Ljubljana

Be My Voice, a documentary about Iranian women's fight against the forced wearing of the hijab, has won the Amnesty International Slovenia Human Rights Film Award as the 25th Festival of Documentary Film in Ljubljana.

Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and her Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani committed to further cooperation between the two counties in the management of illegal migrations as they met in Ljubljana on 17 March. They said they were in agreement about the need for the issue to be addressed at the EU level.

The new season of Ljubljana's hugely popular outdoor food market known as Open Kitchen starts on 17 March, featuring more than 50 stalls serving both traditional Slovenian cuisine and foreign culinary delights.

For the 11th year running, visitors will be able to treat their taste buds in Pogačar Square next to Ljubljana's central market every Friday between 10am and 9pm.

The first successful in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in Slovenia was performed 40 years ago and today about a thousand babies born every year in the country are conceived outside the body. Slovenia is considered to be a global leader in the field.

Kolosej, Slovenia's first multiplex cinema, closed down on 14 March having been in operation for 22 years at Ljubljana's BTC shopping district. The new owner plans to refurbish it into a new entertainment centre.

"We would like o inform you that Kolosej is closing its doors on 14 March," the operator announced in a post to its website and social media.

Labena, a Ljubljana-based family-run business, is launching a new platform to link start-up companies and disruptive ideas with venture capital and investment funds in medicine, biotechnology and the food and pharmaceutical industries. More than €100 million will be available, with applications expected from 14 March.

Lek, the Ljubljana-based pharmaceutical company which is part of the Swiss generics group Sandoz, will build a US$400 million high-tech production centre for biosimilars in Lendava, in north-eastern Slovenia. The investment is to create around 300 new jobs.

Ljubljana's Cankarjev Dom arts centre is hosting the 25th Documentary Film Festival between 10 and 17 March, bringing a series of topical, mostly foreign films, and discussions. The festival will pay tribute to Mako Sajko, the late Slovenian director who did pioneering work in environmental documentary.

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport saw a significant increase in passenger transport in the first two months of the year and is optimistic about the summer season given that some carriers have announced they will return.

Taiwanese pianist Kai-Min Chang won the first Ljubljana Festival International Piano Competition, having impressed the international jury with his interpretation of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3.