Simon Popek, who is also responsible for the programme of the Ljubljana Film Festival, told the STA he had opted for a diverse selection of topical issues that will be of interest to a wide audience.

The refugee crisis will join eternal topics such as the Middle East, the situation of woman in the Muslim world, racism and neo-Nazism.

The five documentaries competing for the Amnesty International Slovenije award include Censored Voices by Mor Loushy, which features contentious testimonies by Israeli soldiers, Lampedusa by Jakob Brossman, and the Fog of Srebrenica by Samir Mehanović.

The remaining two are Children of the Transition by Matija Vukšić, who depicts contemporary reality via the stories of four youths, and Sonita, a film about an 18-year-old Afghani female raper, made by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami.

The director in the festival's limelight this year is 51-year-old Loznitsa, whose 17 documentaries make him the key post-Soviet author. The topics features include the recent events in the Ukraine, the nazi occupation of Leningrad and Soviet film propaganda from the 50's and 60s.

The remaining sections of the festival, which ends on 17 March, will provide additional insight into some the main issue of our time, into "Myths, icons and media" and feature several "Intimate and global portraits".