Slovenian cinema has taken a bold and mesmerizing leap onto the global stage with Little Trouble Girls, the powerful debut feature by acclaimed writer-director Urška Djukić. Selected as Slovenia’s Official Submission for the 2026 Academy Awards® in the category of Best International Feature Film, the film has already accumulated an impressive festival record and critical acclaim that signal the arrival of a major new voice in European filmmaking.
Opening exclusively at New York’s IFC Center on December 5 and at Laemmle’s Monica Film Center in Los Angeles on December 12, the film’s U.S. theatrical rollout marks another significant milestone in its expanding international journey.
OFFICIAL TRAILER
A Festival Sensation
Since its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, Little Trouble Girls has captivated audiences and critics alike. It opened the Berlinale’s new Perspectives Competition Section, where it earned the prestigious FIPRESCI Award, immediately identifying Djukić as a filmmaker of remarkable clarity, vision, and emotional depth.
The film’s momentum continued across the festival circuit:
Tribeca Film Festival 2025 – Best Cinematography (Winner)
Adriatic Film Awards – Best Debut Film & Best Actress (Winner)
European Film Awards – European Discovery (Nominee)
MoMA’s The Contenders 2025 – Official Selection
With its elegant visual language, sharp performances, and intimate storytelling, Little Trouble Girls has steadily emerged as one of the most celebrated European debuts of the decade.
A Tender and Sensual Coming-of-Age Story
Produced by Kino Lorber, the film explores adolescence with striking emotional honesty. Co-written by Djukić and Maria Bohr, the film takes its title from Sonic Youth’s iconic 1995 song Little Trouble Girl, echoing the emotional turbulence and yearning at the center of the story.
At the heart of the film is Lucia, a quiet, introspective 16-year-old portrayed with rare vulnerability by Jara Sofija Ostan. Encouraged by her mother, Lucia joins her Catholic school’s all-girls choir, where she is drawn to Ana-Maria, an older, charismatic chorister played by Mina Švajger. Their bond introduces Lucia to unfamiliar emotions, shifting alliances, and a complex world of teenage expectations.
When the choir travels to a remote countryside convent for an intensive rehearsal retreat, Lucia finds herself navigating a maze of emerging desire, religious discipline, social hierarchies, and rebellion. Her interactions—including a charged encounter with a young construction worker—challenge her beliefs, test her friendships, and illuminate her awakening sexuality.
The result is a compelling, layered portrait of adolescence—one that avoids clichés and instead embraces nuance, sensuality, confusion, and discovery.
Djukić’s Vision: Sensuality, Power, and Liberation
Director Urška Djukić describes the film as an exploration of inner sensory knowledge and the unspoken forces guiding human behavior. She explains:
“I wanted to explore the mysteries of the senses as tools for understanding ourselves. The long-standing taboo around sexuality has left us unable to fully understand its potential power. The body has its own instinctive intelligence, guiding us if we listen carefully.”
Her approach blends subtle sensuality with social critique, revealing the often-silenced conversations around female adolescence, bodily autonomy, and internalized notions of sinfulness perpetuated by conservative frameworks. Through Lucia’s journey, Djukić invites viewers to consider how young women find or lose their sense of agency within rigid structures.
Critical Acclaim Across the Globe
Critics worldwide have responded with enthusiasm, praising the film’s cinematic sophistication and emotional resonance:
Variety called it:
“Sly, sensual and tantalizingly allusive… sharply evokes that adolescent age where worldly adult knowledge is just within view and just out of reach.”
Screen International wrote:
“Terrific. Digs deep into this fertile terrain and finds something fresh.”
The New York Times compared it to the work of Powell and Pressburger:
“A Slovenian riff on Black Narcissus (1947) for the Generation Z set.”
In a five-star review, The Guardian hailed it as:
“Elegant and mysterious. An utterly absorbing and outstandingly acted film.”
Cineuropa emphasized its revitalizing energy:
“A beguiling work with a vision… imbues the coming-of-age tropes it references with exuberance and vitality.”
Another Magazine praised its artistry and tone:
“A rare coming-of-ager with a mature head on its shoulders… this gorgeously shot film brings shades of early Céline Sciamma.”
And Screen Anarchy declared:
“One of the best and most promising directorial debuts of the 21st century.”
Together, these reviews underscore the film’s impact as a standout debut that resonates across cultures and generations.
The Filmmaker Behind the Breakthrough
Born in Ljubljana, Urška Djukić studied film in Nova Gorica near the Italian border. Her work has been celebrated internationally, with her short film Granny’s Sexual Life winning over 50 awards, including:
European Film Academy Award (2022) – Best Short Film
César Award (2023) – Best Animated Short Film
Djukić’s previous works, including The Right One (part of SEE Factory Sarajevo mon amour, premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2019), showcase her bold sensibility and interest in intimate, emotionally rich narratives.
In 2019, she joined the renowned Cannes Cinéfondation Residency, where she developed the script for Little Trouble Girls. The project later won the Best Work-in-Progress Award at the Les Arcs Film Festival 2023, signaling its promise long before filming began.
The film’s prestigious festival run—and now its U.S. theatrical release—marks Djukić as one of Europe’s most exciting emerging filmmakers.
A Powerful, Sensory Cinematic Experience
Little Trouble Girls is more than a coming-of-age film; it is a deeply perceptive exploration of desire, identity, and the often-overlooked complexities of adolescent girlhood. With its luminous cinematography, resonant performances, and evocative musical and visual textures, the film offers a rare combination of artistic sophistication and emotional immediacy.
As Slovenia’s official Oscar® entry and a standout of the international festival landscape, Little Trouble Girls stands poised to become one of the defining European films of the year—inviting audiences into a world where curiosity, transformation, and self-discovery meet with exquisite cinematic precision.
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