Refugee Women – Heroines of our Time / Begunke – Herojinje našega časa
What does it mean to live in peace? Is peace merely the absence of war – or is it the possibility to live without fear, to speak about human rights without fear for one’s life, to be authentic and once again find security and a new home?
We will screen three shorts, which take personal stories to examine the reasons of three women from three different parts of the world – Southeast Asia, Central Africa and Eastern Europe – to seek refuge in Slovenia.
- Ljubljana, 21. 9. 2026 at 7pm at Pritličje
- Maribor, 25. 9. at 7pm at GT22
Olena, Shiva and Rose come from different parts of the world but were all driven to leave their homes in fear for their lives. Olena’s story is connected to the war in Ukraine and the experience of a mother frightened for the lives of her children. Shiva speaks of the importance of the fight for human rights and freedom, for which she could have been executed in Iran. Rose’s story depicts violence against women, forced marriage, identifying as LGBT and discrimination, but also the search for a space to live in the absence of fear of violence, rejection and persecution.
The three stories present three different faces of the issue of peace. Peace as safety from war. Peace as freedom and dignity. And peace as the possibility to fearlessly live authentically.
Each of the 15’ films gives room for the protagonists to tell their stories with their own words. The personal narratives highlight what happens after arriving, the difficulties of making a home, financial security and the belonging to a new place.
After the screenings, Kristina Božič will guide the conversation in Ljubljana and Žiga Auer in Maribor. We will talk about about the protagonists’ narratives with broader questions of was, forced migrations, human rights, discrimination and the responsibility of society in creating conditions to be able to live in peace.
At the Ljubljana event we will also showcase an exhibition of portraits Refugee Women – Stories of Fate, Courage, and Human Rights of the three women depicted in the screened films as well as another three women who at different times over the last three decades sought refuge in Slovenia due to war – from Palestine, Bosnia and Kosovo. The exhibition which was created for Institute APIS by photographer Nino Bektashashvili and the stories written by Jasna Gabrovšek, will be open for one month. A short UNHCR video will be shown before the screening.
The event is organized in cooperation between Institute APIS and Slovene philanthropy within the Migrant Film Festival. The host of the event is Pritličje which also supplies technical support.
The short films and exhibition are products of the Heroines: Diverse Voices project which is carried out by Institute APIS in cooperation with the international initative Heroines! hrough the Catalyst of Change programme and co-funded by the European Union. Check the Institute APIS website for more information on the project.
