My Summer Holiday

Petra
Saliskar

Petra Seliškar is a Slovenian documentary writer, director and producer with a rich experience and singular talent. She has flourished as a filmmaker with profound insight, sensibility, strong narrative force and innovative approaches. Seliškar has the ability to recognise hidden details, and through them discovers and highlights the essence in art, culture, nature and all aspects of life. This is why she dedicated her time on this planet to life’s little pleasures, and of course, cinema. She is currently filming her eight feature length documentary Torso of an Old Cat. Besides her own works, Seliškar has produced films by international filmmakers including Claudia Tosi, Peter Zach, Francesco Fei, Damian Nenadić, Jean-Robert Viallet, Ineke Smith and Iiris Saaren-Seppälä.
In 2003, Seliškar established her production company Petra Pan Film Production in Slovenia, and in 2009 PPFP in North Macedonia. She co-founded MakeDox Creative Documentary Festival in Skopje, Balkan Documentary Distribution Network (BDDN), Doc Around Europe festival network, and most recently, the world sales agency Open Kitchen. She also works in education through platforms such as MakeDox’s Docusprouts and Dokumentarnica in Slovenia.
Body (writer, director), documentary, 2023
Farewell (writer, director), documentary, 2020
My World Is Upside Down (writer, director), documentary, 2016
Mama Europa (writer, director), documentary, 2014
The Grandmothers of the Revolution (director, producer), documentary, 2006
Babice revolucije, (director), documentary, 2006

While most kids spend summer by the sea or in cities, 8-year-old Basri dreams of the mountains of Macedonia. Each year, he joins his brothers in the highlands, where their family has herded animals for generations. The older siblings watch over hundreds of sheep and cows, guarded from wolves by loyal dogs. For Basri, it’s pure adventure: wild nature, fresh wood scents, tough weather, and hard work. He sleeps under open skies, learns to care for animals, and takes on real responsibility. Filmed over five years at altitudes above 2,400 meters – where there's no signal and time is marked by milking and grazing – this documentary by Petra Seliškar paints a tender portrait of growing up. It’s a story of brotherhood, resilience, and the quiet heroism of those who live with nature, not just near it. A heartfelt tribute to childhood shaped not by screens, but by stars, storms, and sheep.