Burned in Memories

Kinoatelje, as one of the partners, participated in the European project Burned in Memories from August 2015 to February 2017, primarily focusing on coordinating the preparation of the eponymous documentary film, created by the authors Anja Medved and Nadja Velušček.

Project Description:

The BURNED IN MEMORIES project focuses on the multiethnic border region between Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia – the Julian Region (later known as Adriatisches Küstenland or the Adriatic Littoral). This area has witnessed numerous border and political regime changes over the past 100 years. During World War II, one occupying force (Italy) was replaced by another (Germany). Although this region had been officially part of Italy since 1920, the Slovenian and Croatian populations developed resistance movements against the regime, agitating for annexation to the "homeland" – Yugoslavia – or, in some cases, for the autonomy of the Julian Region. Especially during World War II, there was collaboration between Slovenian and Croatian partisans and Italian insurgents, while membership in the Communist Party of Italy was multinational already during the interwar period. During World War II, Nazi and Fascist occupying forces burned many villages in this border area. The burned villages symbolize places that the occupier attempted to "erase," and therefore, they should be recognized as sites of memory, much like the famous Oradour-sur-Glane, Lidice, and Ležáky. These war crimes usually occurred as retaliatory measures against the civilian population for supporting the resistance, primarily the partisans or the National Liberation Movement (NOB). The burning of villages was almost always accompanied by massacres, deportations, looting, and other forms of violence.

To revive the memory of these events, we will collect personal memories of the burnings and reactions to them, as well as photographs of the villages. Based on archival sources and literature, we will create a map of the burned villages in the Julian Region.

On a broader scale, we aim to raise awareness among younger generations that the memory of wartime destruction is an important part of their local identity. In addition, it is necessary to overcome national and intercultural conflicts, collective guilt, and intolerance in the spirit of intergenerational respect and curiosity, with the goal of contributing to the strengthening of European citizenship and promoting the European integration of this region. To this end, we have engaged non-governmental organizations, local authorities and communities, schools, universities, and the media to participate.

Project Activities:

• Oral history training,
• A documentary film to be presented in the "burned villages," on television, at film festivals, etc.
• A traveling photography exhibition (set up in Mačkolje/Caresani (IT), Šmarje pri Kopru, Lipa (CRO), and Žminj CRO)),
• A roundtable or webinar to be live-streamed at selected European universities,
• Installation of memorial plaques in selected "burned villages" (Mačkolje, Žejane (HCRO, Šmarje pri Kopru, and Miren near Nova Gorica).

Project Partners:

• Research Centre Koper (leading partner)
• PiNA Cultural Education Association
• Quarantasettezeroquattro Association
• Udruga “Žejane”
• Zavod Kinoatelje
• Municipality of Dolina / Comune di San Dorligo della Valle
• Istrian Historical Society

More about the project.

The project is co-financed by the European Union through the Europe for Citizens program.

Documentary Film

The audiovisual documentation of memories is the focus of the project, as there are still very few representatives of the World War II generation to share their testimonies. The film production will therefore contribute invaluable material to the oral history archive, which is essential for future studies and research. In addition to oral testimonies, the audiovisual project documents family photographs, personal documents, and other items that reflect the tragedy of that time. The film presentations (tour) will take place in the "burned villages" in Italy (Dolina), Slovenia (Miren near Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Šmarje pri Kopru), and Croatia (Žejane), and will include discussions to increase awareness of local and regional history.

The short documentary film was presented to audiences in local communities ("burned villages"), where testimonies and other documentation were collected. A short discussion following the presentations encouraged intergenerational and intercultural dialogue. To spread awareness of the atrocities of the 20th century in this area across national and language borders, the film was also translated into English, making it accessible to a wider European audience. The documentary was broadcast on television, at memorial plaque unveilings, film festivals, museum exhibitions, and schools. After these presentations, it is available in four languages on the website.

Partners in the creation of the documentary film:

Kinoatelje, as the activity leader, was responsible for coordinating the preparation of the documentary film. The film's authors, Anja Medved and Nadja Velušček, have been recording memories from the border area in their author-protected film productions for years and have received multiple awards for their work.

Other participants contributed materials and content for the documentary (ZRS, Istrian Historical Society, Udruga Žejane) or handled promotion and dissemination (PiNA Cultural Education Association, Associazione Quarantasettezeroquattro) and supported the organization of events (Municipality of Dolina / San Dorligo della Valle).

Activity Duration: 1 March 2016 – 28 February 2017

Participating Organizations:

• Slovenian Cultural Society Mačkolje
• Slovenian Cultural Society Primorsko Mačkolje
• Association of Displaced Persons of Slovenia 1941–1945, Nova Gorica Regional Organization
• Kinokašča Institute