The Hanging Bridge

by Maja Weiss

Viseči most, 2026, fiction, digital DCP, 1,85:1, 25, c
In progress

The short film explores a decades-long family rift and an attempt at reconciliation within a family that was torn apart in 1947, when a state border divided the population of the Gorizia region. The story is set in motion by two young artists, Martina from Gorizia and her peer Mark from Ljubljana, who are related but had never met before. They connected through social media and are now jointly organizing a reunion between Mark’s grandfather Boris and Martina’s grandmother Giulia, Boris’s niece. A family that had been divided for many years is thus reunited by the third generation of descendants—the one no longer burdened by cultural, linguistic, and ideological barriers.

screenwriters
Nataša Konc Lorenzutti, Maja Weiss
director
Maja Weiss
producer
Ida Weiss
directors of photography
Valentin Perko, Jernej Perko
film editor
Peter Braatz
production designers
Dušan Milavec, Dejan Filipovič
costume designer
Polonca Valentinčič
key make-up artist
Aljana Hajdinjak

featuring
Boris Cavazza, Lučka Počkaj, Lara Komar, Aleksander Cavazza, Giada Fantoma, Nataša Konc Lorenzutti, Gaj Črnič, Artur Cocetta Komar, Adriano Giraldi

production
Bela film
in collaboration with
Film Studio Viba Film
co-funding
Slovenian Film Centre

Bela film
Ida Weiss
info@belafilm.si

Maja Weiss graduated from the Ljubljana Film Academy AGRFT. She is the first Slovenian female film director to direct a full-length fiction film for cinema, titled "Guardian of the Frontier." Her film received several awards, including the Manfred Salzgeber Award for the most innovative European film at the 2002 Berlinale (Panorama) and a nomination for European Discovery at the 2002 European Film Awards (EFA). Maja Weiss' extensive filmography includes over 40 films screened at more than 150 festivals worldwide. She is also recognized as one of the most prominent Slovenian documentary filmmakers. Her documentaries have been honoured at various prestigious film festivals, including DOK Leipzig and IDFA (nomination), Durban, Zaragoza, Rotterdam, Krakow, and Telluride. In 2020, she was presented with a lifetime achievement award for her contributions to documentaries at the DocuDok Maribor Documentary Film Festival.

“The film speaks about bridges, about Slovenian and Italian identity, and about generations marked by division, yet also by a desire to overcome differences and achieve family reconciliation. Although the film includes the bitter line that “Europe is a mess,” the overall narrative conveys a message of hope, optimism, and the possibility of a shared future.”

Bela Film was founded in 1998 and has since become one of Slovenia’s leading production companies. Its portfolio includes over 35 titles, recognized at major festivals such as the Berlin IFF, Cannes Directors' Fortnight, Oberhausen ISFF, IDFA, and Clermont-Ferrand ISFF, among others. The company’s managing director and producer is Ida Weiss, a member of EAVE, ACE Producers, EWA Network, and the European Film Academy.