Slovenia is becoming an increasingly popular film location

There are few countries in the world where you can enjoy the Alpine landscape in the morning, then in the afternoon you can head off to the coast and swim in the sea. In Slovenia you can of course do this. All on the same day. The picturesque locations that are accessible at such short distances, and the fact that in the same day you can shoot both in the mountains and by the sea, and next day among vineyards, on green hills and by green rivers, is very important for the logistics of filming, and foreign production companies are appreciating this advantage of Slovenia more and more.

The beauty of Slovenia in foreign films

Slovenia’s wonderful landscapes alone offer outstanding film locations, while the measure of a 25 percent money-back incentive for foreign productions and producers, in line with the practice in most European countries, provides an added inducement to film in Slovenia.

In 2018 films were shot by production companies from Italy, the Philippines, Croatia, Serbia, South Korea, the USA and the UK. Filming in Slovenia has drawn both large production companies working on major, big-budget ambitious films and television companies making TV series. In 2018, the second year of the measure to promote foreign investment in audiovisual production, reimbursement was approved for seven production companies, for three full-length feature films, one feature-length documentary and three television series. In 2019 producers from Croatia, Italy and the UK came to Slovenia to make films.

Piran, Bled, Nova Gorica, Ljubljana, Ljubelj, Vilenica and Goriška Brda are some of the locations where foreign producers have filmed in the past year.

Producers are drawn by the unique locations which can be found nowhere else and are truly something special. In Slovenia there is a lot of interest in Alpine locations, karstic caves and the Soča river area, where the protection of these areas means that access is often restricted.

Slovenia at the film location fair in London

Support for foreign film producers wishing to shoot in Slovenia is offered by the Slovenian Film Centre, a public agency which performs the role of the Film Commission and works to promote Slovenia as a film destination. This year for the second time the Slovenian Film Centre had a presence at one of the biggest internationally recognised fairs promoting film locations, FOCUS 2019, which took place on 3 and 4 December in London.

The promotion of Slovenian film locations again this year involved cooperation with the Slovenian Tourist Board.

The Slovenian Film Centre is also a member of EUFCN, the European Film Commissions Network, which seeks through such promotion events to promote the long-term economic effects of international cooperation in the area of film making and promotion.

The key factors that rank Slovenia among exclusive film locations include well-preserved historical buildings, the large number of attractive locations at close distances, and the fact that in one day you can film both in the mountains and by the sea. This year’s promotional slogan again highlights the positive aspects of Slovenia’s small size and its advantages: "Slovenia. Any European story. Within two hours. Drive less. Film more. Film in Slovenia."

The presentation of Slovenia as a land of film at the fair was once again an opportunity to highlight everything that this beautiful country boasts, and to invite foreign producers to capture this beauty on film reels.