Border Crossing 2019 - Darko Bratina's vision in society and politics

Darko Bratina was born at the border where three languages intersect: Italian, Friulian, and Slovenian. He was a cinema enthusiast and expert, a social researcher, and a university professor of sociological sciences, first in Turin, then in Trieste and Gorizia. As the director of the Slovenian Research Institute SLORI in Trieste, he played an active role in the innovation dynamics of the Slovenian community in Italy and acted as a man of dialogue in the broader regional context of Friuli Venezia Giulia and in the relationship with Slovenia. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was a keen observer of developments in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Balkans. He was elected three times to the Italian Senate and represented the Italian Parliament in international institutions. Darko Bratina combined a scientific approach with intellectual passion. He was a practical sociologist, a social engineer: he intervened in society, culture, and politics, distinguishing himself through concrete activities that he initiated, monitored, or realized. Among these is Kinoatelje.