Slovenia strongly integrated in international trade
LJUBLJANA - International trade in goods and services remained Slovenia's most important cross-border economic activity in 2018. The country was very well integrated in international merchandise trade, but fared worse in services, show the latest data released by the Statistics Office. The value of exports and imports of goods and services rose annually by 9.3% and 10.4%, respectively. The stock of inward foreign direct investment was up 8.6% year-on-year. The share of exports and imports of goods and services in the GDP reached 85.4% and 77.1%, respectively, putting Slovenia 5th and 7th among EU countries.
Polish film Acid Rain wins Animateka Grand Prix
LJUBLJANA - The Jury Grand Prix of the 16th Animateka international animated film festival has been bestowed on Acid Rain, a reflection on being lost spiritually, emotionally and geographically, by Polish director and animator Tomek Popakul. Acid Rain is set somewhere in Eastern Europe - a girl escapes her depressive hometown and meets an unstable misfit who lives in a trailer and walks a thin line between law and crime. The pair's journey then gets increasingly spine-chilling. The international jury prize, handed out on Saturday evening, comes with EUR 1,000 and is awarded to a film in the Eastern and Central European Competition Programme. The film also won the audience award.
Laibach releases Party Songs from North Korea
LJUBLJANA - Laibach, an internationally acclaimed Slovenian art and music group, has released a six-track EP, Party Songs, featuring previously unreleased songs from its much publicised concert in North Korea in 2015. The EP features three songs: Honourable, Dead or Alive, When Following the Revolutionary Road; We Will Go to Mount Paektu; and Arirang, with the first one presented in three different versions and the second one in two. The 22 November release was accompanied by a video for Honourable, Dead or Alive, When Following the Revolutionary Road, which features footage of a 2019 concert at Cankarjev Dom.
