Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Iza Strehar. Fotografia / Photography: Fabris Šulin. Montaggio / Editing: Luka Marčetić. Musica / Music: Andraž Jug. Suono / Sound: Julij Zornik, Grega Švabič. Scenografia, costumi / Set Designer, Costume Designer: Žiga Virc. Interpreti / Cast: Lara Maria Vouk, Andraž Jug, Tines Špik, Suzana Krevh, Florjan Strehar. Produzione / Produced by: Lilit. Coproduzione / Co-produced by: Zwinger film, Zavod Olaola. Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Ministry of Culture Slovenia.
Two couples meet to discuss an incident at school. Their sons were playing Stealing Land, a traditional game where children draw territories in the sand and conquer each other’s lands until one prevails. What should have remained an innocent children’s pastime becomes complicated when one of the boys declares himself to be Palestine. Suddenly, the game turns into a mirror of the world, and the parents are drawn into a whirlwind of heated debate. Wine is poured, tensions rise, alliances form and crumble. The living room turns into a courtroom, a battlefield, and a confessional all at once. Masks fall, convictions are laid bare, and the smallest children’s game opens up the biggest questions of our time. Stealing Land premiered at FilmFestival Cottbus in 2025.
“The film was shot over two days, and only three months passed from the first idea to the final DCP copy. We consciously chose this approach: sometimes, lengthy production processes kill creative momentum and drain the original idea of a film … Thematically, the film is a critique of the West—constantly entangled in its own ideological webs, tripping over every word spoken, and engaging in petty power games, while grave issues such as genocide slip into just another verbal clash of ideologies.” (Ž. Virc)
Žiga Virc
Film director and screenwriter, Žiga Virc was born in 1987 in Novo Mesto, now Slovenia. He studied Film and Television Directing at the University of Ljubljana’s AGRFT. Virc gained early recognition with Trieste Is Ours! (2009), a Student Academy Award 2010 finalist. His debut film, the hybrid doc Houston, We Have a Problem! (2016) premiered at Tribeca, won multiple awards at the Slovenian Film Festival, was Slovenia’s Oscar submission and in 2017 competed also at the Trieste FF. In 2023, he co-founded the production company Lilit, where he now works as both director and producer.
filmografia scelta / selected filmography 2009 Trst je naš! (Trieste is Ours!) cm / sf 2010 Naša demokracija cm / sf 2011 Klic z gora cm / sf doc. 2012 Vojne igre cm / sf 2013 Polmesec nad planikami cm / sf 2015 Optimisti (Optimists) cm / sf 2016 Selitev (A New Home) cm / sf 2016 Houston, imamo problem! (Houston, We Have a Problem!); Premi / Awards: Portorose, Festival del cinema sloveno – Miglior film / Festival of Slovenian film, Portorož – Best Film 2020 Osvoboditev libida cm / sf 2021 Poletje ’91 doc. 2023 Poslednji heroj (Shooting Blanks) 2024 Protagonistke TV doc. 2025 Kismet cm / sf; Poklicani TV; Zemljo krast (Stealing Land).
