Tina Vrbnjak: Who pays the price for decisions made by those in power?

Tina Vrbnjak sees a turning point in Slovenian television in series such as Jezero, Leninov Park and Dolina rož. In her view, they encouraged filmmakers to treat a series as an authored visual work, rather than simply a television product.

She also points to Življenja Tomaža Kajzerja as an important milestone, describing it as an unusual series for its time and place that opened the way for more distinctive television projects. Earlier Slovenian productions, including Teater Paradižnik, V dvoje, LP Lena, Renato and Kaj pa Ester, also helped build the country’s acting, television and production environment.

Vrbnjak plays Sonja in Trezor, a new original Slovenian series directed by Matevž Luzar. Sonja works as a bank security guard and becomes the main suspect after a daring robbery at the bank vault. Vrbnjak portrays her as a woman pushed to the margins, a single mother with little systemic support and a low-paid worker constantly fighting to survive.

The actress says Slovenian audiences expect more from increasingly complex domestic series, especially with access to strong and diverse international productions on streaming platforms. She says actors want to keep pace by becoming more contemporary, convincing and versatile.