Ljubljana, 22 April 2025 – The Forum of Slavic Cultures (FSK) and the Women Writers Route once again marked the birthday of writer Zofka Kveder with a special event. This year, the celebration featured the screening of the documentary The Genes of My Children, directed by Croatian photographer and filmmaker Vladimira Spindler, a great-great-granddaughter of Zofka Kveder.
Following the screening, a conversation took place with the director and two of the film’s protagonists – her mother, children’s author Sanja Pilić, and her grandaunt, dance educator Tihana Škrinjarić. The discussion was moderated by Dr Katja Mihurko, a distinguished expert on Zofka Kveder and president of the Women Writers Route Scientific Council. Many audience members actively joined the conversation.
Warm, humorous, and moving, the documentary is dedicated to the women of the director’s family – descendants of Zofka Kveder – who have been engaged in the arts for four generations. Alongside their creative talents, they are also connected by having experienced difficult relationships with men. The Genes of My Children tells the story of women who have left a cultural legacy and highlights the ongoing challenges of emancipation throughout history.
Vladimira Spindler (b. 1976) is a professional photographer who has worked for numerous magazines and was the official photographer of the Gavella Drama Theatre, while also collaborating with other theatres. Her work has been featured in many solo and group exhibitions. She began working in documentary film in 2017. Her filmography includes Over the Edge, Mom, Why Are You Crying (awarded at the Green Montenegro Film Festival in 2017), Friendship with a Triangle, and Young Nun.
In the post-screening conversation with Dr Mihurko, Spindler, Pilić, and Škrinjarić spoke about the spiritual legacy and influence Zofka Kveder has had on their family life, sharing personal memories and stories from their family history. The event also served to present the cross-border project Ljubka’s Trail – a literary path of poetry and equality, which features Zofka Kveder as one of its central figures.
The project, implemented by the Forum of Slavic Cultures and the Lojze Bratuž Cultural Centre from Gorizia, is supported by the GO! 2025 Small Projects Fund under the Interreg VI-A Italy–Slovenia programme.
The project is funded by the European Union through the Small Project Fund GO! 2025 of the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia 2021-2027 programme, managed by the EGTC GO. www.ita-slo.eu; www.euro-go.eu/spf
