Podcasts about Slovenia

The European Broadcasting Union held their Winter General Assembly with two consequential votes promised, and somehow, only one vote happened. We discuss the countries that are returning this year, the countries who have dropped out as a response to the vote, and what exactly happened with regards to this year's General Assembly.This week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/22ZrVhSGLJLYUqDzLxCF8SIsrael's delegation lobbying against expulsion: https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/rjx22d1mwgKnesset advances vote to privatize KAN: https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-next-threat-to-israel-at-eurovision-is-coming-from-inside-the-house/ The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O'Connell.Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at eurovangelists@gmail.com. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

This week, Mike and Laureen remember beloved Rabbi Gary Klein (z"l) and examine Hamas' refusal to honor a disarmament agreement. They unpack George Clooney's offhand comments about Amal Clooney's involvement in drafting the Muslim Brotherhood's constitution, an organization recently designated as a terrorist group in Florida and Texas. They cover major cultural flashpoints, including mainstream magazines boost of anti-Jewish messaging and Eurovision's rejection of an Israeli boycott that triggered the withdrawal of Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ireland. The hosts spotlight NYC Mayor Eric Adams' executive order barring BDS from city investments and his directive to strengthen protection for houses of worship. Barack Swatt previews CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin's interview with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's threat to seek his arrest under the ICC declaration if he visits New York. And British journalist Melanie Phillips explains why she believes the West has embraced the "Palestinian lie," eroding its moral clarity and weakening its defense of democratic values. The hosts wrap up with family-friendly animated films and binge-worthy streaming picks for Chanukah. Thank you for listening, sharing and subscribing to the Third Opinion Podcast!

In this episode, Phillis Levin reads "An Anthology of Rain," the title poem of her newest poetry collection. She guides us through the philosophical underpinnings of her poem, how it informs the book as a whole, and how the surfaces of things can tell us so much about their substance. Phillis Levin is the author of six poetry collections, including An Anthology of Rain (https://barrowstreet.org/press/product/an-anthology-of-rain-phillis-levin/). She is also the editor of The Penguin Book of the Sonnet: 500 Years of a Classic Tradition in English (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/333350/the-penguin-book-of-the-sonnet-by-various/). Levin's honors include a Fulbright Scholar Award to Slovenia, an Ingram Merrill Grant, the Richard Hugo Prize from Poetry Northwest, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Trust of Amy Lowell. To learn more about Phillis and her work, please visit her website. https://phillislevin.com Photo credit: Sigrid Estrada

This session will examine key considerations for leaders, senders, and international travelers/workers in the areas of duty of care, risk assessment, contingency planning, security, and common pitfalls ("lessons learned") in international mission work.

Slovenia’s foreign minister Tanja Fajon commended the Trump administration for working to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine but said that the continent’s leaders and Ukraine should get a better seat at the ceasefire negotiations. She joined Bloomberg's Joe Mathieu on Balance of Power.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But we've gone from being in the top seven, to 36th in GDP ranking, with countries like Czech Republic, Lithuania and Slovenia surpassing us. So what does this mean in reality? Do we need to adjust our thinking on where we actually sit in the world? Dr Greg Clydesdale is an author who has written several books on this subject, including 'Waves of Prosperity'.

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of. The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: Sigur Rós Join Björk in “No Music For Genocide”, Boycotting Israel“No Music For Genocide” was launched in September this year, and news of Iceland's Björk joining the boycott made headlines. This means that Sigur Rós music will not be available on streaming platforms in Israel, just like the music of Björk, Lorde, My Bloody Valentine and more.Björk Supports Calls For Iceland Boycotting EurovisionOver the weekend, Björk shared an interview with another local music legend and Eurovision fanboy no. 1, Páll Óskar, where he urged the National Broadcaster RÚV to not participate in Eurovision this year, after news broke that Israel would be allowed to participate in the competition next year, leading countries such as Spain, Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to announce they would not participate in the competition in 2026.Politics Gearing Up For Municipality Elections Next SpringA new poll shows that only 2% of the people of Reykjavík want the current mayor, Heiða Björk Hilmarsdóttir, to continue as mayor. Some names have been tossed around for the upcoming elections in Reykjavík, such as Aðalsteinn Leifsson, the former state negotiator, regional Chief-of-Police Úlfar Lúðvíksson, and Gísli Marteinn Baldursson, a veteran of city policies who has been hosting a popular TV show on the National Broadcaster RÚV for years now. Parties like the Center Party, are looking to gain seats in upcoming elections around all of Iceland, cashing in on their good poll numbers recently.Government's New Transportation Infrastructure Plan Announced To Little FanfareLast week Iceland's government announced a new plan for transportation infrastructure in Iceland. The minister responsible for the new transportation plan, Eyjólfur Ármannsson, got a lot of flack for not having read the report the plan is based on. People in the Eastfjords were unhappy, because the next road tunnel project is not planned for that region, an the city of Reykjavík complained that there are now plans to build up infrastructure around the City Airport, which------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SHOW SUPPORTSupport the Grapevine's reporting by becoming a member of our High Five Club: https://grapevine.is/high-five-club/Or donate to the Grapevine here:https://support.grapevine.isYou can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:https://shop.grapevine.is------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine's goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland's most read English-language publication. You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it's not sponsored content.www.grapevine.is

Last week, on Thursday 4 December, EBU members met for the organisation's scheduled General Assembly.At this meeting, Spanish broadcaster RTVE, along with seven other countries, called for a secret ballot on Israel's participation, passing the threshold of five members required for the vote to take place.However, the EBU chose to tie this vote to its proposed new rules for the contest, creating a false dichotomy: accept the new rules with no vote on participation, or reject the rules and carry out a vote on participation. This put broadcasters in an unfairly difficult position, as they could only hold a vote on Israel if they had already rejected the new rules, and they had no guarantee a motion on Israel's removal would pass, meaning a very real risk that they could reject the new rules and Israel stay in the contest, meaning that we'd be doomed to repeat the exact same scenario in 2026 as we've faced in the last two years.As a result, the new rules were approved and an Israeli delegation will be going to Vienna in 2026.It has since become apparent that this result was inevitable, as Roland Weißman, director-general of Austrian broadcaster ORF, went to Israel to assure president Isaac Herzog that he would do everything he could to keep Israel in the contest.And according to Israeli online newspaper Ynet, there was a months-long lobbying campaign carried out behind the scenes involving Herzog and many government advisors to secure Israel's continued presence in the contest - the contest that we keep being told is staunchly apolitical.The team here at Douze Points are saddened and disappointed by the EBU's handling of Israel's participation, and we believe their actions have brought the contest into disrepute.The EBU has acted in bad faith throughout: refusing to take action after Israel's manipulation of the televote in 2024, and then when it happened again in 2025, continuing to insist that the result was valid and legitimate.When finally forced into taking action by their members' protests, they promised a vote on Israel's participation in November of this year, only to cancel it and retable it for the General Assembly a month later, then disingenuously framing the vote in such a way as to stifle discussion.I have said before that I do not believe the proposed rule changes go far enough to prevent further attempts to manipulate the televote, nor do they hold Israel to account in any way for their attempts to fraudulently engineer a win in the last two contests. The original intent of the Eurovision Song Contest was the promotion of harmony and unity across a recently war-torn continent, celebrating the human desire to stand together and create music together even in our darkest moments.Unfortunately, the contest is now choosing to protect the interests of a country that is engaging in genocide: instead of championing the best aspects of humanity, it is encouraging the worst. By turning a blind eye to the horrific war crimes being carried out by Israel, the contest is complicit. But we don't have to be.Following the meeting, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all followed through on their promise to boycott the 2026 contest if Israel was participating.We stand with them.And that means, following this episode, Douze Points is taking an indefinite hiatus.Unless the EBU changes course, there will be no more episodes from us, because we simply cannot cover the contest the way we would like to without being morally compromised.Ultimately this was an easy decision to make, but it's also been a hard decision: this is not the ending I envisaged for this podcast, and I wish it didn't have to happen like this. I've loved creating this podcast, researching the history of the show, getting guests on who love the contest as much as I do to share their thoughts, reactions and...

Last week, on Thursday 4 December, EBU members met for the organisation's scheduled General Assembly.At this meeting, Spanish broadcaster RTVE, along with seven other countries, called for a secret ballot on Israel's participation, passing the threshold of five members required for the vote to take place.However, the EBU chose to tie this vote to its proposed new rules for the contest, creating a false dichotomy: accept the new rules with no vote on participation, or reject the rules and carry out a vote on participation. This put broadcasters in an unfairly difficult position, as they could only hold a vote on Israel if they had already rejected the new rules, and they had no guarantee a motion on Israel's removal would pass, meaning a very real risk that they could reject the new rules and Israel stay in the contest, meaning that we'd be doomed to repeat the exact same scenario in 2026 as we've faced in the last two years.As a result, the new rules were approved and an Israeli delegation will be going to Vienna in 2026.It has since become apparent that this result was inevitable, as Roland Weißman, director-general of Austrian broadcaster ORF, went to Israel to assure president Isaac Herzog that he would do everything he could to keep Israel in the contest.And according to Israeli online newspaper Ynet, there was a months-long lobbying campaign carried out behind the scenes involving Herzog and many government advisors to secure Israel's continued presence in the contest - the contest that we keep being told is staunchly apolitical.The team here at Douze Points are saddened and disappointed by the EBU's handling of Israel's participation, and we believe their actions have brought the contest into disrepute.The EBU has acted in bad faith throughout: refusing to take action after Israel's manipulation of the televote in 2024, and then when it happened again in 2025, continuing to insist that the result was valid and legitimate.When finally forced into taking action by their members' protests, they promised a vote on Israel's participation in November of this year, only to cancel it and retable it for the General Assembly a month later, then disingenuously framing the vote in such a way as to stifle discussion.I have said before that I do not believe the proposed rule changes go far enough to prevent further attempts to manipulate the televote, nor do they hold Israel to account in any way for their attempts to fraudulently engineer a win in the last two contests. The original intent of the Eurovision Song Contest was the promotion of harmony and unity across a recently war-torn continent, celebrating the human desire to stand together and create music together even in our darkest moments.Unfortunately, the contest is now choosing to protect the interests of a country that is engaging in genocide: instead of championing the best aspects of humanity, it is encouraging the worst. By turning a blind eye to the horrific war crimes being carried out by Israel, the contest is complicit. But we don't have to be.Following the meeting, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all followed through on their promise to boycott the 2026 contest if Israel was participating.We stand with them.And that means, following this episode, Douze Points is taking an indefinite hiatus.Unless the EBU changes course, there will be no more episodes from us, because we simply cannot cover the contest the way we would like to without being morally compromised.Ultimately this was an easy decision to make, but it's also been a hard decision: this is not the ending I envisaged for this podcast, and I wish it didn't have to happen like this. I've loved creating this podcast, researching the history of the show, getting guests on who love the contest as much as I do to share their thoughts, reactions and...

Today, Laura and Paddy are joined by TV critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan to discuss the future of the entertainment industry after Netflix agreed to buy the film and streaming businesses of Warner Bros Discovery for $72 billion. But with regulators and rivals still waiting in the wings, it might just be the start of the saga.And one of the biggest controversies in Eurovision history has been in the news. Four countries (Spain, Netherlands, Slovenia and Ireland) have pulled out over Israel's continued participation in the competition. Remaining countries have until next week to confirm whether they will participate but it raises some difficult questions for the BBC amidst petitions for the them to boycott too.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXdNewscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell It was made by Rufus Gray with Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The social producer was Darren Dutton. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The Eurovision Song Contest has been thrown into turmoil after four nations said they would boycott next year's event. Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia had wanted Israel to be excluded because of the war in Gaza, but a meeting of the European Broadcasting Union said it could take part. Other countries, including Germany, had threatened to walk out if Israel could not participate. Also: A prominent Palestinian militia leader and Hamas opponent has been killed in Gaza. The US military says it conducted another deadly strike on a boat suspected of carrying illegal narcotics as questions mount over the legality of previous attacks. Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo sign a peace deal in Washington. A British inquiry has found that Vladimir Putin bears "moral responsibility" for the poisoning of a woman in England with the nerve agent Novichok in 2018. And how a volcanic eruption may have helped spread the Black Death in the 1300s.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Jack Horgan-Jones and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· Ireland, along with Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands, will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest in protest of Israel's participation. RTÉ said in a statement on Thursday that it would be “unconscionable” for Ireland to partake in the event given the “appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there”.· Far more contentious was the proposal to rename Rathgar's Herzog Park in south Dublin. Named in honour of Belfast-born Chaim Herzog, Israel's president from 1983 to 1993, who spent his early childhood in Dublin. Perhaps including the Irish-Jewish community in the process might have dampened a lot of the controversy that has erupted this week.· Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was in Ireland this week, but it was drones more than diplomatic ties that made the headlines. It exposed the gaps in our national security, especially with Ireland holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from next July, when a lot of state leaders will be visiting these shores.· And will the Government's new infrastructure plan to accelerate the delivery of vital projects bear fruit before the next general election? Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:· Patrick Freyne's continuing vendetta against Kevin the Carrot, a row over state pensions could destabilise Germany's new coalition, and the sudden death of ‘low-key national treasure' Hugh Wallace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pensions continue to be an ongoing source of political instability in Germany and France, we unpack why. Then: Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia will boycott Eurovision 2026 over Israel's participation. Plus: we meet Anna Nash, president of Explora Journeys, at ILTM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia is facing dangerous heat and fire conditions as a broad heatwave spreads across the country; The FBI has arrested a man, charging him with planting two pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol the night before the January 6, 2021, attack; Israel has been cleared to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia to withdraw; Actress Halle Berry has spoken out on women’s health, criticising California Governor Gavin Newsom for rejecting related legislation; Pantone’s 2026 Colour of the Year has the internet shook. Support independent women's media CREDITS Host/Producer: Tahli Blackman Audio Production: Lu HillBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Europe's largest cultural event is once again confronting the tension between entertainment and geopolitics. After the European Broadcasting Union formally confirmed Israel's eligibility for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, four countries - Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia - immediately withdrew. Their walkout has triggered one of the most serious disputes in the contest's modern history, raising questions about neutrality, artistic expression and how far Eurovision can distance itself from real-world conflicts.

Rapporto Censis sulla situazione sociale del paese: i punti salienti con Giorgio De Rita (nella foto), Segretario generale Censis. Putin fa visita al premier indiano Modi: sul tavolo petrolio e armi. Ci colleghiamo con Marco Masciaga, corrispondente de Il Sole 24 Ore da New Dehli. In cima alla classifica delle buone notizie della settimana la ricomparsa (e crescita) del corallo arancione sui fondali di Bagnoli. Il tutto nel quadro dei lavori di risanamento dell'area, iniziati nelle scorse settimane, in vista dell'America's Cup del 2027. Con noi Gaetano Manfredi, Sindaco di Napoli e Commissario Straordinario per la bonifica e la rigenerazione dell'area di Bagnoli-Coroglio. Eurovision 2026: l'ammissione di Israele scatena il boicottaggio di Spagna, Paesi Bassi, Slovenia e Irlanda. Ci spiega tutto la nostra Marta Cagnola.

1) Giornata mondiale del suolo: l'ecocidio di Gaza. La terra della striscia è sommersa da 61 milioni di tonnellate di macerie e in due anni la quasi totalità delle coltivazioni è stata distrutta. (Alice Franchi) 2) Anche la musica è politica. Spagna, Irlanda, Slovenia e Paesi Bassi si ritirano dall'Eurovision per protestare contro la partecipazione di Israele al contest musicale. (Giulio Maria Piantedosi) 3) “Per affrontare il futuro abbiamo bisogno della giustizia”. Reportage dalla Siria che, a un anno dalla caduta del regime di Assad, prova a guardare avanti. (Emanuele Valenti) 4) Germania, generazione disarmata. Mentre il governo approva la riforma sulla leva militare, gli studenti di tutto il paese scendono in piazza contro la militarizzazione. (Alessandro Ricci) 5) Regno Unito, nel tentativo di tagliare la spesa sociale, il ministro della salute vuole diminuire le diagnosi le diagnosi dei problemi di salute mentale e di disturbi ADHD. (Elena Siniscalco) 6) Mondialità. L'America Latina tra la Cina e la politica del “cortile di casa” degli Stati Uniti. (Alfredo Somoza)

Broadcasters in Ireland, The Netherlands, Slovenia and in Spain announced that they would neither show nor take part in next year's competition, due to be held in Vienna. Members of the European Broadcasting Union, which organises the contest, had earlier decided not to hold a vote on barring Israel from competing. Also on the programme: Vladimir Putin is feted by Narendra Modi on his visit to India; and we hear what the late Steve Cropper, legendary session guitarist, taught Otis Reading.(Picture: Israeli entrant Yuval Raphael ahead of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 14, 2025 Credit: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

President Putin has arrived in India for talks expected to focus on trade and expanding defence ties. India, like China, has been a big purchaser of Russian oil and has been accused by the West of financing the war. We hear from Russia and oil industry experts.Also, why scam centres in Myanmar have attracted the attention of both government forces and insurgent groups.And what next for Eurovision? Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia boycott the song contest after Israel is allowed to compete. We find out this means for the future of the competition.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.Picture: Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India, New Delhi - 04 Dec 2025

Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands have all said they won't send acts to the Eurovision Song Contest next May in protest at Israel's participation. There have been calls for Israel to be excluded because of the war in Gaza, but members of the European Broadcasting Union, which organises the contest, rejected a push for a vote on the issue. Also on the programme: an Inquiry finds the Russian President Vladimir Putin "morally responsible" for the death by poisoning of Dawn Sturgess in Salisbury; and we remember Steve Cropper, the legendary guitarist who's died at the age of 84.

Radio International - The Ultimate Eurovision Experience is broadcast from Malta's Radio 105FM on Tuesday evenings from 2100 - 0059 hours CET. The show is broadcast live on Wednesday evenings from 1900 - 2300 hours CET on the Eurovision Radio International Mixcloud Channel as well as on the Facebook Page of Eurovision Radio International with an interactive chatroom.             AT A GLANCE - ON THE SHOW THIS WEEK  Interview with Cesar Sampson (Austria 2018) done at the Eurovision Club Germany's Convention 2025  The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 National Final Season The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 - Review and Preview (Part 3) Eurovision Spotlight: Austria's History at the Eurovision Song Contest  with Dermot Manning Eurovision News with Dermott Manning in for Nick van Lith from www.escXtra.com Eurovision Birthday File with David Mann Eurovision Cover Spot with David Mann Eurovision Calendar with Javier Leal  National Final Update for Junior and Eurovision Song Contest with Alain Forotti  New Music Releases by Eurovision Artists  Your music requests    Cesar Sampson (Austria 2018) at EC Germany Convention 2025 Interview with Cesar Sampson (Austria 2018):  At the Eurovision Club Germany's annual convention on 22 Nov 2025 in Cologne, Germany four great Eurovision performers where invited to perform in front of an international crowd of Eurovision Fans. Radio International's JP, Marc and Salman were on location in Cologne and conduction interviews with the below artists which you will be able to listen to on the show during the upcoming weeks. Last week on Radio International we heard already the interview with Laura Thorn who represented Luxembourg at the eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "La poupée monte le son" coming 22nd in the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Another artist from the Eurovision 2025 was Klemen who represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "How much time do we have left" sadly not making it out of his Semi Final.  Then from the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, Jonatan Cerrada represented, as a Belgian, France at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "A chaque pas" coming 15th.   And Cesar Sampson represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018 coming third with "Nobody but you".    This week on Radio International enjoy the interview and a catch-up with Cesar Sampson from Austria. The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025: The 23rd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on Saturday 13 Dec 2025 from the Gymnastic Hall of the Olympic City in Tblisi in Georgia with young artists from 18 countries taking part. In the running order: Malta, Azerbaijan, Croatia, San Marino, Armenia, Ukraine, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Georgia, Cyprus, France and Albania.  Returning countries are Azerbaijan, Croatia and Montenegro while Estonia and Germany are taking a break. The Hosts of the show are David Aladashvili and Liza Tsiklauri. The show starts at 1700 hours CET. Last year's Winner was Georgia's Andria Putkaradze who won with the song "To my mom".  Radio International will be introducing the songs to the listeners over the next weeks until the week on the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025. But also there will some highlights from past editions of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.    The Home Composed Song Contest 2025 - We have a Winner:  Congratulations go to ConstantX who won the 34th edition of the the Home Composed Song Contest 2025 with the song "Summer Drifting". For the details visit the website of the Home Composed Song Contest - click here The Home Composed Song Contest is in its 34th year, this is a competition for Eurovision fans who write, perform and produce their own music, who enter their own original song composition (audio only) and then also take part as a jury, to help choose the winning song. This year there are 24 songs from 12 different countries, and you can listen to the songs, and read the lyrics and bios on the official website - click here   Watch the Grand Final Show on the contest's YouTube Channel. Click here to watch the Grand Final.           The Eurovision Spotlight - The history of Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest:  It is Autumn 2025 it also time for the traditional look at the next host country's Eurovision Song Contest entries. JJ won Eurovision 2025 and with that Austria will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in the Wiener Stadthalle on 12 and 14 May 2026 for the two Semi Finals and the Grand Finale to take place on Saturday, 16 May 2026. Over the next weeks and before the National Final Season for 2026, Radio International's team members will be reviewing all the Eurovision entries from Austria. Dermot Manning will be continuing series of the Eurovision Spotlight looking at the history of Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest. Eurovision News, New Song Releases, Birthday File, Coverspot, Eurovision Calendar:Also JP will be joined by David Mann for the Eurovision Birthday File and Eurovision Coverspot.  Javier stands in for Nick and will be presenting the Eurovision News courtesy of escXtra.com. There will be a lot of the great new releases of Eurovision artists on the show as well as great Eurovision Classics. Javier will be updating us on the upcoming Eurovision events in the Eurovision Calendar and Alain Forotti gives us already some updates of the National Finals regarding the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 and the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 and and....   For full details of this week's Show Content and Play List - click here

This week Hannah is feeling the randy effects of her Vitamin D pearls and the tarot suggests cooling it off. Big S put her heels on in the pissing rain and the huns are brewing a gorgey Creep of the Week special!!! This is a truly international one.  We love your tales so keep sending them in - let's kick off with the stories: 1) Big S has a tale from Niklas - a haunted baroque Danish manor to get us in the Christmassy mood. Huge apols for the Danish Dutch conundrum.  2) Hannah has a super wholesome story about a ghost DOGGY called Hannah - sent in from Trudy in Arkansas.  -interlude where Hannah podcasts alone and becomes devilish- 3) Suzie takes us to Slovenia for the last story - ever heard of TABLE TIPPING? This is seriously spooky. Thank you Anita - we've gone full googey translate too.  P.S. WE DID OUR OWN TABLE TIPPING AND IT GENUINELY MOVED. WANNA SEE? Head to Patreon... Finally we end with ZENNER CARDS and try an ACTUAL telepathy experiment. Apologies it's next to impossible to play along - we will do better next time.  ENJOY HUNSSSSSSS xoxoxoxox  JOIN OUR PATREON! EXTRA bonus episodes AND a monthly ghost hunt for just £4.50!  Or £6 for AD-FREE EPS and weekly AGONY HUNS! We'll solve your problems huns!  Sign up here: www.patreon.com/GhostHuns Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sedanjost in prihodnost digitalnih produktov by Start:up Slovenia

What can we learn from Slovenia's rejection of assisted dying? Can politicians admit their weaknesses? And have pedigree dogs had their day? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Felicity Capon, Jamie Timson and Arion McNicollImage credit: Jens Buttner/ AFP / Getty Images

In this conversation, Ben Reiman interviews Olga Serbo, a board-certified behaviour analyst, about her journey into the field of behaviour analysis and her experiences working with children on the autism spectrum. Olga shares her insights on cultural differences in perceptions of autism between Moldova and the U.S., the challenges families face in seeking support, and her efforts to improve ABA services in Moldova through education and community building. The discussion highlights the importance of acceptance, understanding, and advocacy for individuals with autism and their families. Watch on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LjGd0DCHrzNMXptOrGU1L?si=I0lGEendSWGzgGOBg8ed3Q Continuing Education Credits (https://www.cbiconsultants.com/shop) BACB: 1.0 Ethics IBAO:  1.0  Cultural QABA: 1.0  General CBA:    1.0  Cultural Diversity  Follow us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behaviourspeak/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/behaviourspeak/ Contact: https://autismfamilia.ro/despre/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fgvqlOXJTVSvwZygwEiIA/videos https://autismadvance.com/ Related Behaviour Speak Episodes Episode 234 Behaviour Analysis in Croatia and Montenegro with Rea Vuksan https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-234-behaviour-analysis-in-croatia-montenegro-with-rea-vuksan-mads-scid-bcba-iba/ Episode 229 Behaviour Analysis in Kyrgyzstan with Dr. Anastasiia Iun https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-229-behavior-analysis-in-kyrgyzstan-with-dr-anastasiia-iun/ Episode 216 Behavior Analysis in Slovenia with Maja Simnjanovski https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-216-behavior-analysis-in-slovenia-with-maja-simnjanovski/ Episode 191: Behaviour Analysis in Belarus with Анна Калиновская, M.A., BCBA, IBA (Hanna Kalinouskaya) https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-191-behaviour-analysis-in-belarus-with-hannakalinouskaya-bcba-iba/ Episode 184: Behavior Analysis in Ukraine with Alla Moskalets https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-184-behavior-analysis-in-ukraine-with-alla-moskalets/ Episode 175 Autism in Serbia with Dr. Marija Čolić https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-175-autism-in-serbia-with-dr-marija-colic/ Episode 38: What We Can Do About Stigma and Racism Using Behaviour Science with Dr. Marija Čolić https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-38-what-we-can-do-about-stigma-and-racism-using-behaviour-science-with-dr-marija-colic-phd-bcba-d/

It hasn't been a Good Week for the climate since, er, 1820-something? And it wasn't last week, either. But it is a good week for The Europeans, because we're joined by Luisa Neubauer, one of Germany's best-known climate activists. Luisa recently wrote a terrific piece for The Economist about Europe's climate “vibe shift”. We got her insights on what has caused the greenlash and what we ought to be doing about it. It's a thoughtful, self-reflective, heartening conversation we think you'll enjoy.    We're also talking about Brussels' proposed “military Schengen” agreement, which would allow EU member states to move troops and equipment across borders relatively swiftly. (You don't want to know how sluggish things are now.) And we're taking a look at Slovenia's troubling new “Šutar Law”, a security bill that is widely understood to target the Roma minority.   In other news… The Europeans are launching a newsletter! If you want to hear more about what happened in Europe over the past week and find out what we left on the podcast-cutting-room floor, subscribe to GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK over on Substack. New issues hit inboxes on Friday mornings.   And someone else has a new newsletter, too. Our very own Katy Lee has just published the first issue of Millefeuille, an English-language newsletter “for Parisians who are bad at local news”. If you fall in the middle of the Europeans podcast–Francophile Venn diagram, subscribe here.   This week's Inspiration Station recommendations are two newly resurfaced works by Johann Sebastian Bach (here and here) and Carlo Rovelli's book about the physics of time, The Order of Time.  And if you, too, are in the market for a novella to help you knock out your 2025 reading goals, Dominic likes Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These.    Other resources for this episode:   “The surreal 45-day trek at the heart of Nato's defence” - Financial Times, 17 November, 2025  “Commission moves towards ‘Military Schengen' and transformation of defence industry” - European Commission press release, 19 November, 2025  “Why you probably should not re-gauge railways in Europe” - Jon Worth, 30 September, 2025 “Slovenia's ‘Šutar Law' Sets a Dangerous Precedent for Europe” - Roma Foundation for Europe, 18 November, 2025 “Romani Activists Fear Collective Punishment & Discrimination as Slovenia Passes New Security Bill" - European Roma Rights Centre, 7 November, 2025   This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it's contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number. Produced by Morgan Childs  Editorial support from Katz Laszlo Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina   YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Phil Rockhauser is a bowyer based in southern Austria in Millstatter See, a beautiful rural lake. On clear days his cozy workshop offers views of the mountains of Slovenia and Italy. He is the author of two books on bow building, both entitled Bogenbau. He learned much of his craft from his mentor, Micha Wolf, including the benefit of carving planes and angles in the bow build process. Please enjoy this episode of Project Quiver on Salish Wolf with Phil Rockhauser. Episode Links: https://www.instagram.com/rockhauser_archery/Project Quiver at Anchor Point ExpeditionsSummary:In this conversation, Todd and Phil explore the journey of bow carving, discussing Phil's beginnings in the craft, the importance of mentorship, and the therapeutic nature of working with wood. They delve into the various types of wood used in bow making, the techniques involved, and the significance of sharing knowledge within the bowyer community. Phil reflects on his passion for bow carving as a hobby rather than a profession, emphasizing the joy it brings to his life and the lessons learned along the way. The conversation also touches on personal interests, family life, and future aspirations in the craft.Show Notes:Phil started bow carving 13-14 years ago.Bow carving has taught Phil patience.The therapeutic nature of bow carving is significant.Phil prefers bow carving as a hobby rather than a profession.Osage wood is Phil's favorite for bow making.Phil emphasizes the importance of mentorship in bow carving.He enjoys sharing knowledge with others about bow making.The beauty of the Austrian landscape inspires Phil's work.Phil's children are encouraged to explore their interests in the workshop.Future projects include improving skills in composite bow making.Chapters:00:00 Introduction and Snowboarding Adventures02:42 The Journey into Bow Carving05:33 Learning and Mentorship in Bow Making08:18 The Connection to Nature and Craftsmanship11:16 Balancing Passion and Profession13:58 The Therapeutic Aspects of Bow Carving16:42 Exploring Wood Types and Bow Styles19:25 Innovative Techniques in Bow Carving22:09 The Art of Bow Design and Aesthetics26:15 The Journey of Bow Making Books28:46 Reflections on Bow Making Experience31:39 Teaching and Sharing Knowledge33:43 Influences and Inspirations in Bow Making35:45 Tools of the Trade37:53 Unique Woods and Sourcing Materials39:20 The Art of Bow Making41:06 Balancing Hobbies and Family Life44:41 Future Aspirations in Bow Making49:14 Connecting with the Community

Ursa As is a passionate homesteader, regenerative gardener, and self-taught herbalist. She is based in South East Queensland and runs the Australian Regenerative Homestead, as well as an Instagram platform called homegrowing_family, which has over 95,000 followers. She shares her journey of growing and crafting her own herbal remedies, especially medicinal honeys. Blending traditional wisdom she learnt from her grandmother in Slovenia, with the new discoveries of her subtropical climate, Ursa inspires others to 'get on with it' and try new recipes to enjoy the healing power of simple, everyday herbs through fermentation. Her grounded approach to homesteading celebrates the seasons and everyday practicality of making the most of homegrown abundance and reducing waste.      CONNECT:https://www.instagram.com/homegrowing_family/ ** TONIELLE'S PERSONAL OFFERINGS **Earth Mumma Permaculture. A Place for Earth Carers to Get Skilled in Sustainability. We're here to activate people & places with edible landscapes, regenerative living practices & abundance thinking. Design your life to thrive. Are you ready to connect, nourish & grow?Find her here:⁠⁠⁠⁠ linktr.ee/lovingearthmumma⁠⁠*BUY ME A CUPPA*If you liked the episode and want more, a cuppa fuels my work and time. Each episode is produced by our volunteer team of presenters and given for free! So please send us some love by leaving a comment and a few dollars via the link in the podcast description for ⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/theeldertree⁠⁠. Thank you!**THE ELDER TREE TROVE PATREON COMMUNITY**You can join our Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and gain a deeper connection to our podcast. Pay only $2 per week to have access to bonus and often exclusive resources and opportunities- plus support the Elder tree at the same time!To find out more about The Elder Tree visit the website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theeldertree.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and donate to the crowdfunding campaign ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.You can also follow The Elder Tree on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Find out more about this podcast and the presenters ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get in touch with The Elder Tree at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@theeldertree.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The intro and outro song is "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sing for the Earth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" and was kindly donated by Chad Wilkins.  You can find Chad's music ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, operating a global delivery centre in Ireland, has extended its long-standing partnership with ALDI SOUTH - a leading international retailer- to manage their infrastructure and application services and improve stability and IT operations efficiency. This comprehensive, multi-national agreement further solidifies TCS's position as ALDI SOUTH's trusted partner, supporting the retailer's core values of simplicity, consistency and responsibility. The partnership encompasses ALDI SOUTH's operations across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland, the United States and Australia. TCS will deploy its AI-enabled Cloud Operations Solution and advanced digital services to stabilise, modernise, and optimise ALDI SOUTH's IT infrastructure, enhance cyber resilience, accelerate automation and boost operational efficiency. Leveraging TCS' extensive experience in the retail sector, this partnership will reduce costs and complexity while supporting ALDI SOUTH's commitment to delivering reliable, value-driven customer experiences globally. This partnership is built on a shared focus on service excellence, seamless integration of legacy and modern systems, and dedication to innovation and sustainable growth in the retail industry. Building on years of successful collaboration between both organisations, this renewed partnership positions TCS as a key enabler in ALDI SOUTH's digital advancement by supporting automation, stability, and faster time to market. Together, the two organisations are modernising core systems, strengthening operational resilience, and laying the groundwork for adaptive, future-ready retail operations across ALDI SOUTH's global markets. Daniel Koch, International Technology Officer, ALDI DX, said, "We are pleased to extend our collaboration with TCS to accelerate our digital transformation. Together, we will modernise infrastructure, drive automation, and deliver improved outcomes for our business and customers worldwide. This partnership ensures that ALDI SOUTH is well positioned to respond with agility to the evolving demands of global retail." Abhijit Niyogi, VP and Business Unit Head, Retail - UK, EMEA and India, TCS, said, "This expanded collaboration is a testament to the trust ALDI SOUTH places in TCS to deliver at scale. By leveraging our deep retail expertise along with advanced cloud, automation, and AI capabilities, we will simplify and modernise ALDI SOUTH's technology landscape, strengthen operational efficiency, and enable them to respond with agility to evolving market demands. Together, we are building a future-ready, customer-centric model of retail that creates lasting business value across global markets." TCS has been operating in Ireland since 2001 and today employs over 1,100 people across it Dublin, Letterkenny and other regional locations. The company is recognised as one of the largest employers in the Northwest region. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Radio International - The Ultimate Eurovision Experience is broadcast from Malta's Radio 105FM on Tuesday evenings from 2100 - 0059 hours CET. The show is broadcast live on Wednesday evenings from 1900 - 2300 hours CET on the Eurovision Radio International Mixcloud Channel as well as on the Facebook Page of Eurovision Radio International with an interactive chatroom.           AT A GLANCE - ON THE SHOW THIS WEEK  Interview with Laura Thorn (Luxembourg 2025) done at the Eurovision Club Germany's Convention 2025  The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 National Final Season The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 - Review and Preview (Part 2) Eurovision Spotlight: Austria's History at the Eurovision Song Contest  with Eurovision Lordship Marcus Keppel-Palmer Eurovision News with Nick van Lith from www.escXtra.com Eurovision Birthday File with David Mann Eurovision Cover Spot with David Mann Eurovision Calendar with Javier Leal  National Final Update for Junior and Eurovision Song Contest with Alain Forotti  New Music Releases by Eurovision Artists  Your music requests  Laura Thorn (Luxmebourg 2025) at  EC Germany's Convention 2025 in Cologne, Germany   Interview with Laura Thorn (Luxembourg 2025):  At the Eurovision Club Germany's annual convention on 22 Nov 2025 in Cologne, Germany four great Eurovision performers where invited to perform in front of an international crowd of Eurovision Fans.  Cesar Sampson represented Austria in 2018 coming third with "Nobody but you".  Then from the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, Jonatan Cerrada represented, as a Belgian, France at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "A chaque pas" coming 15th.   Klemen represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "How much time do we have left" sadly not making it out of his Semi Final.  Luxembourg was represented by Laura Thorn at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, the second year in the new ages, since Luxembourg was absent since 1994 and returned to Eurovision in 2024. Laura won the National Final of the Luxembourg Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "La poupée monte le son" coming 22nd in the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Enjoy the interview and a catch up how Laura experienced the contest from her point of view.  The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025: The 23rd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on Saturday 13 Dec 2025 from the Olympic Palace in Tblisi in Georgia with young artists from 18 countries taking part. In the running order: Malta, Azerbaijan, Croatia, San Marino, Armenia, Ukraine, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Georgia, Cyprus, France and Albania.  Returning countries are Azerbaijan, Croatia and Montenegro while Estonia and Germany are taking a break. The Hosts of the show are David Aladashvili and Liza Tsiklauri. The show starts at 1700 hours CET. Last year's Winner was Georgia's Andria Putkaradze who won with the song "To my mom".  Radio International will be introducing the songs to the listeners over the next weeks until the week on the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025. But also there will some highlights from past editions of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.    The Home Composed Song Contest 2025 - The Grand Final Results Show on 29 Nov 2025: The annual music competition for non-professional musicians takes place again and is already in full swing. The public and jury have the opportunity to cast their votes as well. Visit the website of the Home Composed Song Contest 2025 - click here The Home Composed Song Contest is in its 34th year, this is a competition for Eurovision fans who write, perform and produce their own music, who enter their own original song composition (audio only) and then also take part as a jury, to help choose the winning song. This year there are 24 songs from 12 different countries, and you can listen to the songs, and read the lyrics and bios on the official website - click here The Radio International Team once again forms one Jury and you will be able to hear the songs also on thre next three edition sof Radio International. Well done to all participants and may the best entry win. Last week Radio International introduced the first eight of the 24 songs of the Home Composed Song Contest 2025. This week listen to the third and final segment of eight songs from the contest. The results will be published on 29 Nov 2025, 2100 hours CET during the Grand Final Show on the contest's YouTube Channel. Click here to watch the Grand Final.           The Eurovision Spotlight - The history of Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest:  It is Autumn 2025 it also time for the traditional look at the next host country's Eurovision Song Contest entries. JJ won Eurovision 2025 and with that Austria will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in the Wiener Stadthalle on 12 and 14 May 2026 for the two Semi Finals and the Grand Finale to take place on Saturday, 16 May 2026. Over the next weeks and before the National Final Season for 2026, Radio International's team members will be reviewing all the Eurovision entries from Austria. Ross Bennett will be continuing series of the Eurovision Spotlight looking at the history of Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest.   Eurovision News, New Song Releases, Birthday File, Coverspot, Eurovision Calendar:Also JP will be joined by David Mann for the Eurovision Birthday File and Eurovision Coverspot.  Javier stands in for Nick and will be presenting the Eurovision News courtesy of escXtra.com. There will be a lot of the great new releases of Eurovision artists on the show as well as great Eurovision Classics. Javier will be updating us on the upcoming Eurovision events in the Eurovision Calendar and Alain Forotti gives us already some updates of the National Finals regarding the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 and the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 and and....   For full details of this week's Show Content and Play List - click here

World news in 7 minutes. Tuesday 25th November 2025.Today: Switzerland Ukraine talks. Slovenia assisted dying. Cameroon opposition. South Africa Ukraine trick. US Venezuela terrorist. Jamaica Jimmy Cliff. South Korea Vigilantes. Pakistan suicide bombers. Japan Ukrainian sumo.SEND7 is supported by our amazing listeners like you.Our supporters get access to the transcripts and vocabulary list written by us every day.Our supporters get access to an English worksheet made by us once per week.Our supporters get access to our weekly news quiz made by us once per week.We give 10% of our profit to Effective Altruism charities.You can become a supporter at send7.org/supportContact us at podcast@send7.org or send an audio message at speakpipe.com/send7Please leave a rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify.We don't use AI! Every word is written and recorded by us!Since 2020, SEND7 (Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes) has been telling the most important world news stories in intermediate English. Every day, listen to the most important stories from every part of the world in slow, clear English. Whether you are an intermediate learner trying to improve your advanced, technical and business English, or if you are a native speaker who just wants to hear a summary of world news as fast as possible, join Stephen Devincenzi, Juliet Martin and Niall Moore every morning. Transcripts, vocabulary lists, worksheets and our weekly world news quiz are available for our amazing supporters at send7.org. Simple English News Daily is the perfect way to start your day, by practising your listening skills and understanding complicated daily news in a simple way. It is also highly valuable for IELTS and TOEFL students. Students, teachers, TEFL teachers, and people with English as a second language, tell us that they use SEND7 because they can learn English through hard topics, but simple grammar. We believe that the best way to improve your spoken English is to immerse yourself in real-life content, such as what our podcast provides. SEND7 covers all news including politics, business, natural events and human rights. Whether it is happening in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas or Oceania, you will hear it on SEND7, and you will understand it.Get your daily news and improve your English listening in the time it takes to make a coffee.For more information visit send7.org/contact or send an email to podcast@send7.org

Jason is joined this week by Fatima Gunning to discuss the US State Department's announcement that mass migration is an "existential threat" to Western civilisation, as well as Slovenia's rejection of assisted suicide and the ongoing Christian persecution in Nigeria.

World news in 7 minutes. Monday 24th November 2025Today : Europe Ukraine counter-proposal. UK Reform jail. Slovenia euthanasia. Nigeria kidnappings. South Africa G20. Vietnam floods. Israel Lebanon hit. Brazil Bolsonaro arrest. US RFK CDC. Shakira the ancient turtle.SEND7 is supported by our amazing listeners like you.Our supporters get access to the transcripts and vocabulary list written by us every day.Our supporters get access to an English worksheet made by us once per week.Our supporters get access to our weekly news quiz made by us once per week.We give 10% of our profit to Effective Altruism charities. You can become a supporter at send7.org/supportContact us at podcast@send7.org or send an audio message at speakpipe.com/send7Please leave a rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify.We don't use AI! Every word is written and recorded by us!Since 2020, SEND7 (Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes) has been telling the most important world news stories in intermediate English. Every day, listen to the most important stories from every part of the world in slow, clear English. Whether you are an intermediate learner trying to improve your advanced, technical and business English, or if you are a native speaker who just wants to hear a summary of world news as fast as possible, join Stephen Devincenzi, Juliet Martin and Niall Moore every morning. Transcripts, vocabulary lists, worksheets and our weekly world news quiz are available for our amazing supporters at send7.org. Simple English News Daily is the perfect way to start your day, by practising your listening skills and understanding complicated daily news in a simple way. It is also highly valuable for IELTS and TOEFL students. Students, teachers, TEFL teachers, and people with English as a second language, tell us that they use SEND7 because they can learn English through hard topics, but simple grammar. We believe that the best way to improve your spoken English is to immerse yourself in real-life content, such as what our podcast provides. SEND7 covers all news including politics, business, natural events and human rights. Whether it is happening in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas or Oceania, you will hear it on SEND7, and you will understand it.Get your daily news and improve your English listening in the time it takes to make a coffee.For more information visit send7.org/contact or send an email to podcast@send7.org

Part 1 - In this episode of Legends of the Brand, host Phil Gordon sits down with Luka Grilc, General Manager of the Alpine Business Unit at Nordica and Tecnica Group, to explore the human side of one of skiing's most iconic brands. From his early days snowboarding and racing in Slovenia to leading global teams across Nordica, Blizzard, Tecnica, and more, Luka shares the journey, mindset, and emotion behind creating products that define the skiing experience.Discover how Nordica continues to evolve after 85 years — balancing heritage and innovation, honoring its racing roots while leading new design trends like the hands-free HF ski boot, and fostering a global community of passionate skiers known as “Nordicans.”This conversation dives deep into:The emotional connection skiers have with Nordica productsThe origin of the “Nordican” philosophy and what it really meansHow the HF boot redefined comfort and performance for modern skiersThe balance between brand legacy and innovation in a fast-changing industryLuka's reflections on leadership, teamwork, and keeping passion alive in businessWhether you're a ski enthusiast, industry insider, or simply someone inspired by brand storytelling and innovation, this episode offers a rare inside look at how one of skiing's most respected leaders is shaping the future of the sport, without losing sight of what truly matters: passion, people, and powder days.Find out more about Nordica at www.Nordica.com Get your next pair of Nordica Skis or Boots from great UK retailers like:Hike and Ride (www.HikeAndRide.co.uk)Ellis Brigham (www.ellis-brigham.com)Naski (www.naskisports.co.uk)

Il 18 novembre il presidente statunitense Donald Trump ha ricevuto alla Casa Bianca il principe ereditario saudita Mohammed bin Salman. Con Lorenzo Trombetta, giornalista.Il parlamento sloveno ha approvato a larga maggioranza una legge voluta dal governo che aumenta i poteri della polizia in aree definite “ad alto rischio”, accusata di essere repressiva e discriminatoria nei confronti della comunità rom. Con Luka Lisjak Gabrijelčič, storico e giornalista sloveno.Oggi parliamo anche di:Musica • Wednesday dei BleedsCi piacerebbe sapere cosa pensi di questo episodio. Scrivici a podcast@internazionale.it Se ascolti questo podcast e ti piace, abbonati a Internazionale. È un modo concreto per sostenerci e per aiutarci a garantire ogni giorno un'informazione di qualità. Vai su internazionale.it/abbonatiConsulenza editoriale di Chiara NielsenProduzione di Claudio Balboni e Vincenzo De SimoneMusiche di Tommaso Colliva e Raffaele ScognaDirezione creativa di Jonathan Zenti

Audio reporter Samantha Broun says young people are "full of life, complicated, passionate, confused, and they want to talk and want to be heard." That's why Sam offers them her curiosity and her caring ear for her project "Small True Things."  Rob spoke to Sam in October for Sound School on the mainstage at the annual Audio Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia. 

 They put in their cover letter, “Honestly, we're just gonna go up to Yellowstone around that time and we would love to swing by and show the movie.”Rudi Womack is the Director of the Wyoming International Film Festival and the creator of the YouTube channel The Film Festival Guide.In this conversation, Rudi talks about:* What watching thousands of film festival submissions has taught him about good storytelling* The biggest mistake filmmakers make when they submit to festivals* Why transparency matters and why he published all of the submission and acceptance stats for the Wyoming International Film Festival * The importance of a compelling poster and thumbnail* How to write a good description of your movie* The most important questions filmmakers must askHere is a link to Hiike, the new film festival submission platform that Rudi mentioned.If you enjoyed this episode please forward to a friend.Here is an AI-generated transcript of my interview with Rudi. Don't come for me.79. Film Festival Director Rudi WomackBEN: Hi everyone. This is Ben Guest and this is The Creativity Education and Leadership Podcast. My guest today is Rudy Womack, who is the director of the Wyoming International Film Festival, and also Rudy has a fantastic YouTube page called The Film Festival Guide. So for all my filmmakers out there who are interested in submitting to festivals in this interview and on Rudy's YouTube page, he breaks it down. Enjoy.Rudi, thank you so much for joining us.RUDI: Hey, it's my pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me.BEN: So I always start off with a fun question, and we're entering the holiday season, so very important holiday question. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?RUDI: Absolutely. A hundred percent. Come on.BEN: I love it. So I, I told you this off Air, I found you through the Rate YouTube channel.You have the Film Festival Guide. Is that the right name? I wanna make sure I get the name right. Yeah. The filmRUDI: festival guide. Yep.BEN: On YouTube Film Festival Guide on YouTube. Please. Any filmmakers out there go and subscribe. The information is so helpful. What, why did you start the this YouTube page?RUDI: I, as a filmmaker have gone through the festival circuit several times and I made a lot of amateur mistakes. I didn't know what I was doing. Definitely fell on my face a couple of times, but I also had some successes. And as I did more film festivals, I started learning more about the circuit.I got invited by a film festival to become a programmer, and so I started reviewing a lot of films and seeing a lot of the submissions. And I think instantly that made me a better filmmaker just because I saw what was working, what wasn't working, and how other filmmakers really brought to, brought their stories to life on the screen.And it, it was truly inspirational. Very long story short, the Wyoming International Film Festival was started by a gentleman named Alan Oi, and he's a, he's a documentarian out of Wyoming, which is where I'm from. I'm from Wyoming. So Alan had the film festival and he had run it for some years and it was going great and everything.But then Alan retired and now he's retiring. He wants to move outta Wyoming and he doesn't wanna run a live event. ‘cause it is a lot of work in his words. And I quote, it's a young man's game. And at the same time, COVID hit and he didn't wanna do the whole online thing and it was just a big mess.So Alan was like, I'm done with the festival, it's done. I'm just gonna let it die. And I was begging him, no, Alan, you can't do it. It's so important for indie filmmakers. And at the time I'm just finding my feet in the festival circuit as well as both a filmmaker and now I'm a programmer.I'm begging him like don't let it die. It's important, maybe I can help out. And he was like, why don't you run it? And I was like, absolutely not, man. What are you talking about? That's crazy. No way. No way. And I was like, I'm going to be your director of programming. That's what I'm going to do.I'm gonna help you get films in so you don't have to do that work. Very long story short, I ended up running it. I ended up taking over the festival from Alan. I did so reluctantly. But when I started working with the festival, working with the community, working with my hometown filmmakers and my home state filmmakers, and just seeing how important a film festival can be for a local community to uplift indie filmmakers to help them along the way I fell in love with it and here I am now, I run the film festival.And your question was, how did I start the YouTube channel? Sorry, I'm getting there. But I got a lot of questions from filmmakers about festivals, like how to navigate ‘em. And there's just so much mystery behind film festivals ‘cause it's so opaque. There's not a lot of transparency from film festivals.Film festivals are sketchy about which films they do select and which they don't. And frankly, there's a lot of misinformation out there about festivals. So I started answering a lot of questions and I started repeatedly answering the same question again and again and again. And I had some friends who told me, you should write a book.But I was like, yeah, but books, there are books, like people have already written books, bluntly, frankly, people far more experienced and knowledgeable than myself have written books. And so if you're not reading those books, then you're probably not gonna read my book. So that's when I decided, you know what, the YouTube channel is a great way to just do very easy outreach.Take one single topic, break it down for 10 minutes, and hopefully help filmmakers along on their film festival journey.BEN: I love it. And you said something for all the filmmakers who are listening. I'm gonna come back to it. Don't worry. You said something about once you started programming and watching so many films, you got a good sense of what works and what doesn't.So I definitely wanna come back to that. I know the filmmakers listening want to hear that. But before that you mentioned 10 minute videos. You strike me as somebody who, does research and takes time to Yes. Before they do something. What did you discover about running a YouTube page?What things work, what things don't work?RUDI: I'm still very early on in my own YouTube development. I'm still trying to learn what does and doesn't work. So I'm probably the worst person on earth to give advice. Definitely that first 32nd hook is so important on YouTube, just like it is on a film that, that intro, how we come into the story, whatever, on YouTube, you can see a massive drop off and apparently it's that way on every channel.Again, I'm not a YouTube guru, so I don't give advice, but that first 32nd hook is a big deal, but also just my presence on camera. I come from the post world. I'm an editor, so I'm not just behind camera. I'm behind, behind the camera. So I'm very much not used to an on-camera presence, so I'm developing that and learning it as well.What kind of energy I can bring. How to make it engaging. But also I don't wanna be zany and too quirky or anything because I am trying to give good guidance to filmmakers, but I also don't want to lecture them and bore them to death. So it's finding that balance of information that's valuable, but also entertaining enough that people don't wanna click off.And it's actually quite a complex thing that I'm still unraveling one video at a time. But the best advice that I saw was some YouTube guru who is just focus on getting 1% better on every single video. So is that little bit better graphics or better delivery, or better audio, or better editing or whatever it is.And after a hundred videos, you're now a hundred percent better. So that's what I've been focusing on. Just very small baby steps.BEN: Yeah, that's such a great way to break it down, right? It just makes it bite-sized, get 1% better.RUDI: I think you can apply that to life in general. There's a lot of things in life just today be 1% better.That's it,BEN: so you mentioned once you start a programming scene, get enough feel for what works, what doesn't, especially with short films, both narrative and docs. What are you seeing that works and doesn't work?RUDI: In the shorts world I'm seeing a couple of things. One, a self-contained story, and this is something that I had a problem with because oftentimes I would go for more of a quote unquote scene instead of a full beginning, middle and in, in a story.So a self-contained story typically is gonna make your short film much more successful. This can be hard for some filmmakers because they're trying to make a proof of concept short film that they're gonna go and get financing for their future. So one of the things that they often do is they just take a scene outta their feature and then just shoot that, which has mixed results.And the problem is the films that have gotten financed and been made from shorts that have done that are the ones that you see. So it's actually a survivor bias, where it's like it, it works for those particular films and therefore everybody thinks it's gonna work for their film. But obviously the films that it doesn't work for, you're never going to see.So you don't understand, actually for the majority of films, it doesn't work. So if you have a proof of concept, I actually say, don't pull a scene outta your feature. I say write its own scene, or sorry, your own short film. That exists in the same world and universe with the same characters as what your feature film is.And I think that's gonna have much more success on the film festival circuit. And that will lean you or lead you to whatever your goal is, financing or distribution or whatever. So that's a big thing with short films that makes ‘em successful is make sure it is actually a self-contained story and it doesn't have any loose ends, so to speak.What doesn't work is something that I myself struggle with, ironically as an editor. And that's things being too long and you need to parse them down. Now a lot of people will say, shorter, the better, which is true, but I actually think that's a result of actually getting to the core of the problem.And that's make your film as concise as possible. Get the idea. The emotion, the story out as concise as you can. And what that does by happenstance is it makes your film shorter. So it's not that shorter is better. I know there's it almost sounds like I'm just splitting hairs here, but I've seen plenty of five minute films that didn't work.I've seen plenty of 10 minute films that board me to death. So shorter isn't necessarily better. It's more concise of your story is better. And sometimes that still manifests as a 20, 30, 40 minute film. But if it's a very interesting 20, 30, 40 minutes, that's not gonna matter.BEN: It's such a great point. And for me, when I get to a certain point in the edit, I like to just bring in a couple friends and have them watch it. And then I just sit there and watch them watch it and whatever feedback they're gonna provide afterwards. 95% of what I need, I can just tell from Body Language as they're watching the film.RUDI: Yep.BEN: You come fromRUDI: theBEN: Go ahead.RUDI: Oh I was just gonna piggyback off that and just say, audience feedback is worth its weight and goal.BEN: Yeah.RUDI: And every filmmaker when you hit that fine cut stage, like you said, get your friends and family together, buy everybody some burgers and fries or whatever.Get ‘em all together. Gather ‘em up in a room, watch them, watch your film. That's gonna tell you more than anything else. We'll be able to about the success of your film and where it's strong, where it's weak, where you can still fix things. And I always suggest do it in your fine cut stage because nothing's locked in and you can still move things around and adjust, or whatever it is you need.BEN: Love it. And I think earlier what you are really getting at is telling a good story. Yes. And I'm amazed at, not amazed, but maybe a little disappointed, especially in today's world, the technical side of filmmaking. Even for an amateur, even for an indie filmmaker that you can, things can be d done so well technically, but there's no story.RUDI: Yes. All the time. So when I get onto Reddit, ‘cause you mentioned Reddit earlier if I go onto our filmmakers, right? Yeah. I don't have to look far to see people just geeking out over the newest Camerons. It's, and it's always cameras. Everybody always talks about. This camera is so fancy and it has so many stops above and this lens can do this and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.It has this big bit rate, whatever. Everybody gets so excited about cameras and I always say to myself, man, if they got this excited about audio, I wouldn't have to reject half the films that we have to reject because the audio is just blah. So if we're gonna talk tech, if we're gonna talk about the quote unquote quality of the filmmaking, I think what filmmakers need to understand is there are so many films out there we're that is just the foundation.It is the base level, it is the bare minimum that the film looks good. It sounds good. It feels good. So for us, festival guys, we see so many of these films. You're super gorgeous cinematography, you're really fancy, VFX, whatever it is that you think really separates your film from the pack. I don't wanna discourage you, I don't wanna sound jaded or anything, but it's not as impressive to us as you might believe it is, simply because we see hundreds and sometimes thousands of films like that.So for us it constantly falls back to originality and the story. Is the story well done? Is it well told? Is it a new and interesting story that we've never seen before? Is it a story that we've seen before but told in a very unique way, from a specific point of view, that is what is going to move us as festival people.‘cause when I put it into the theater and my audience walks in and they pay a ticket. My audience is used to going down to the theater and seeing a hundred million dollar movies. So for them, quality is just a given. It's just assumed they're not going to be thinking about it for them. They go and watch a movie ‘cause they're interested in, and I think if more filmmakers really dialed in on their story, they're going to find more success.BEN: So many great points there and a hundred percent agree with what you were saying about people get excited about the camera. And so I did my MFA at USC and there were three different times where I was on a set that, that I felt was unsafe. Not that I felt it was unsafe, what they were doing. Geez. And I walked off and it was always to get the cool shot.Like no one's ever hanging off a balcony to get room tone. You know what I mean? It's just, it's always to get the cool shot that, again, if you're not telling a good story, it doesn't matter. And to your point, I've always felt good audio is more important than good video.RUDI: Good image.BEN: Yeah.RUDI: Look at the documentary. Look at the nonfiction world. We see verite stuff all the time. We see stuff people recorded on their phone or, security camera footage or whatever, like at the end of the day in the nonfiction world is a great example of the quality of the shot doesn't necessarily matter so much as the quality of the story and how it's being told and how it's being revealed to us.And the audio is always gonna be very clean, very top notch, even if it's quote unquote found footage or. Veritate footage or whatever, the audio is always peak. I saw that Netflix doc recently, it was super heartbreaking. The perfect neighbor. And most of it is police body cam footage, but the audio is clean so we're able to follow the story so no one sits back and thinks of themselves this isn't a good shot.Of course it's not, it's police potty cam footage. Like it doesn't look good and it's not meant to,BEN: but it sounds good. And so you can follow it.RUDI: Yes.BEN: What what are some tropes that you think you've gotten tired of seeing in, especially in short films?RUDI: So every year it's a little bit different.You would be surprised what things pop up and what don't. The one trope that kind of rubs me the wrong way, I, I don't know how to describe it any other way than filmmaker self therapy. Like they, they're definitely going through something at the moment and they're not focused on creating a good story.They're more focused on using their art form to emotionally process whatever it is they're going through, which fine, you are an artist that makes sense to do, but also I can't sell my audience on that. So while I don't wanna discourage someone from making a film that is very near and dear and personal to them, at the end of the day, it might not be a good fit for film festivals.And so I, I would really think twice about whether or not that is a story that an audience, frankly, needs to see. Filmmaker cell therapy is one that when I get it, I'm always eh I don't know what to do with it. I just, I don't know what to do. Some other tropes that we see very commonly are like.Obviously right now, tech and AI and stuff like that gives a lot of people anxiety. So there's a lot of like evil robot takes over or the big reveal at the end of the movie, they were a robot the whole time, or the whole thing was a simulation or whatever. That's being very well tread right now.For me, I'm I am not a political person and anytime some big thing is in the news, we see tons of films on it. So I understand politics do affect people's day to day and their lives, so I understand that manifest. But man, I probably have a hundred immigration films right now and that's a lot. And I'm not gonna screen that many, so I'm only gonna pick like one, maybe two, so that's a tough one to do.Anything that's like a hot button political issue. We always see a big wave of those come in. And then honestly, romance dramas get tough. It isn't evergreen. We do have an audience for it. We usually do have some kind of a selection of them. Romance dramas have existed since the beginning of time.It's always been a thing. But filmmaker broke up with his girlfriend, so now he has a character who breaks up with his girlfriend. It gets it, it doesn't get very original. I, it just it gets exhausted. So those are some of the kind of general tropes I would avoid. I have heard other festival directors talk about like cancer films and Alzheimer's films and stuff like that.This year I'm not seeing so much of those, but I have seen those in the past. So tho those are some other. Tread stories we'll see.BEN: One of the things that I appreciate about. Your series of videos is your transparency, and you have one video where you literally break down. Here are all the films the number of films, Wyoming International Film Festivals received. Here's how it breaks down, here's how many we, we accepted, et cetera, et cetera.You have another one where you literally show the viewer, this is what we see as a programmer on our film freeway portal. Here's the scoring sheet. I think it's a little bit different from the one you guys use internally, but basically here's what the scoring sheet on film freeway looks like. Why is transparency so important to you?RUDI: Because I'm a filmmaker, because I've been to so many festivals where I have no idea what the hell's going on. I've been to festivals where I think my film is gonna be a good fit. I think based on what I've been able to investigate on my own, digging through their website, digging through their archive.Seen what they've programmed before. I think I'm a good fit, but I don't actually know. And I've submitted to festivals where later on, I see what they programmed or I got rejected or even accepted and then gone to the festival itself and have been a little disappointed when was like I this festival didn't fit my goals the way that I thought it would, or, this festival wasn't going to do the things for me.Or this festival, like really promoted themselves very heavily as this big event. And then you get there and then it's not, and that's a little bothersome. So when I stepped into my role at the Wyoming International Film Festival, I made a whole bunch of changes. But one of the changes that I made was, we are going to be transparent.I don't ever want a filmmaker to submit to our festival, get in, get accepted to the festival, drive all the way out to Wyoming and be disappointed. I don't want them to do that. That's not good for them. It's not good for us. It's not good for the community. It's not good for indie film at large.What's better is if we just be what we are in Wyoming, we're straight shooters. We just say it as it is. So I'm going to tell you exactly how many films were submitted, which films we accepted, what the percentage rates are, how many shorts versus features, how many docs versus narratives, how many music videos, all of this stuff.And we've been releasing the data for the past couple of years. This year, like we went all out with the data it was much more thorough than what we've done in years past. And even me, the director of the festival, I sit back, I look at the data and I can see some weak spots in it. I can see where we need to improve as a festival, where we need to start, bringing in a certain type of film or where other films might be overrepresented or how we can give more of an experience to our filmmakers.Just by boiling it down to numbers and looking at it. I can start seeing some of our weak spots and I want to improve on that ‘cause I want to have a good festival. And I think if more festivals were to do that, I think the filmmaking community at large would be much more appreciative. And I think film festivals need to understand.That if you have fewer submissions, that's not a bad thing because the submissions that you are going to get are filmmakers that really want to be in your festival and that's good for the health of your festival, the community, the filmmakers, everything. So I, I think the only way we get there is by being transparent.And thankfully there are other festivals that are publishing their data, which is great. And that makes me very happy to see. And I hope that trend continues and I hope even more festivals start publishing more of their data and showing how they review films, what their scorecards look like, what they're looking for.‘cause ultimately I genuinely believe that just serves the filmmakers better and ultimately makes everybody have a better experience on the film festival circuit, including the festivals themselves.BEN: When you took over as directorWhat were the biggest challenges?RUDI: So our biggest challenge to this day is our venue.So there's only one movie theater in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is owned by a company outta Casper, Wyoming. They own pretty much a monopoly of movie theaters across the state, like most of them. And they don't allow anybody into their theaters at all. They don't allow her private screenings or corporate events or, in individuals who wanna screen their film or film festivals.I'm not the only film festival in Wyoming. I talk with other festival directors. They can't get in either. It's funny, the film commissioner of the state can't even get in. You would think the movie theater would at least want to partner with the state film Commission, but no. So for us, the challenge has been a venue and luckily our partners over at Laramie County Community College.Have graciously allowed us to use their facilities for the last couple years. They have a beautiful auditorium that we do some of our screenings in, but we also have screening rooms in a black box theater that they have as well as a conference room. And when I say conference room, most filmmakers like their heart drops a little bit.They're like, oh man, I'm just, I'm going into a conference room. It's not a proper movie theater. And that's fine. We publish that data on our film freeway page on hike. We are transparent about that. So when you submit, you might be in the conference room. But ironically, I think it has some of the best audio and it has some of the best projection.So even though it's the quote unquote least movie theater, like I actually think it has some of the best projection, best color. But venue is probably one of our biggest challenges and we continue to develop that. We continue to. Trying to innovate. We're trying to build our own screening room there on the campus.Like we're trying to use one of their big classrooms for it. And what we wanna do is we wanna turn it into a lounge. We wanna bring in like couches and sofas and comfy chairs where it's like much more of a chill environment in there. And that's the type of film we wanna screen in. There's some you can literally sit back, settle in and relax.So there's things that we're doing to create a better environment for our filmmakers and of course our audience, our guests at the festival.BEN: I love it. What's been the biggest reward?RUDI: The, I get to meet you. That's what the biggest reward is. I get to meet so many filmmakers. I get to hear their stories.I get to be inspired. I get to learn stuff. I was talking with a festival director a couple of days ago. Who asked me about how we do our audience award scores and how we process that and what they do. And I just like I lit up, I'm like, oh my God. It's such a better way, it's more efficient, it's easier on the staff.It's more representative of how the audience actually feels about the film, the way the scores are aggregated and counted. It's so great. I get to meet so many people in this world of film and every single day it's like a new, whole new world is opened up to me and I get to hear so many fantastic points of view.I get to see so many awesome films, like just how many great movies are out there is a cinephile. It's like the most rewarding thing in the world. I'm an addict. I'm totally addicted to it. It's so great.BEN: I love it. I remember I used to coach basketball in my first year as a head coach. I was like, yeah, everybody's gonna be pretty competitive, other coaches and so forth.And they were, and I was. But at the same time, when coaches would get together, it was just so supportive. And people are sharing, this is what I'm doing in practice. I'm looking at this offense, this defense. And I imagine it's the same with other film festival directors and programmers. Oh, yeah. Just a supportive environment comparing notes.RUDI: It is. And the more that I meet, the more I truly do understand. 99% of festival directors out there are programmers, people who work in it. They have some tie to cinema. Most of them are filmmakers. Those who aren't, have a deep passion and love for cinema and for storytelling, and.Everybody's a volunteer. Everybody has a day job. Nobody makes money on this. They do it from the love of their heart. They truly do. And the way that they serve their communities, the way that they serve their filmmakers, some of the cool ideas they come up with there's some really neat festivals out there with like very interesting hooks or events or whatever.And I think it is such an incredible ecosystem and I think I'm truly privileged to be part of it.BEN: What are some lesser known or maybe mid-tier festivals or local festivals that you love to attend?RUDI: Okay, so one of my favorite festivals I guess you said lesser known. This one is not lesser known, but Film Quest over in Provo, Utah, damn man, pe like festival people talk about building community. They're on a different level. They've built a family. Like everybody who goes to that festival is just so tight knit there. There's no other festival like Provo or sorry, film Quest in Provo. It is just, it's on another level. And how well they treat their filmmakers is fantastic.Some years ago I was invited to be a jury member at the Fair Film Festival, which is in Ferazi Kosovo. So that is in southeastern Europe. It's a landlocked country, just a little bit above Greece, a little bit north of Greece and north of Macedonia. And Fari is a small town. And I went to that festival and first off, wow.What a great festival. I strongly suggest you submit your film to fair film. It's so good. But the cool part of being in this European festival, and frankly a small European country, most of the films are international, obviously. And so there's filmmakers coming in from like Jordan and Spain and Germany and Slovakia and Slovenia and like all over the place, Greece, Turkey, you name it.And how interesting it is to have this incredible cross section of languages and cultures and peoples, but we're all united by this one singular thing. And that's our love for storytelling and our love for movies. It had to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. And the next movie I make, taking it back to cosBEN: Fantastic.Just had a question. What was it? Oh okay. So with the huge caveat of besides making. A good film, a film that tells a story. Besides that, are there any tips or tricks, things on the margins that filmmakers can do when they're applying to festivals to be aware of? Sometimes festivals. Ask for a cover letter orRUDI: Yes.BEN: Press kit, things like that. Okay.RUDI: So with, sorry, my phone is loud. I should turn that down. So obviously with a huge caveat of make a good film or whatever, what's the easiest way to get it? All of the stuff on film Freeway, and I do have a video on this, on my YouTube page if you wanna check it out, where I give you a tour of film, freeway from the festival side of things like what the festival can see and how we see it and how we navigate it.On the festival end of things. We can see your cover letter, your screenings and awards your. Cast and crew information, your director's bio, your director's statement, your photographs, your EPK, that's your electronic press kit your trailer, all of that. All of that. As much of that as you can possibly make, you should make it.It's very important. And you never know which piece is gonna be more important to a particular film festival. For instance, here's something crazy. I was meeting with some of my programmers last night. They had a whole bunch of films that they wanted to recommend to go to the next level programming.And we require films. Tell us where in the world or where in the United States the film was made. And every single one of ‘em was California. California. California. California. California. Which fine, whatever. California has a big film industry. That's, it's a very big state, population wise. Makes sense, right?But I am sitting back thinking, okay. I don't want it just to be a bunch of California movies. We have a big country here. I would like to see something else. And something caught my attention. One of the filmmakers, their address was in Birmingham, Alabama, but the film was shot in California, so I am suspicious.I haven't dug into it myself. I'm suspicious either that filmmaker's from Alabama and they have moved to California, or that filmmaker lives in Alabama and they shot their film in California. So they're answering where it was shot correctly. But for me, I'm like, there you go. When everybody's from California.I want that unique perspective. I wanna see someone's from Alabama and what their perspective is now. I haven't watched the film yet. I don't know if it's what we're looking for. Obviously it's a good film if my programming team has recommended it, there's no doubt in my mind it's good film. Now there's other considerations we're gonna have, but.That alone was something, even my, like I myself did not know that I would be looking for. So filling out all of that data on film, freeway, all of your information that you possibly can, your cover letters your screenings, your awards, whatever it is, the more information you give us as a festival, the more we have to make our selections.And it only benefits you. It only helps you out. So filmmakers don't get lazy. Fill out all of that information. We need it. We use it. It's important. Just do it.BEN: You mentioned a meeting with your programmers last night. Take us inside that conversation. What does that look like? What do you discuss, et cetera.RUDI: So there's. There's a big programming team and it's divided up into two different groups. There's our kind of first round screeners and then there's our senior programmers and the senior programmers pretty much review the films that have gone through that first round of screening that are getting recommended to go onto the next one.So typically when I'm talking with my screeners and everything, it's a very different conversation on the bottom end of it where they're just sorting through all of the submissions versus a different conversation I have with the senior programmers who are on the top end of it. We're now trying to decide how to block films together, how we're gonna organize it, what's the schedule maybe look like, what's the overall tone and vibe of the festival going to be, okay.If we wanna have a sci-fi block, do we even have enough sci-fi films? If we don't. Where else can we find homes for ‘em? Stuff like that. So those conversations are a little bit more high end, if you will. And it tends to be less about the story of the film itself and more about how that film is going to fit into the festival.Whereas when I'm talking with the screeners, it's much more on the story end. Like what about the story did you like or you didn't like? Or what was the unique point of view? Or whatever. So depending on which group I'm talking to it, it's gonna be different. And then of course that divides out further on features and shorts and documentaries and narratives and music videos.So like obviously my conversation with the music video people are gonna be much different than my like short documentary people.BEN: Shout out to short documentary people as a documentarian primarily makes shorts I'll ask a question for us folks. In one of the videos, as I mentioned, you literally show here's what the scoring sheet looks like.Yes. And that was for narrative with, I think one of the categories was acting and so forth. So for a documentary or documentary shorts, what does that scoring sheet look like? What do those discussions entail?RUDI: Film freeway does not allow us to have more than one scoring sheet.So unfortunately, there's just this one scoring sheet that's for everything. What I tell my screening team, and we definitely double check everything, like there's multiple people who look at something. So it's not just one person's opinion. You have at least two, oftentimes three, pretty often four.So for something like documentary they skip over that. That's what they do. So if there's no acting in the film, they skip over that. They don't rate acting if there is no acting. But you'd be surprised. There are documentaries that have acting in ‘em. There are like docudramas or documentaries with recreation In the recreation is like actual scenes and performances and stuff like that.So in those cases, even though it's a nonfiction and a documentary, yeah, we'll still judge it for the acting ‘cause that's what it has. I get the question. I'm gonna hijack your question for a second, but it is applicable. I get the question, do we accept AI in our film festival, we do not have any official policy for or against ai, which scares some filmmakers.But we do rate AI on the same standards as we would anybody else. So when it comes to creativity and originality, guess what, you're getting a nothing. ‘cause AI didn't create it. AI is not original. AI just mashes together a bunch of information from other people. So that's no creativity and originality.Same thing for something like, I don't know, art design. If you have a AI character walking through a scene or whatever you're getting zero on your art design. Nobody built those sets. Nobody costumed that actor. Nobody was the makeup artist or the hair or whatever other art deck or, PD or anything on the set.So we will accept ai. We have accepted one single AI film so far because despite all of its quote unquote handicaps, and it was a music video. It still was successful in other categories that had a good enough score. We as a team sat down, said Yes, that it still is a good film. The audience is still gonna enjoy it.The filmmaker definitely had a vision with it. They wrote out a whole thing on like why they chose to use ai. ‘cause they're also an experimental filmmaker, so it made sense for them and everything. So we were like, you know what? That's legit. Let's put it in. But other AI submissions, like I got an AI children's animation the other day and I'm like they didn't animate it themselves.They didn't voice act it themselves. It's not getting good scores on any of these. So we'll see. We'll see. We'll see if it gets through or not, but already you're shooting yourself in the foot. So don't do ai.BEN: Okay. Couple little. I don't know, around the edges or micro questions. One of the things that you talked about in one of your recent videos was having a good poster and you talked about designing your poster for your film prudence.RUDI: Yeah.BEN: Talk, talk to me about,RUDI: I specifically gave my posters an example, not a great poster,BEN: But talk to me about that.For the no budget or low budget filmmaker that can't afford to hire a a designer to make a poster. Talk to me about poster design and how that impacts the presentation of the film for festivals.RUDI: So I strongly believe that a big part of filmmaking and marketing and packaging your film together, all of that is psychology.And as much as we want to sit back and say, Hey, don't judge a book by its, cover it, that literally goes against human psychology. People are not hardwired to do that. It, it is. In our DNA, it's not just a bad habit, it is literally a survival mechanism. So if you want to stand out, you do need to have everything put together.Your cover letter, your synopsis, your photographs, all of that, and of course all of your key art. That's your poster. That's any banners that you have, that's how you're going to be promoting the film. And you have to understand it's not just about making your film look pretty to get filmmakers to go, or sorry your programmers go, Ooh, and ah, it's a pretty film.We are looking at that as a mechanism for us to advertise the festival. You gotta understand if I have 150 films in the festival, I have to get an audience for those films. And the easiest way for me to do that is through your marketing materials. We don't have the capacity. To design marketing materials for 150 different films.We are relying on the filmmakers to do that so we can go out and promote the festival. So people show up to your screening, which I would presume is what you want if you're going to a film festival. So anything you're trailer, any photographs that you can provide, which some filmmakers only provide BTS photographs, BTS is fine.It's great. Give me some good key art I can also use, please. That's what newspapers, that's what the local news that's what podcasters, whatever, that's what they want to see. So that's what I can provide. And of course, your poster. Now, there are a lot of online tools to help in poster design, frankly, I don't have an excuse for making a bad poster like I did, which is one of the reasons I use it as an example is I am shaming myself being like, this could be better and it should be. But there's a lot of online resources that can help with poster design. And also for filmmakers who are a little bit strapped for cash, you would be surprised what people will do for in kind, service for service.So if you have a friend or if there's someone that you can find that's Hey, they'll design your poster if you can design whatever their website or whatever it is that your skills might be there, there's a lot of exchange that you can do on that part. So yeah your marketing, your packaging, all of that together is actually quite important.BEN: Such a great point. And I've written and published a memoir and through that, I've worked with other authors on, on. Both writing and marketing their books, editing and marketing their books. And I tell people the exact same thing. People judge a book by its cover all the time. And in this day and age, they judge it for listeners, I'm holding my thumb and forefinger part as a thumbnail on a computer screen.Yeah, that's the size. So even for a programmer or a festival director watching it on film freeway through their platform, they're not gonna see the poster like we see it in the movie theater. They're gonna see it as a thumbnail image. Yeah. So it has to work as a thumbnail image. And if you can't read the title as a thumbnail or can't make out what's on the image, what's on the poster as a thumbnail, then you've failed that part of the process.RUDI: One, one of the things that like really clued me into how important a poster is, I went to a film festival, I believe it was Kansas City Film Festival. Some years ago, and they had a bunch of posters of films out, but there was one that was like bright pink. It was like super bright pink and had like very eye popping design and everything on it.And it was like in a whole field of like dark drama posters that are all like gritty and everything. And I'm like that stands out. That really drew my eye to it. And I think that was like my big light bulb moment of like how important this stuff actually is. And one of the things that I've been saying for some years, I've said it on the channel, I think, I don't know, some, sometimes I record things and edit out.So I don't know what I've said on the channel sometimes but one of the things that I say is making a film is half of film making. The other half is marketing, the other half is getting butts in the seats. The other half is getting eyeballs on your movie. The other half is selling your film to an audience or a film festival or a distributor or a programmer or whatever you're trying to do with it.It's getting it out there. So making a film is half a filmmaking. The other half marketing, that's what it is.BEN: I'm just nodding along with everything you're saying and I've always felt both with films and with books, with art in general, you're trying to make an emotional connection from what's in your head and your heart to the audience.And if you don't do your job, getting your film out there and helping an audience come and see your film. Then you're not helping that connection. You're missing sort of the point of making this, unless it's just for yourself. It's for, it's to connect with other people and for other people to connect with your work.And that is marketing.RUDI: It's valid. If you're just making a film for yourself, that's absolutely valid. It's in art form. You can make a film for yourself, but if you're sending it to me at a film festival, you're not you're literally trying to find an audience. So these are the things you need to consider.BEN: I love it. I got two more just in the weeds detail questions.RUDI: Alright, let's do it.BEN: Let's talk description. And what I've seen ‘cause I'm in the middle of applying to festivals. And by the way just for. Listeners, this might interest you. So I discovered Rudi's YouTube page and I was like, this is so helpful.And then I went to the Wyoming International Film Festival page and all the transparency and statistics that, that Rudi puts out, that the festival puts out. And I realized, okay, so the short documentary I have is not a good fit for this festival. Exactly what Rudi's saying. So just for anybody listening, thank you for doing research.RUDI: Thank you. That's good. That's not a bad thing, right? That means it saves you time, it saves you money, it saves you heartbreak. It's so good. Do research before you submit. I'm sorry, but I, it's in, in almost every single one of my videos, I tell filmmakers, do your research before you submit. Find the festivals that gel with your film.And if it, if they don't screen the type of movie that you have, don't submit to ‘em. You're wasting your time, you're wasting your money. And the festival, like the programmer behind the screen, might love your film. They truly might love your film, but they're programming for a very specific audience and they know what that audience's taste is.So that's why they're driving specific films to that audience. So even if they love it, they might not include it, which is why you should always do your homework and do your research before you submit. I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's so importantBEN: And yes. And the flip side of that coin is now I also know what the Wyoming International Film Festival looks for.So in the future, if I have a doc or a film, I'm like, oh, this would be a great fit for this festival.RUDI: Yes.BEN: It helps both ways.RUDI: It does. And it helps you dial in. Which festivals you should target, which festivals are gonna help you with your specific goals. Whatever your goals are with the film it's gonna help you with your budgeting and your travel plans and your own personal calendar.It's gonna help with your mental health. It just, it helps on so many different aspects. And on the film festival side of things, I appreciate it when I hear from filmmakers say, Hey man, I looked into your festival looks good, but you don't have the kind of film that I have. And I'm like, not a problem man.Maybe I can point you in the right direction. Maybe I know some film festival programmers, I can make a recommendation, on your behalf too, that's not a bad thing. We love movies and we want to see them successful, but not every single fest or film and story is going to be successful in every single market.So it's very important to find your audience. And believe me, we are going to be cheering you the whole way.BEN: I want get back to my kind of in the weeds questions, but you've mentioned something that is big picture, that's so important. I feel like I've buried the lead here. And you mentioned this you've mentioned this multiple times in your videos.Is that a Phil, it's key. Maybe the most important part of this process is of the film festival submission process is a filmmaker needs to understand what are their goals in applying to a festival. Yes. So can you just talk a little bit about that?RUDI: So film festivals are a tool. And they can be a tool for many different things, but they are a tool.And just every single tool is not right for every single job, every film festival is not gonna be right for every film and vice versa. So before you go out to film festivals, you just need to ask yourself why? Why am I going out to film festivals? Why am I spending the money, the time, the energy, the effort?What do I want out of film festivals? And that's where you need to identify your goal. And the more specific you can be with the goal, the better it's going to be you going on your film festival journey. So for many filmmakers, a common reason they go out to film festivals is networking. So I'm gonna use that as an example.So let's say your goal is I want to network, I want to meet other. Filmmakers, I wanna meet, directors of photography and producers and other people that I can hire for my projects, or they're gonna hire me for their projects, and I want to build that network and I want to meet more filmmakers.Fantastic. Great. That's your goal. So the first thing that you need to do is you need to be looking at festivals that have networking events. And in this particular instance, you need to ask yourself two things. One, does it have networking? Is there in-person networking parties or networking events?And two, do the types of people that I want to meet actually attend those networking events. So us at the Wyoming International Film Festival, we have a pretty broad spectrum. We have filmmakers that are just beginning their journey. They're totally new, wet behind the ears. They're green they're just starting their journey.That's great. All the way up to every year we have multi Emmy award-winning filmmakers. Like people who do this professionally they're in unions or professional organizations, or they're a member of the academy, motion picture Arts and sciences or the TV Academy or sometimes like the Grammys and stuff like that.I, myself, I'm a professional editor, so there's people like me who professionally work, but they're like below the line. They're cinematographers editors, gaffers, what have you. So if your goal is to meet some like high-end producer that's gonna throw, a million dollars at your movie our festival is not the festival that's gonna help you with your goal.So you should skip over us because we don't have that kind of person in attendance. But if your goal is to meet other filmmakers at your level that you can collaborate with or get hired by or whatever. We're a great festival. We have tons of networking, and we bring in a ton of those filmmakers.We're a great event for you. So when you identify what your goal is and you're very specific about it, it's easier to identify which festivals you should start targeting. I take that one step further, and then once you've narrowed down which festivals are gonna help you with your goal, then you look into their history and see which of them have screened movies like yours in the past.So if you have a, you know I use the example, if you have a seven minute comedy coming of the age film, now you know which festivals have good networking, which festivals have the kinds of people you want to network with. Now you look at which ones have screened short coming of age comedy films in the past, and have a history of doing that.So that's gonna help you filter it even further. And by doing that, you're gonna really start to develop your film festival strategy. Now I do have some exciting news. There is something coming now, it's called Hike, H-I-I-K-E. It's hike with two I. And what Hy is doing, it's a submission platform similar to film Freeway, but among many of the tools that they're giving filmmakers, they're giving filmmakers customized festival strategies and they're scraping all of that data from film festivals, what they've programmed in the past.And when you as a filmmaker, join Hike, you take a little quiz, you tell them what your goals are, what your film is, you know how long it is, what the genre is, tell them about yourself. And they literally have. Data scientist who's built this like machine learning algorithm that pairs the data from the film festival to what the filmmaker provides.That literally gives you a compatibility score. So it's, it comes out and tells you, if you want to network with, professional filmmakers but not mega producers and you have a short comedy coming of age film Wyoming International Film Festival has that crowd screens those types of films and you would have a 90% compatibility.So it actually helps you develop your festival strategy for you.BEN: It's so needed. And Rudi has a great video on how to spot scam film festivals. Yes. That's something that is just prevalent these days. So for filmmakers who are getting ready to submit, I encourage you to watch that video. I'll link to it in the show.I'll link to everything that we're discussing in the show notes. The. So Rudi talked about one goal a filmmaker can have is to network other goals at various points in my, film festival my limited film festival career I've applied to festivals ‘cause I wanted to go to that city, new Orleans Fest, new Orleans Film Festival.TravelingRUDI: is totally legitimate reason to go.BEN: People apply because they want distribute, they wanna meet distributors or financiers for the next film. Although, that's what everybody wants. SoRUDI: you, you would be surprised. So in, in 2018, I had a feature film and my, my goal like most feature films was to land a distribution deal.But I was like, that's not specific enough. There are many steps to land a distribution deal. So what I need is I need good press on my film. So that was a goal. So I wanted to target festivals that had press. I wanted laurels. I wanted to win some awards with it, but I also knew my film was. Small and kind of small scale.So it wasn't gonna win laurels at big festivals. So I was like, okay, I need festivals with press. I need festivals that are legitimate and above board, but also small enough where I'm gonna be competitive. And then I wanted to actually meet distributors. And I know they only go to big festivals, so I actually had to target three different kinds of festivals.‘cause I had three, let's call ‘em conflicting goals with my own film. So that's what I did. I did a split strategy. I targeted festivals where I was gonna be this tiny little fish in a very big pond. And no one's really gonna notice me, but I'm just happy to be there. I targeted festivals where I know that I was going to get very good press and very good reviews on the film.And I targeted festivals that were small, still legitimate, but I was gonna be competitive and maybe bring home some trophies. And so that was my strategy and it worked, and I landed a distribution deal.BEN: That's so great. I, I'd love to do a part two at some point we can talk distribution deals and all of the, yeah.Things like that. But I think for people listening, the big takeaway is even with this multi-pronged goal, three different goals connected to each other. Once you identify what your goals are, then you work backwards and you create your strategy to Yes, to achieve those. Okay. Back to the two in the weeds.Two more in the weeds questions. Yeah. So description, and as I'm looking at other film descriptions, and I saw this at USC all the time as well, and we talked about earlier, filmmakers wanting to sit in emotion or sit in something traumatic and have the audience experience that I notice a lot of times in descriptions of short films.Can so and so come to terms with this? Can, and just as someone who has a little bit of experience marketing stories, where's the action? What's the active what's this person actively trying to accomplish, rather than can they just come to terms with something? Can you talk a little bit about film description, just three or four lines.What pops?RUDI: So just like your poster, just like your marketing and everything, a film description is your way to reach through the screen, grab the audience, grab the programmer, and pull them into your movie. Keep in mind, your whole entire goal is to get people to watch your film, get them excited about your film.And so if you just have a very drab, like description that's just yeah, has to face consequences for a decision they made or come to terms with something when I, that's a good V one, that's a good place to start, but that's not going to get an audience excited about your film.I saw film, I don't know if it was at my festival. It wasn't at my festival. We didn't screen it, but I'm saying, I don't know if it was submitted to my festival or if I saw it at another festival, but I remember one of the descriptions it was great. It was whatever the two character names were, John and Jane, I forget what the characters are, but like John and Jane are on a date, there's a bomb in the other room.I I hope the date goes well, or something like that. Let's hope the date goes well. And I'm like, what is this movie? That gets you really excited for it. You're. It, it creates so much mystery. And also just the cavalier way that it was written immediately tells me this is gonna be a comedy, or it's not taking itself too seriously.It's not some like gritty, dive into the underworld or whatever. Like just how blunt it was about the dis of the film and just that like small little description. I know I'm paraphrasing what it was, but it stuck with me for years at this point. ‘cause I'm like, that is how you write a description for a film.That is how you get someone excited to see what is this movie about? Let's jump in. Piggybacking off a description. Titles are another great way to do that. In, in my own repertoire of films I've had film called Prudence. Okay, fine, whatever. Prudence doesn't really tell you much about that film.I had a film that I'm very proud of. It's artsy, it's a little bit magical realism and it's called in this gray place, and it has that artsy mystique around it in this gray place. And I love that title. I did it, I did a film back in film school. It's terrible, but the title's great.It's called Back to Fort Russell. It was a Western and I, to this day, it's one of my favorite titles that I've ever had. But it tells you something. It clues you into what this film is going to be, what the journey of this movie is going to be. And some films do that better than others. And some films, yeah, it's not necessary.But I, I get more excited when I hear something like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre than I do something that's just like love. Or mom or something.BEN: I think this is the last question. So again, with all these little details, cover letter, talk to me about cover letters.RUDI: It's so interesting you asked me that question ‘cause hearing about four or five days, I'm posting a video on the YouTube channel about cover letters. It's short, it's only four or five minutes long, but cover letters are so important.Should absolutely write a cover letter. And a couple of days ago I was talking with programmers at dances with films, and if you don't know dances with films, look ‘em up. They are an incredible film festival. They are in the big leagues for sure. And I was talking with a couple of programmers and I asked them about covert letters and they said, it's so important it.How the filmmaker is going to put an audience in the theater is very important for their festival. How they're going to get people to attend is very important for them and they're like, a good indication in a cover letter is when they, the filmmaker indicates how they're going to market their film and they use the example of football.Let's say it's a movie about football. They're like, if it's a movie about football and you tell me in the cover letter that you're part of several like football organizations, or you're gonna be reaching out to sports organizations or youth organizations for sports or something like that, to attend the film.That's a very good indication for them in the cover letter. For me, I think a cover letter is very important in that it shows. You're going the extra mile to show the festival you care. You're not just submit and quit. We're not just one festival on a list of 50 that you're submitting to. There is a reason you want to screen with us, and that's a specific reason.Either you feel that your film is good fit for our audience, or there's something that you want to connect with. In Wyoming, I had one cover letter and we did accept this film and it was really funny. They put in their cover letter like their film was a comedy, so their cover letter was also very comedic, but they're like, honestly, we're just gonna go up to Yellowstone around that time and we would love to swing by and show the movie.And I laughed. I laughed so hard at that and I'm like. But that shows me they care. Like they want to be there. And the film was good and it was funny and we screamed it and they were there. So it's a way to show a film festival enthusiasm and it's way to inform the festival about yourself, about your film, and how that's gonna gel with their particular event and their audience.BEN: I love it. And that reminds me, I got one more, I got a bonus question. Yeah. Can you talk about applying early?RUDI: Yes. Statistically, when I look at our own data, statistically, it does seem to be that the earlier you apply, the better chance that you have. And so I don't want to give the impression that if you applied late.You have no chance. I think in the video where I literally broke down the data and the statistics, I think at our festival we had a one in five chance of getting in on the late deadline, which is about a 20% acceptance rate. But it was much higher the earlier it came in. So just with the raw data taking out my opinions, my emotions on it, whatever, just the data itself shows earlier is better.Now, here's where my opinions and my feelings towards it come from. I think it's a couple of things. One, when you get in early, you set the pace for the rest of the festival, you're telling us, okay, it's a drama. We're gonna compare your film against others. Like you have now become the benchmark that we're gonna compare other films to when it comes to like dramas or whatever.What it also does. It's something I'm going to discuss in my video and cover letters, but it also engages something, what's called mere exposure effect in psychology, which is essentially the more that you are exposed to something, the more preference you have towards it. Which means if you get in early, you are exposing yourself, your film, and your story to the programmers more often and more readily than late submissions are.So it's more likely that the programmers form some attachment to your film, and that's just human nature, that's just psychology. There's some practical reasons for it as well. Obviously, earlier submissions, earlier deadlines are cheaper, so it's better to get in. It's just gonna cost you less money to do and then lastly, there are many festivals that are developing their program as they go. So as films are coming in, they're shaping. We got a ton of dramas. Maybe we need two drama blocks, or, we, we don't have enough sci-fi for a sci-fi blocks, we gotta spread it out or whatever. So if you come in late, you're now trying to elbow some other film out of the way in order to find your screening slot.Which don't get me wrong, there are plenty of programmers that are absolutely gonna go to bat for you. They're gonna fight hard to get you in. Doesn't matter if you come in early or late or whatever, but the chances are just better. And the data shows that if you get in early. All that said, a couple of years ago, the very last film that came in with only two hours left in our deadline, we ended up programming it.So it, it is possible.BEN: Rudi, I cannot thank you enough. I can't tell you how helpful this has been. There's so much great information for filmmakers. Filmmakers submitted to festivals, people just interested in going to festivals. So thank you so much for taking the time.RUDI: Hey it's always a pleasure.I always love talking film festivals and for any filmmakers out there, head on over to YouTube hit up the Film Festival Guide. That's my YouTube page. I'm coming out with videos every two or three weeks. That's about what I put ‘em out there for. So if you need any guidance or any, I don't know, insight for film festivals that's where I am.BEN: Film Festival Guide. I'm a subscriber. I can't recommend it enough. Any other social media where people can find you?RUDI: Oh no, I'm terrible on social media. YouTube's enough for me right now.BEN: So Film Fest.RUDI: I will probably expand in the future and I'll probably make some announcement on the YouTube channel.Got it. But for right now, I'm just trying to get good information out there to as many filmmakers as possible.BEN: Thank you so much for doing that. It's such a huge benefit for film.RUDI: Thank you very much for the support and thank you very much for having me on. I enjoyed this. This was a lot of fun.BEN: Me too. This was great. Thank you. And that was my interview with Rudy Womack, director of the Wyoming International Film Festival and creator of the great YouTube page, the Film Festival Guide. Hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please forward it to one person. Thank you and have a great day. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit benbo.substack.com

Sam Baldwin tells John Ross about some ingredients behind the success of his self-published memoir For Fukui's Sake: Two Years in Rural Japan (the subject of a previous chat between them on the Bookish Asia podcast). They touch on Sam's latest memoir, Dormice & Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia. But the heart of the conversation is some travel book recommendations – and Sam's new project: a review website dedicated to travelogues and travel memoirs: https://travelmemoir.reviewSam's Recommended books (in order of mention):Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan (1999) by Jamie ZeppaSeven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer (Eng. 1953)Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea (2003) and Burma Chronicles (2007) by Guy DelisleTonoharu (parts 1-3, 2008-16) by Lars MartinsonRiver Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (2001) and Country Driving: A Journey from Farm to Factory (2010) by Peter HesslerLost Japan (1993) by Alex KerrThe Same Moon (2020) by Sarah Coomber The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org From August 2025. Today's 2 topics: - The Trappist-1 planetary system located about 40 light years away in the constellation of Aquarius consists of a small red dwarf star and 7 Earth sized planets. By carefully studying changes in the planet's transit timings and the shape of the dip in the host star's brightness as each planet transits across it, astronomers have been able to measure the orbital period, radius, and approximate mass for each of the 7 planets.   - Recently my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Richard Kowalski discovered 2017 MB1, a 0.4 mile diameter asteroid with the Catalina Sky Survey Schmidt telescope on Mt. Bigelow, AZ. Two hours and 11 minutes later it came into a set images I obtained with the 60 inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon, AZ. After I reported it, the new object was tracked by telescopes in Arizona, New Zealand, Slovenia, Kansas, Australia, Hungary, France, and Brazil.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

This episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam and Alexandra begin with a roundup of key regional developments including Russia's renewed strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and a major corruption scandal involving the state nuclear operator Energoatom. They also discuss Viktor Orbán's trip to Washington and touch on shifting dynamics in the South Caucasus.In the main interview, Alexandra speaks with Slovenian journalist Uroš Škerl Kramberger from Ostro about a recent tragic incident that has shaken Slovenia and reignited public debate over policing, minority rights, and Roma inclusion. Together, they explore the political response, the rise ofpopulist rhetoric ahead of next year's elections, and what this says about Slovenia's broader democratic trajectory.Help us reach our goal of 70 Patrons by the end of 2025! Join our community here:www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

Acclaimed international Jazz vocalist Lori Williams has a most impressive resume as a performing artist, veteran music educator, songwriter, producer, musical theater actress, radio host, business owner/founder (PositiveMusicPM.org), and artist-in-residence with over 30 years of experience. Her annual vocal jazz tour and performance at music festivals have taken her to Europe (Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, and Ukraine), Japan,  The Caribbean (including Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos, et. al), Mexico, and across the United States (performing at venues and festivals like The Atlanta Jazz Festivals, Berks Jazz Festival, The Birchmere, Birdland - Hamburg, Blues Alley, Blue Note Hawaii, Capital Jazz Fest/Cruise, City Winery, Disney's Pleasure Island, Gulf Coast Summer Jazz Festival, JazzFestBRNO, JazzHRAM, Jazzkeller - Esslingen, Jazzland - Vienna, The Kennedy Center, Keystone Korner, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival, Rams Head Live, Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, Riviera Maya Jazz Festival, Scullers Jazz, Spivey Hall, Trieste Loves Jazz, and more). Her vocal jazz artist residencies have allowed her to work with and mentor students on college campuses in the USA and abroad. As a veteran vocal music educator and private vocal coach, Lori's received many honors for her contributions to the arts, including The 2025 South Arts Jazz Road Award, The Atlanta Chapter of the National Hampton Alumni Association's 2023 Excellence in Arts and Entertainment Award, Outstanding Music Teacher in the October 2000 issue of Teaching Music, the 2007 Superintendent's Arts Teacher of the Year, and the 2010 Vincent E. Reed Teacher of the Year. Lori was nominated for a 2014 Helen Hayes Award as an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Resident Musical for her role as Ella Fitzgerald. Lori has received letters of recognition for her performances by President Joseph Biden (wherein he wrote that Lori Williams has "the voice of an angel…absolutely amazing"), Speaker of the House John Boehner, and Senator C. Anthony Muse.  Immersed in traditional jazz from an early age (earning a B.A. in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University, attending the Jazz Studies Program at The University of the District of Columbia, and currently working on her Master's degree in Music - Jazz Studies at Georgia State University), Lori Williams hosts a weekly radio program on JazzRadioWETF.org -  "Collector's Choice With Lori Williams". Her weekly broadcast highlights women in jazz, the international scene and young performers dedicated to the roots and traditions of the music. Lori is also the producer and host of Sunday Jazz Lounge at St. James Live! jazz club in Atlanta, Georgia (stjamesliveatl.com). For over three decades, Lori Williams has had the honor of working with many notable artists as lead / background / studio session / guest vocalist including Oleta Adams, Marcus Adams, Yolanda Adams, Nikita Agafonov, David Archuleta, Marcos Ariel, Rob Bargad, Regina Belle, Eric Benet, The Blackbyrds, Michael Bowie, Willie Bradley, Karen Briggs, Norman Brown, Tom Browne, Peabo Bryson, Chuck Brown, Wayne Bruce, Jerry Butler, Jonathan Butler, Paul Carr, Terri Lyne Carrington, TC Carson, Gene Chandler, Renato Chicco, Stanley Clarke, Nick Colionne, Collaboration, Michael Colyar, Adrian Crutchfield, John Davis, John Di Martino, Will Downing, Joris Dudli, George Duke, Nathan East, Rodney M. Edge, Troy Sol Edler, Kevon Edmonds (After 7), Herb Fame, Jorel "JFLY" Flynn (HBIYD), Derrick Gardner, James Genus, Jazmin Ghent,  Tres Gilbert, Savion Glover, Chelsey Green, Slide Hampton, Winard Harper, Christian Havel, Walter Hawkins, Norbert Heger, Howard Hewett, Dr. W. Weldon Hill, Tony Hightower, Corcoran Holt, William Hubbard, Daryl Hunt, Yoron Israel, Jessy J, Al Johnson and The A-Team, Allyn Johnson (Divine Order), Marcus Johnson, Stanley Jordan, Jackiem Joyner, Michael Keul, Kindred the Family Soul, Ben E. King, James King, Anatoliy Kirnichnyy, Antoine Knight, Yishai Knoll, Saltman Knowles Group, Ignat Kravtsov, Rayshun LaMarr, Lavahi, Evgeny Lebedev, Alex Malheiros (Azymuth), Jimmy Masters, Maysa, Daniel McClain (After 7), Frank McComb, Marion Meadows, Najee, Jimmy Masters, Nathan Mitchell, Ed Neumeister, Marat Nikolaev, Milan Nikolic, Julia Nixon, Daniel Nösig, Antonio Parker, Phil Perry, Robert E. Person, Anne Phillips, Benjie Porecki, Lloyd Price, Chuck Redd, Robert Redd, Althea Rene, Anton Revnyuk, Lenny Robinson, Gino Rosaria, Ellie Saitoh and The Love Tambourines, Erwin Schmidt, Sylver Logan Sharp, Avery Sharpe, Art Sherrod, Oli Silk, Brian Simpson, Dick Smith, John Toomey, Tony Terry, Unit 3 Deep, Gerald Veasley, Chris Walker, Kevin Walker, Kim Waters, Doug Weiss, Anthony Wellington, Matthew Whitaker, Roz White, Bernhard Wiesinger (Poysdorf All-Stars), Vesta Williams, Larry M. Wilson,  Angela Winbush, Sherry Winston, David Ylvisaker, Frederic Yonnet, et.al.  Lori Williams is the proud mother of two exceptionally talented and compassionate remarkable young adults — Lauren V. Highsmith (LAVAHI.me) and Yusef Khalil Chisholm - who inspire her daily with their creativity, passion, and accomplishments. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, and the Recording Academy.

Struggle to believe your work is good enough? Yeh. Me too. We all do. Ever wonder what it takes to write in a language that isn't your first—and still sound like you?In this episode, I sit down with writer and book coach Karmen Spiljak to talk about what it really means to write without borders. Karmen shares her journey from Slovenia to indie publishing in English, and the mindset shifts that helped her move past perfectionism, comparison, and imposter syndrome to find joy and freedom on the page.We talk about giving yourself permission, learning to trust your gut as a writer, embracing the messy drafts that lead to growth, and practical ways to keep your creative fire alive—like writing a letter to yourself about why you write and keeping a “Nice Things” folder for those encouraging words we all need to revisit sometimes.If you've ever doubted your voice or wrestled with the question, “Am I good enough?”—this conversation will remind you that progress matters more than perfection, and writing what you love is always worth it!Timestamps: 00:00 Starting the Journey: Writing Without Borders14:59 Challenges of Writing in English15:42 Mindset Shifts and Comparisons18:49 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome21:26 Writing for Yourself and Reconnecting with Joy24:31 Tools and Resources for Writers28:40 Final Thoughts and AdviceHow to Connect with KarmenShort Story Blueprint (I've created it for the podcast listeners): https://storyallegiance.com/short/ author website https://karmenspiljak.comOther Links Mentioned:Karmen has also published articles on Jane Friedman's blog, including how to use food as a character development tool and how to navigate writing in a second language.Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.Support the show To become a supporter of the show, click here!To get in touch with Stacy: Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co https://www.writeitscared.co/wis https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/ Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared: Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

It's Engagement Month at FBCA, and the team goes deep on what “everyone to everywhere” actually looks like. Luke, Katy, and Dr. Wiles swap stories from Sunday's multi-language communion (Arabic, Spanish, English), celebrate a campus bursting with nations and flags, and spotlight the behind-the-scenes leaders who make global engagement tangible—like Sarah & Ryan Pursley (fresh back from 8 years in Slovenia).You'll hear how a $1,400 motorbike and a few goats can catalyze 15–20 churches in West Africa, why short-term trips change how you follow Jesus at home, and how FBCA is building polycentric partnerships (everyone…to everywhere). Dr. Wiles shares a moving encounter with Umaru, a Fulani church planter, and the crew previews a month full of ways to jump in—from local partner fairs to next year's trip lineup.Listen in as Luke Stehr, Katy Reed Hodges, and Dr. Dennis R. Wiles unpack FBCA's Engagement Month with moving stories and practical next steps for joining the “everyone to everywhere” mission.

Q&A Edition: Spaghettification, Neutron Stars, and the Mysteries of WormholesIn this mind-bending episode of Space Nuts, hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Jonti Horner tackle fascinating questions from listeners that delve into the depths of cosmic phenomena. From the peculiar concept of spaghettification to the nature of black holes and the theoretical existence of wormholes, this episode is a treasure trove of astronomical insights and engaging dialogue.Episode Highlights:- Understanding Spaghettification: Buddy from Oregon asks if spaghettification is real or merely an illusion. Andrew and Jonti break down the science behind this phenomenon, explaining how the immense gravitational forces near a black hole stretch objects into long, thin shapes, much like spaghetti.- Neutron Stars vs. Black Holes: Istok from Slovenia inquires about the density of neutron stars and what happens to matter inside black holes. The hosts explore the fascinating properties of neutron stars and the limits of our understanding regarding black holes and the nature of singularities.- Theoretical Wormholes: Foster from Norway poses a question about the parameters needed for wormholes to exist, inspired by the film Interstellar. Andrew and Jonti discuss the theoretical framework of wormholes, their implications for space travel, and the challenges of proving their existence.- Pre-Big Bang Theories: Rob's thought-provoking question leads to a discussion about singularities and the potential existence of black holes before the Big Bang. The hosts explore the philosophical implications of what may have existed before time and space as we know them.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/about.Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

Lucy, Theo, Andrew, and Ben bring you: Two tales of the uncanny, an unclear link to a frozen turkey heist, a buried lede in the American police state, and a one-of-a-kind basketball court fostering unity. *** Outro: I Love You Mary Jane - Cypress Hill and Sonic Youth *** Support our show and get exclusive bonus episodes by subscribing on Patreon: www.patreon.com/BoontaVista *** Email the show at mailbag@boontavista.com! Call in and leave us a question or a message on 1800-317-515 to be answered on the show! *** Twitter: twitter.com/boontavista Website: boontavista.com Twitch: twitch.tv/boontavista

What started as a nine-day motorcycle trip through Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia took a sudden and serious turn. Riding the TET, Philipp Amann and his friends were well into their journey when one of the riders fell ill but insisted on continuing. When he made the decision to turn back, his friends chose to ride with him, unaware of how quickly his condition was deteriorating. It's a story about good intentions, missed signs, and the importance of recognizing when it's time to stop.

Childcare policy affects all of us at some point in our lives. And depending on where you live, your country's parental leave and early-education policies can determine everything from what you do for a living to how you divide household labor to how you plan for your future. Reporters Maja Stepančič and Uršula Zaletelj took a whirlwind trip across Europe to find out which country does childcare policy best. And even if you don't have kids of your own, we're pretty sure you'll enjoy taking the journey with them. Maja and Uršula are the hosts of the Slovenian-language parenting podcast Šala za starše, or ‘A Joke for Parents'. You can find their show here. This series was fully funded by you, our listeners. Our generous crowdfunders hit our goal within two months, making it possible for us to do extensive reporting fully independently. We couldn't be more grateful. If you're feeling inspired to support The Europeans' ongoing work, please go to patreon.com/europeanspodcast.  Want to support us in another way? Please share this episode with one or two friends who you think might find it interesting. It's the most effective way for us to reach people! Additional resources for this episode:  The Day Iceland Stood Still  UNICEF report on parental leave and family-friendly policies Zoe Williams' Guardian piece “‘These are not numbers – they are people': what ex-communist Slovenia can teach the world about child poverty” 00:00:43 Introducing Uršula Zaletelj and Maja Stepančič 00:05:52 How childcare made this episode about childcare possible 00:13:55 How Icelandic women went on strike and brought the entire country to a halt 00:17:25 A Swedish toddler trouble 00:21:52 Is it best to raise your child in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower? 00:28:26 The longest parental leave in Europe 00:34:54 Italy: La Famiglia Mulino Bianco 00:42:39 No place like home! Written, reported and produced by: Uršula Zaletelj and Maja Stepančič Additional production: Katz Laszlo Editors: Jasmin Baoumy, Katz Laszlo Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer, Katy Lee, Morgan Childs Sound design: Jesse Lou Lawson Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music and SFX: Jim Barne, Epidemic, FreeSound.org Artwork: RTiiiKA With thanks to everyone that talked to us for this episode: Mathieu Lefèvre, Ana Marija Sikirić Simčic, Martina Pezer, Petra Klasić, Ivona Ivić Lovrenović, Mojca Dominikovič, Katarina Hovfing, Katy Lee, Stephanie Scherer, Dana Thompson, Richard Thompson, Madalina Ion, Corina Parvu, Alenka Švab, Katarina Bogataj, Carlotta Giordano, Giulia Milan, Letizia Mencarini, Maria Rosaria Gualano and Anne Wiebke Peters. And a final, heartfelt thanks to the wonderful professionals who looked after Uršula and Maja's children so they could work on this episode ❤️ YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Traveling through Europe doesn't have to drain your wallet.And honestly, some of the most memorable moments come from the free or nearly free experiences. In this episode, I'm sharing my favorite tips for finding free and inexpensive things to do in Europe, whether you're wandering a big city like Paris or Rome, or exploring a small village in Ireland or Slovenia.We'll talk about how to take advantage of free museum days, join donation-based “free” walking tours, and enjoy Europe's beautiful parks and gardens. I'll also dive into the simple pleasures — like discovering street art in unexpected corners, stepping inside centuries-old churches, and hitting local trails for a scenic walk that costs absolutely nothing.You'll hear how to blend these low-cost activities into your travels, creating a richer, more authentic experience that connects you with local culture and daily life — without overspending.Because the truth is, you don't need a big budget to have a big adventure in Europe. You just need curiosity, a good pair of walking shoes, and a few smart strategies to make the most of every day.In this episode:1:54: Intro3:31: Check with tourism boards & free museum days6:55: Free walking tours8:33: Wander9:02: Churches9:44: Festivals and local events12:20: Public parks14:45: Historical and cultural sites16:54: Public art17:37: Hiking and walking18:20: City passes19:37: Wrapping it upImportant links:50 Things To Do in Europe for FreeSolo Traveler - Tracey's ListWander Your Way AdventuresWander Your Way ResourcesWander Your Way ★ Support this podcast ★