London, UK

04. 09. 2026 – The Rose Hill, Brighton, UK

05. 09. 2026 – End of The Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens, UK

18. 09. 2026 – Fire and Water, Sowerby Bridge, UK

19. 09. 2026 – Hidden Notes Festival, Stroud, UK

MORE INFO

Širom trio consists of Iztok Koren, Samo Kutin and Ana Kravanja, musicians from Prekmurje, Tolminsko and Kras. Drawing on a wide range of instruments, folk traditions and contemporary acoustic approaches, the trio creates a distinctive sound that moves between earthy folk music, experimental rock and mystical minimalism.

The film Inferno, directed by Slovenian Vinko Möderndorfer, focuses on a young unemployed working‑class family and their everyday struggle for survival, tracing the Sisyphean journey of a father to save his children after a tragedy.

Inferno, showing from today at the Picture House, Finsbury Park, London, is described as “a powerful and subversive film that offers a critical picture of modern-day Europe”. The programming is curated by Mina Radovic, founder and director of Liberating Cinema UK and introduced by Cassie Robinson, Birkbeck, University of London.

For show times see: Liberating Cinema 10th Anniversary: Vinko Möderndorfer’s Inferno + Introduction | Showtimes and Tickets

Programme: Liberating Cinema Film Series 2025-2026 – Liberating Cinema

Trailer: Liberating Cinema: 10 Years of The Film Series | Trailer

For those  who would wish to stay tuned with Liberating Cinema, follow them on:

Channel: Liberating Cinema UK – YouTube

Facebook – Liberating Cinema UK | Facebook

Instagram – Instagram

Twitter/X – Liberating Cinema UK (@Liberating_UK) / X