A Night of Film Under the Stars and Chopin's Music: Pianoforte at the SNG Nova Gorica Amphitheatre

The big screen will feature the documentary Pianoforte, directed by Jakub Piątek.

On Wednesday, 2 July 2025, at 21:00, the amphitheatre of the Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica will come to life for the first time as a venue for open-air cinema. The big screen will feature the documentary Pianoforte, directed by Jakub Piątek – a moving portrait of young pianists competing for the top prize at the renowned International Chopin Piano Competition.

Among the film’s protagonists is Alexander Gadjiev, a world-renowned piano virtuoso from the Goriška region. He also serves as a cultural ambassador of the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica – Gorizia.

The event is organized in cooperation with the Festival Prečkanja - Sconfinamenti, Zavod Kinoatelje, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, and the Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica, and is part of the official GO! 2025 programme.

Pianoforte (2023, 89 min) follows a diverse group of young musicians from around the world – participants in the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. Many of them have been preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity since early childhood.

Director Jakub Piątek offers viewers a rare, intimate glimpse behind the scenes of the competition, where euphoric highs alternate with painful lows. With a keen eye, he captures the relentless pressure these young pianists face – an experience filled with tears, exhaustion, despair, and the ecstatic joy of playing.

Pianoforte is both a tribute to the power of classical music and a sensitive coming-of-age portrait of young pianists navigating the demands of competition, intense rehearsals, new friendships, drama – and, of course, inevitable stage fright.