Special attention will be given to national films and tributes to masters of contemporary film, LIFFe's new programme director Simon Popek told a press briefing Tuesday, according to the government communication office. For the first time, some films will be screened in Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city.

Among the 12 programme sections is "World Film Panorama," which will feature festival favourites from around the world. "Against the Wind" will offer delights from radical authors while "Focus" will give film fans an insight into the independent silver screens of America and Romania.

A section called "Extravagance" will dive into the daring and titillating contents of diverse genres, whereas "Kings and Queens" will showcase works by distinguished and award-winning masters of contemporary film. The festival will also feature special "Retrospective" and "Tribute" sections, focusing on works of Roy Andresson, Otar Iosseliani and James Benning.

The films featured in the "Perspectives" section will compete for the Kingfisher Award, the main award of the festival. The selection of 12 titles, four of which were filmed by women directors, will be evaluated by an international jury, Popek said.
Apart from the Kingfisher Award, LIFFe will give out three more awards - the Golden Reel audience award, a FIPRESCI prize and an Amnesty International Award for best human rights film.