On 29 and 30 September, Bled hosted the first stand-alone festival edition of the international Heritage in Motion award, dedicated to innovative approaches to preserving, presenting and experiencing cultural heritage. For two days, the festival brought together museum professionals, filmmakers and digital heritage experts from 19 countries, offering presentations, screenings and dialogue on the future of heritage interpretation. The festival programme featured 18 finalists, including two projects connected with Slovenia.

This year’s selection demonstrated a broad range of contemporary approaches – from digital and interactive experiences and VR, AR and XR technologies to film, contemporary storytelling and new forms of audience engagement. The projects showed how contemporary technologies can bring heritage closer to new generations, making it more accessible, understandable and engaging.

Film and audiovisual storytelling held a particularly prominent place in the festival programme. Dr Andreja Rihter, Director of the Forum of Slavic Cultures and President of the European Museum Academy, highlighted the power of film and audiovisual media to connect facts with emotions, history with personal stories, and to foster a more immersive relationship with cultural heritage.

The programme also featured a screening of Fiume o morte!, directed by Igor Bezinović, which uses contemporary cinematic storytelling to shed new light on historical events in Rijeka, as well as their heritage and significance in the present day.

International Expert Programme

The festival’s keynote speaker was Terry Stevens, an internationally recognised expert in tourism, cultural development and destination management. He spoke about creating inspiring cultural heritage experiences, highlighting the importance of compelling storytelling, authenticity, local culture and truth.

The programme also featured presentations by Sandro Debono, a museum professional from Malta, who emphasised the importance of new technologies and storytelling, and Alenka Selčan Božič, who sees digital technologies in heritage interpretation primarily as a tool for fostering a deeper relationship between visitors, places and heritage.

The festival was organised by the Forum of Slavic Cultures, the European Museum Academy and the Bled Culture Institute, in cooperation with Museums in Short.

Photos: Boris Pretnar