The 2011 Bridgwater International programme has kicked off with a visit by 25 Bridgwater College Film and Media students to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. Along with their 3 staff members the students visited the Slovenian TV & Radio buildings and the Slovenian VIBA Film studios. 
The group also spent time in the small town of Radovljica where they showed their own works to the Media students of the High school there and took part in a 'Slovenian Quiz' which they past with flying colours having taken a great interest in the small EU border country during their 4 day stay.The College students stayed in the beautiful Alpine lakeside town of Bled and sp
ent much of the first day walking in the Nature, climbing to the Castle on the craggy peak above the old town, looking, as it did, something not dissimilar to a scene from an old Dracula or Frankenstein movie. And having the occaisional 'Kremsnitr' (thats a Slovenian cream cake) .The lake was frozen but both Slovenian ducks and people found the time to skate across it;s surface despite the warning signs....
A highlight of the visit was the viewing of short films by Slovenian film students from the AGFRT Academy. 'Trst je Nas!' was a comedy about nostalgic would-be Partisans attempting to liberate the Italian occupied Slovene city of Trieste while 'Vuko' told the story of a lonely elderly Slovenian man who befriends a couple of American Mormon missionaries and converts them to alcoholism.
Another highlight of the visit was the Chinese street entertainer in Preseren square Ljubljana whose performance seemed to involve shouting at people, arranging oranges on the floor and getting arrested by the Police after starting a fight.
Staying at the log cabin style hostel of Bledec the group also had evenings entertainment from a Slovenian accordionist in traditional garb explaining what exactly a Heligonka is (it;s an accordion) and from Janez Medja, who ran through a personal account of the collapse of the former Yugoslav state and the formation of modern Slovenia .
The college group was organised by Mino De Francesca and his lovely assistants Vanessa and Laura.
