THROUGH THE BROKEN LENS | When an Event Becomes a Dialogue

July, 2026

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On 24 June in Poljčane, Slovenia, we did not look for simple answers. We created a space for difficult questions, different perspectives, and meaningful dialogue.

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Through the Broken Lens brought together documentary film, research, art, personal experience, and community. Through the documentary by Assist. Prof. Dr. Janja Mikulan, we entered the life stories of former fighters in Lebanon and explored questions of trauma, radicalisation, belonging, and the possibility of change.

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As part of the event, Janja Mikulan also presented the EU-GlobalAct Jean Monnet Module – EU as a Global Actor in a Fragmented and Traumatized World, highlighting its work on global challenges, trauma, radicalisation, community resilience, and the role of the European Union in responding to them.

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Jana Fak’s illustration THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT offered another perspective: a crack does not have to be only a place of rupture. It can also become a place from which we learn to see differently. And perhaps the most important part began when the film ended: the conversation. Together, we reflected on how easily people can be reduced to their actions, beliefs, or wounds—and how important it is to understand the experiences behind them. The evening also opened a broader discussion about culture, social management, wellbeing, resilience, and social regeneration.

Perhaps the future is bright not because it has no cracks, but because we can learn to look through them differently—and create something constructive together.

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The event was organised by the DANUBIA Institute in cooperation with the School of Advanced Social Studies (FUDŠ) and Živo Gnezdo, with the support of Luxus plus d.o.o. / SilverStore.

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