Ljubljana, 22 April 2025
The Women Writers Route (WWR), a cultural route of the Council of Europe, marked the birthday of pioneering Slovenian author Zofka Kveder with a special event honouring her life and legacy. This year’s celebration featured the screening of the documentary The Genes of My Children, directed by Croatian photographer and filmmaker Vladimira Spindler, one of Kveder’s great-great-granddaughters.
Held in partnership with the Forum of Slavic Cultures (FSK), the event offered a powerful reflection on intergenerational creativity and the enduring challenges faced by women. Following the screening, a conversation took place with the director and two protagonists of the film – her mother, award-winning children’s author Sanja Pilić, and her grandaunt, renowned dance educator Tihana Škrinjarić. The discussion was led by Dr Katja Mihurko, president of the WWR Scientific Council and a leading expert on Zofka Kveder. The intimate and engaging exchange invited active participation from the audience, further enriching the commemorative atmosphere.
Warm, humorous, and deeply moving, The Genes of My Children pays tribute to the artistic and emotional journeys of the women in Spindler’s family – direct descendants of Zofka Kveder. Their stories of artistic expression and complex personal relationships reflect broader themes of female emancipation and resilience. The documentary also celebrates the cultural legacy inherited through generations of women who, like Kveder, dared to live and create beyond societal expectations.
Vladimira Spindler (b. 1976) is a seasoned photographer and emerging voice in documentary filmmaking. A long-time collaborator with Croatian theatres such as the Gavella Drama Theatre, her visual storytelling extends across photography and film. Since 2017, her documentaries – including Over the Edge, Mom, Why Are You Crying, Friendship with a Triangle, and Young Nun – have received international recognition.
The birthday event also offered an opportunity to present the cross-border project Ljubka’s Trail – a literary path of poetry and equality, in which Zofka Kveder is one of the central figures. Designed to promote women’s literary heritage and social equality, the project is led by the Women Writers Route in collaboration with the Lojze Bratuž Cultural Centre (Gorizia) and is part of the Interreg VI-A Italy–Slovenia programme.
The project is co-funded by the European Union through the GO! 2025 Small Projects Fund, managed by the EGTC GO.
For more information:
www.womenwritersroute.com | www.ita-slo.eu | www.euro-go.eu/spf
