When I Get Out
| When I Get Out | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Slovene | Ko pridem ven |
| Directed by | Metod Pevec |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Metod Pevec |
| Edited by | Olga Michalik |
Production companies |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | Slovenia |
| Language | Slovene |
When I Get Out (Slovene: Ko pridem ven) is a 2025 Slovenian Documentary film co-written, and directed by Metod Pevec. The film documents its director and a psychiatrist inside the main prison in Dob, Slovenia, where inmates who had committed serious crimes spent a year and a half using psychodrama to revisit their childhood and prepare themselves for an uncertain life after release.[1]
The film had its premiere at the Festival of Slovenian Film on 25 October 2025 in Competition–Featured Documentary program,[2] where it won Vesna for best film according to the audience's choice award.[3]
It will hold its International Premiere at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival in August 2026, screening in the Competition Programme – Documentary Film 2026, and competing for the Heart of Sarajevo award.[4]
Summary
[edit]The director of the film Metod Pevec and a psychiatrist, Vladimir Milošević, visit Dob Prison in Slovenia. The director thinks the prison holds powerful untold stories, while the psychiatrist believes his psychodrama method can create a safe space for creativity, healing, and imagining a future beyond prison. The psychiatrist, offers a psychodrama workshop to help inmates understand themselves and think about life after release. Most of the men who join are serving long sentences for very serious crimes. He explains that through acting and role play, they will uncover hidden parts of themselves and form unexpected connections with other prisoners. The chosen inmates come from different prison units and mostly do not know each other. Their crimes vary widely—robbery, sexual offences, drug dealing, and murder. All carry heavy moral damage. Some genuinely regret their actions and want to change, while others remain closed off, insisting they were betrayed, judged unfairly, or wrongly convicted.
Cast
[edit]- Valon Hoxaj
- Nenad Mirović
- Denis Mihalič
- Matej Groznik
- Andrej Bagari
- Viktor Ermin Hilić
- Sandrijel Brezar
- Primož KosiLan Šabić
- Lan Šabić
- Vladimir Milošević
- Metod Pevec
Production
[edit]The film records a year and a half of work inside Dob, Slovenia’s main prison. The camera follows inmates, including men jailed for very serious crimes like armed robbery and murder. In group sessions, they talk openly about their lives—often for the first time without the usual masks or tough roles they used outside. The director carefully shows how complicated a criminal identity can be and how deeply its causes are rooted.[5]
Release
[edit]When I Get Out had its premiere at the Festival of Slovenian Film on 25 October 2025. Subsequently it was released on 3 April 2026 as part of the Our Films at Home project at Cankarjev dom.[6]
The film was also released in boutique distribution in Slovenian cinemas on 14 April 2026 at Cinema Bežigrad.[7]
It will have its International Premiere at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, where it competes for Heart of Sarajevo award in the Competition Programme – Documentary Film 2026 in August 2026.[8][9]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Festival of Slovenian Film | 26 October 2025 | Vesna for best documentary film | When I Get Out | Nominated | [10] |
| Vesna Audience Award | Won | ||||
| Sarajevo Film Festival | 21 August 2026 | Heart of Sarajevo | Pending | [11] | |
References
[edit]- ↑ "When I Get Out". Slovenian Film Centre. 22 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Ko pridem ven" [When I Get Out]. Festival of Slovenian Film (in Slovenian). 25 October 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Nagrade Vesna" [Vesna Awards]. Festival of Slovenian Film (in Slovenian). 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ Lodderhose, Diana (23 July 2026). "Sarajevo Film Festival Unveils Full Competition Lineup". Deadline. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Ko pridem ven – film, ki ne govori o zaporu, ampak o človeku v skrajnih okoliščinah" [When I Get Out – a film that is not about prison, but about a man in extreme circumstances]. MMC RTV Slovenia (in Slovenian). 3 April 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Ko pridem ven režiserja Metoda Pevca - nagrajeni dokumentarec iz zapora na Dobu prihaja" [When I Come Out by director Metod Pevec - the award-winning documentary from the Dob prison is coming to the big screen]. Slovenian Film Centre (in Slovenian). 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Za nami je premiera filma Ko pridem ven režiserja Metoda Pevca" [The premiere of the film "When I Go Out" directed by Metod Pevec is behind us.]. Slovenian Film Centre (in Slovenian). 7 April 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ Ellie Calnan (23 July 2026). "Sarajevo Film Festival unveils competition programmes with five world premieres". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ Stojiljković, Marko (23 July 2026). "51 films set to compete for the Heart of Sarajevo". Cineuropa. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ Stojiljković, Marko (28 October 2025). "Little Trouble Girls crowned at the Festival of Slovenian Film". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "32nd Sarajevo Film Festival: 51 films in competition for the Heart of Sarajevo awards". Sarajevo Film Festival. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.