2026
12. Lesbian quarter festival: polyphony
May 26. – May 31. 2026
Programme
Tabor | Saturday, 16.5 | 10.00–15.00
Let’s throw homophobia away!
Pre-festival event: basketball, picnic, and socializing
The basketball courts will be taken over by FLINTAS*! Instead of fan banners, we will create a community that demands a more just and inclusive society. In this way, we will symbolically and practically defy racist, homophobic, and nationalist fan culture and open up a space for reflecting on our own experiences in public spaces.
Vegan snacks, sports games, and good company will be provided.
*Flinta is an inclusive term used to describe a community composed of women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, and transgender people.
Organised by: Heidi Pungartnik, Marja Kodre, Tanja Matijašević, Zarja Muršič.
In collaboration with the Out in Slovenia association.
This event is part of the Lesbian Safety and Visibility project. Thank you to EL*C and the European Union.
Galerija Škuc | Tuesday, 26. 5. | 20.00
Short films and snacks
Short films and snacks
Opening Ceremony with Programme Presentation
The festival will begin with a programme presentation, light refreshments, and screening of short films (with English subtitles).
Woman, You’ll Burn in Hell! (Femeie, o să arzi în Iad / Woman, You’ll Burn in Hell), Romania, 2025, 13′, dir. Simona Constantin
Stepping Stones (징검다리 / Stepping Stones), South Korea, 2024, 14’, dir. Heejeong Noh
Where the Log Went (Where the log went), Slovenia, 2024, 10’, dir. Tara Caruso Bizjak
¡salsa!, Colombia, 2024, 14’, dir. Antonina Kerguélen Román
Someone Special (Quelqu’un de spécial / một người đặc biệt / Someone Special), animated, France, 2024, 7’, dir. Alice Gervat
Unleaded Gasoline 95 (Bleifrei 95), Germany/Austria, 2025, 24’, dir. Emma Hütt & Tina Muffler
My Personal U, Spain, 2025, 16’, dir. Alex Cuellar & Rafa G. Sanchéz
POLONCA, the Metelkova Cat (POLONCA, the Metelkova cat), Slovenia, 2025, 11’, dir. Petra Hrovatin
Film selection in collaboration with the LGBT Film Festival: Suzana Tratnik
Atrij galerije ŠKUC | Wednesday, 27.5 | 17.00
Knits from Yugoslavia to Gaza
Textile Badge-Making Workshop
This workshop combines textile creation with social and personal reflections on crises – from wars and migration to illness, loss, and recovery. Through embroidery and the design of textile badges, participants will create narratives that intertwine intimate experiences with broader political contexts and open up space for solidarity, exchange, and collective creation as forms of care and resistance.
At the same time, the project draws on the history of the badge as a tool of activism—a small yet visible symbol of messages that, through various social movements, has enabled us to express our beliefs and share a sense of belonging. In its textile form, the badge becomes even more personal: as something we wear on our bodies and with that, bringing our stories into the public sphere.
In collaboration with the Tri Institute in Škofja Loka.
Galerija Škuc | Wednesday, 27.5 | 21.00
Dear Drago: Feminism in Every Village
A Cabaret Evening of Masculinity
The guys have been working on themselves and, as a result, have become more socially engaged. This falls under the category of multitasking, which they aren’t used to. Just a Boi has recently taken up philosophy and explains how feminists have been among us for a long time. The Zacestni Fantje are also aware that there is a wide spectrum of masculinity, and they would like to asure you that anyone who sings and dances has no ill intentions. Denis & Darko are returning to the cabaret evening from their synth tour of the suburbs. All this diverse masculinity will be blended into one beautiful, colorful, slightly exotic fruit salad by the most famous activist—a man who bravely confronts all systems, but sometimes has trouble digesting burek. Your host is Branimir Klozetič, and the special guest of the evening is the self-proclaimed feminist Hilda Krivec.
Creative and artistic team: Marja Kovanda, Liza Močnik, Špela Setničar, Sara Fabjan, Veronika Razpotnik, Teja Bitenc, Maja Dekleva Lapajne, Nika Fugina, Tanja Matijašević, Rebeca Jazbinšek Berghaus
Production: Lezbična četrt, Tanja Matijašević
Music design: Maja Pahor
Inštitut za novejšo zgodovino| Thursday, 28. 5. | 16.30
From Noise Towards Melody
Workshop
You’ll get a concise introduction to the physics of sound and learn to distinguish between noise, signal, and tone—from chaotic vibrations to orderly melodies. Participants will discover how sound waves are generated and how frequency and wavelength affect sound. We’ll use examples from everyday life and explore how to distinguish between signal and noise, what pitch is, and how scales are formed from individual pitches. We’ll also introduce basic methods of representing sound, from visualizations of wave functions to musical notation and spectrum displays.
The workshop is led by Liza Močnik.
letni vrt Galerije ŠKUC| Thursday, 28.5 | 19.00
Lesbian Quarter Team Poetry Reading
At this literary event, the Lesbian Quarter team will take the stage with a resounding performance to present their new works—ranging from the intimate to the political, from verse to prose, from today to tomorrow. We will open up a space for critical and creative reflection on identity, inclusion, and the possibilities of emancipatory practices beyond established literary and artistic frameworks.
Galerija Škuc| Thursday, 28.5 | 20:30
DJ Trikotnik: musical chill in queer quiz
Since we live in a time of constant rushing and hustle, we’ve decided to include a space at the Lesbian Quarter festival for socializing while listening to music. We’ll get in the groove with Petra Hrovatin, aka DJ Trikotnik. The music will gently weave its way among us and encourage conversation, interaction, and just hanging out.
For the curious, we’ve also got a queer quiz.
Pionirski teater (vhod Kinoteke) | Friday, 29. 5. | 18.30
Lesbiqe* then an now
Roundtable Discussion
Moderators: Meta Anderle and Tina Jančič
In this roundtable discussion, we will explore how lesbian identity has shifted from the 1970s to now – from a unified political project which has shaped into a more fluid and diverse understanding of sexuality and gender. The focus of the discussion will be on issues of trans inclusion, the relationship between lesbian and queer identities, and the evolving understanding of gender. Identifying as a lesbian can be a way of articulating one’s place within the gender system, in which the nuances of sexual orientation may differ for a trans or cis person. We will also highlight why it is important for terminology to be inclusive and not to exclude trans* identities from lesbianism. After all, the future will be transfeminist.
Pionirski teater (vhod Kinoteke) | Friday, 29. 5. | 20.30
From the First to the Last | A Performance About Menstruation
A performative event at the intersection of art, history, and sociological analysis.
Menstruation is not merely a biological process, but a historically and socially conditioned experience, full of paradoxes, myths, invisibility, and control. Is it merely a bodily function—or a classification that determines when a woman is useful and when she becomes invisible?
Creative and Artistic Team: Teja Bitenc, Jurij Torkar, Barbara Polajnar, Katarina Zalar
Director: Agnieszka Bresler
Choreography and Video: Iwona Konecka
Assistant Directors: Iwona Konecka and Barbara Polajnar
Dramaturgical Consultant: Zala Dobovšek
Costume and Set Design: Katarina Zalar
Co-creators and Performers: Femminicity Collective: Teja Bitenc, Patricija Crnkovič, Suzana Grau, Tanja Matijašević, Anja Partlič, Milena Pučnik, Matija Šiško, Ajda Špacapan, Mateja Toplak, Jurij Torkar, Natalija Troha
Producers: Rebeca Jazbinšek Berghaus and Nastja Soko
Festival Production: ZIZ Association and the Lesbian Quarter in collaboration with the Pionirski Theater.
Galerija Škuc–Park Ade Škerl in Sonje Plaskan | Saturday, 30. 5. | 13.00
A Literary Lesbian Stroll with Lemonade
How have historical events shaped lesbian* literature?
We’ll learn more at selected stops on the LGBT tour led by Suzana Tratnik. Škuc Gallery: the beginnings of the LGBT movement and a screening from the first lesbian film festival. The former Cafe Open: a homophobic attack and the significance of the comma as a punctuation mark. Ade Škerl and Sonja Plaskan Park: their lives and work. Conclusion: we’ll read poetry in the park.
Kinodvor | Saturday, 30. 5. | 21.00
Screening of the film House with a Voice
Germany, 2024, 85’, dir. Kristine Nrecaj and Birthe Templin, Slovene/English subtitles
The film The House with a Voice opens an important discussion about gender, freedom, and patriarchal structures. Burneše (virdžine) – are women who, under various circumstances, have assumed the social role of a man in order to secure their freedom, protect their integrity, or support their families.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with director Kristine Nrecaj.
letni vrt Galerije ŠKUC | Sunday, 31. 5 | 13.00
Lesbian* Vegan Brunch and Activist Photo Shoot
Snacks and Networking
We traditionally wrap up the festival with a get-together over brunch. Photographer Patricija Zupanič will join us in creating multidimensional photos of our community. Using various props and our own bodies, we’ll explore how to depict a multitude of voices in photography. We’ll create a space to celebrate and support the visibility and diversity of lesbians*. We’ll take posed or candid photos to send a clear message to the wider public: Our visibility is resistance. Our identity is not a compromise.
12. LESBIAN QUARTER FESTIVAL: POLYPHONY
Our strength lies in diversity.
This year’s edition of the festival is based on the idea of polyphony as a space in which diverse social communities, artistic practices, and political perspectives coexist, intertwine, and complement one another. The program, featuring performances, films, literary events, workshops, talks, and music, creates a platform for addressing feminism, queer identities, social inequality, the history of resistance, corporeality, and community action.
We understand Polyphony as an aesthetic and political practice that encourages collective creation, critical reflection, and the inclusion of marginalized voices, while simultaneously strengthening accessibility and openness in the public sphere.
The festival transcends genre and disciplinary boundaries and creates a space where socially critical content is reflected in artistic and community responses. At all festival events, we will highlight the importance of safe spaces and raise awareness of various forms of violence.
At the same time, we will invite attendees to share their testimonies about any experiences of violence in everyday life via an online form, thereby creating a space for listening, visibility, and support, since as individuals – members of the lesbian and broader queer community – often face rejection, hostility, fear, and a lack of safe spaces in our daily lives.
***
Lesbian Quarter events are designed to raise visibility and build our FLINTA community. We want to ensure a safe space for all participants. As attendees you are urged to help create a safer and more welcoming environment. There is a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of violence, harassment, or discrimination at our events. If you experience violence or notice anything that might compromise your sense of safety, please contact our festival team.
Organizacija
Festival Organization:
Škuc Association – Lesbian Quarter, Metelkova 6, Ljubljana
Tel. 01 4327 368
Co-organizers:
Škuc Gallery, Institute of Contemporary History, Pionirski Theater
Artistic Coordination and Production: Tanja Matijašević
Program Coordination: Suzana Tratnik
Executive Production: Marja Kodre
Public Relations: Marja Kodre, Tina Jančič, Tanja Matijašević
Festival Team:
Sara Fabjan, Liza Močnik, Heidi Pungartnik, Veronika Razpotnik, Špela Setničar, Suzana Tratnik, Alja Isaković, Zarja Muršič, Marja Kodre, Tanja Matijašević, Meta Anderle, Tina Jančič
Photography:
Katarina Kolenc, Patricija Zupanič
Refreshments:
Taeko
Special thanks to: Institute of Contemporary History, Kinodvor, Pionirski Theater, Jasmina Kožar, Teja Bitenc, MC Ulca, Taeko, Ganci, Urška Sterle, and RŠ – Lezbomanija, Škuc-Lambda Publishing House for donating books, LGBT Film Festival, Zala Hriberšek, the photographers* and volunteers*, and everyone involved in the festival.
Media support:
RŠ / Lezbomanija
Financial support:
City of Ljubljana, Department of Culture
Graphic design:
Nadja Razpotnik
Information:
IG lez.cetrt
info.lezbicna.cetrt@gmail.com
Lezbična četrt is the recipient of the 2023 WoW – Women on Women Award!
Tab 2 content.
Financerji in partnerji
