The film explores the boundary between acting and reality during theatre rehearsals at an academy. Nina and Alen are rehearsing a seduction scene. When they struggle with the scene, the director and professor intervene. The professor eventually steps onto the stage himself, leading to a tense confrontation with Nina.

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Utemeljitev žirije

Mentor delicately explores the boundary between performance and reality while raising questions about the abuse of power in the artistic process, questions that reach far beyond the stage itself. What begins as a rehearsal space governed by freedom and creativity gradually transforms into a stage of tension, manipulation, and confrontation. Central to the story is Suzana Krevh, whose outstanding performance brings depth, vulnerability, and strength to the film, making its commentary on institutional hierarchies and artistic authority all the more resonant. Through its precise dramaturgy, the film examines not only the personal dynamics between teacher and student, but also the social structures that enable abuse and silence, offering a subtle yet powerful critique of authority, conformity and hidden pressures within cultural and educational institutions.

In a deeply religious village between two rivers, the birth of a “fachuk” (an illegitimate child) is considered a mortal sin. Everyone recoils at the sight of a young woman who is about to give birth, while her fear grows amid the narrow-mindedness and severity of the rural community.

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Jury statement

Fachuk immerses us in a deeply religious rural community where the birth of an illegitimate child is considered a mortal sin. At its center is a mother whose fear and vulnerability reflect both a personal struggle and the weight of social judgment. Drawing on familiar folk motifs and the visual world of naïve art, the story expands through fantastical animation that gives shape to unspoken emotions and inner states. The mother’s journey ends tragically in suicide, yet the surrounding natural world endures and heals, offering a subtle, poetic counterpoint to the cycle of shame and exclusion within the community. The interplay of traditional imagery, a distinctive visual language, and an intimate story elevates Fachuk beyond its local context, offering a broader reflection on stigma, exclusion, and resilience.