Registrations are now open for participation in the first Heritage in Motion (HIM) 2026 Festival, which will take place on 29 and 30 September 2026 in Bled, Slovenia. After twelve years, HIM is evolving from an award ceremony into a two-day international festival for the first time, bringing together experts from the fields of cultural heritage, museums, film, digital innovation and the creative industries.
The festival will bring together the finalists of the HIM 2026 Award, museum professionals, creators, researchers and representatives of cultural institutions from around the world. The programme will include keynote lectures by renowned international speakers, conversations with filmmakers and creators, presentations of finalists in all three HIM categories, as well as opportunities for knowledge exchange and new collaborations.
Festival highlights will include keynote lectures by Sandro Debono (Malta), museum expert and cultural heritage consultant; Alenka Selčan Božič (Slovenia), Creative Director at Art Rebel 9; Irena Todorova (Bulgaria), Director of the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe under the auspices of UNESCO; and Terry Stevens, international expert in tourism, cultural development and destination management. The festival programme will also feature a conversation with the creators and a special screening of the documentary film Fiume o morte!.
The international expert jury includes distinguished professionals from the fields of museums, cultural heritage and audiovisual production:
- Andrea Bellavite – Director of the Foundation of the Basilica of Aquileia (Italy),
- Ahmed Emad – Museum expert from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates),
- Tanvi Jindal Shete – Founder of the Museum of Solutions, Mumbai (India),
- Olli Nordling – Digital heritage specialist at the Finnish Postal Museum (Finland) and recipient of the Heritage in Motion 2025 Award,
- Dr Stojan Pelko – Director of the Slovenian Cinematheque,
- Amilcar Vargas – Head of World Heritage at Casa Batlló, Barcelona (Spain).
The honorary ambassador of Heritage in Motion remains Robin Lutz, filmmaker, documentary director and co-founder of the Heritage in Motion initiative.
The Heritage in Motion 2026 Festival is organised by the Forum of Slavic Cultures (FSK), the European Museum Academy (EMA) and the Bled Culture Institute, in cooperation with Museums in Short.
We invite museum professionals, creators, researchers, representatives of cultural institutions and everyone inspired by innovative approaches to interpreting cultural heritage to join us in Bled.