The retrospective was announced in a ceremonial address by Florian Widegger, director of the film programme at the Austrian Film Archive, Ženja Leiler Kos, director of the Slovenian Cinematheque, and Barbara Koželj Podlogar, acting director general of the Directorate for Creativity of the Ministry of Culture, who also opened the retrospective. In her address, she emphasised that "such projects are fine opportunities to get acquainted with Slovenian film creativity, and to consolidate the Slovenian art of film in the international arena, in which Slovenian filmmakers have already received several awards. One of the objectives of such projects is to deepen the comprehensive mutual dialogue between Slovenia and Austria, and to nurture and build on it."

The opening was also attended by Nina Ukmar, the head of the cabinet of the Ministry of Culture, Nicolaus Wostry, director general of the Austrian Film Archive, and Jürgen Meindl, director general of the Austrian Ministry of Culture.

The retrospective started with the first Slovenian feature film, In the Realm of Goldenhorn, by Janko Ravnik from 1931, and the screening was accompanied by live music by the author, conductor and pianist Andrej Goričar, violinist Matej Haas, clarinetist Jakob Bobek and cellist Milan Hudnik. Before that, two contemporary short animated films were screened – the multi-award-winning Steakhouse by director Špela Čadež, and The Legend of the Golden Horn by Lea Vučko.

The retrospective will offer viewers a cross-section of Slovenian cinema through the decades; directors e.g. France Štiglic, Karpo Godina, Jože Babič, Damjan Kozole and Jan Cvitkovič will be presented through several films. The films Kiss Me Soft Rubber by Zvonko Čoh, (A)torsion by Stefan Arsenijević, Ekspres, Ekspres by Igor Šterk, Guardian of the Frontier by Maja Weiss, A Fight for by Siniša Gačić, Peterka: Year of Decision by Vlado Škafar, and Man with Shadow by Ema Kugler, will also be screened.

The opening of the retrospective was well attended, and the gathering after the opening was an excellent opportunity for informal conversations between the representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Nina Ukmar and Barbara Koželj Podlogar, with creators, representatives of the Austrian Ministry of Culture and other guests.

Before the evening's main event, Nina Ukmar and Barbara Koželj Podlogar met the Slovenian artist Eva Petrič and got familiar with her art work, Human Cocoon, presented in the famous St. Stephen's Cathedral.

More information about the Slovenian film retrospective in Vienna is available on the website of the Austrian Film Archive.