Enya Belak is a multidisciplinary artist born in Ljubljana, whose work spans film directing, choreography, and beyond. As an MA alumna of Goldsmiths University of London for Directing Fiction Films, she has established her network across Europe. 

Enya’s upbringing was infused with dance and art, and her exposure to the film world at a young age eventually led to a lead role in a short film screened at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival. Alongside her dance training, Enya also dedicated her time to voluntary and activist-oriented projects, which earned her several awards and recognition from the former Slovenian president, Dr. Janez Drnovšek. Additionally, Enya was the recipient of the Municipality Ljubljana Scholarship for young talent from 2008-2016, which further supported her artistic endeavours.

FILM

Enya’s talent as a film director has been recognised through her many projects. She directed and produced an hour-long documentary, ‘Aerowaves at 25’, which premiered at Spring Forward 2022 in the European Capital of Culture in Elefsina, Greece. Additionally, her graduation short film ‘Luminary’ earned her a nomination for Best Director in the Under25 category at the BAFTA-qualifying Underwire Film Festival. Enya also directed the video campaign ‘Sports Spirit Doesn’t Pick a Body’, which aimed to promote inclusivity in sports and celebrate para-sports and para-athletes. The campaign premiered on Slovenian National TV and highlighted the 16th Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Enya’s diverse visual language and unique perspective have been expressed in many music videos, including one of her most notable works, the music video for the renowned Slovenian rock band Siddharta, titled ‘Medrevesa’. With over 2 million views, the video showcases Enya’s touch for combining music and a captivating aesthetic. 

DANCE

Enya’s artistic work extends beyond film, as she has also expressed her voice through dance performances, photography, and multidisciplinary works. Her visual storytelling project ‘S P A C E between’ exhibited in London and Slovenia, explores intimate encounters with strangers through photography without words or sight. Additionally, her multi-genre project ‘Blue Ink’ combines dance, film, and VR 360° to explore the absurdity of bureaucracy through hybrid forms of presentation. The project premiered in Ljubljana and toured Vienna, Rijeka, Linz, Plovdiv, and Salzburg and earned a 40 WINKS recognition by the Aerowaves dance network in 2020. Finally, Enya’s recent choreographic work ‘BLUFF’ delves into society’s perception of individual bodies as market goods and centres of spectacle. Enya’s accomplishments in dance have been celebrated through multiple awards, such as the Ksenija Hribar Award for a perspective dance artist from the Contemporary Dance Network Slovenia, for her debut performance ‘The Daddy Project’.

COLLABORATIONS

Alongside artistic work, Enya has extensive experience in directing, editing and producing audio-visual content with the main focus on contemporary dance. She has produced over 200 interviews with artists and dance professionals, showcasing diverse perspectives and insights from the dance world. Since 2017, Enya has collaborated with Aerowaves, the European dance network, on several notable projects. These include the artist interview series ‘Meet the Makers’, the live streaming daytime TV program ‘Springback Live’, ‘Spring Forward 2020 / The Show Must Go On-Line!’ and ‘Springback Ringside’ for the innovative recording of dance performances in virtual reality.

Amidst the pandemic in 2020, Enya leveraged her expertise in dance and film to support various organisations by implementing innovative digital technologies. Through the launch of Springback Production, she directed and produced online dance festivals, while also supporting artists in adapting their work for digital platforms. Enya’s efforts not only kept the arts alive during a challenging time but also opened up new avenues for artistic expression and engagement.

Enya has collaborated with numerous festivals and organisations in the dance world over the past few years. Including Springback Magazine, Bora Bora (Aarhus, Denmark), Derida Dance Center (Sofia, Bulgaria), Croatian Cultural Centre / HKD (Rijeka, Croatia), Španski Borci Cultural Centre (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Dance Theatre Ljubljana (Ljubljana, Slovenia), DAN.C.CE UNITIVA (Athens, Greece), Nordic Dance Platform ICE HOT (Reykjavík, Iceland), Portuguese Platform for Performing Arts (Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal), NID – New Italian Dance Platform (Reggio Emilia, Italy), B.motion Festival / OperaEstate (Bassano del Grappa, Italy), La Briqueterie (Val-de-Marn, France), Czech Dance Platform / Tanec Praha (Prague, Czech Republic), Trip Space (London, UK), European Dancehouse Network, Dublin Dance Festival (Dublin, Ireland), and The Place (London, UK).

These diverse artistic impulses and experiences have informed Enya’s distinctive approach to her work, characterised by meticulous attention to detail. Moving forward, Enya remains committed to exploring new territories, using her platform to effect thought-provoking projects and meaningful changes.

2020

Aerowaves
BLUE INK (dance performance)
40 WINKS selection / 5-minute excerpts of 40 works by emerging artists across Europe

2017 

Underwire Film Festival [BAFTA-qualifying], UK
LUMINARY (short film)
Nomination for Best Director in a category Under25 & Official Selection

Prince of Prestige Academy Award, USA
LUMINARY (short film)
Nomination for Best Student Filmmaker & Official Selection

2016 

UK Film Review, UK
3# Best Kickstarter Projects of the month
LUMINARY (short film)

Public Fund for Cultural Activities, Slovenia
Golden Insignia of Meta Vidmar for long-lasting creative contribution to establishing contemporary dance in Slovenia

2015

OPUS 1 & Public Fund for Cultural Activities, Slovenia
XY Line Z (dance miniature)
Award for best choreographic concept

2014

Parada Plesa, Slovenia
Profile & Punishment (dance performance)
Best dance artist selection

2013 

5th National Dance Gathering, En-Knap, Slovenia
International Jury: Bettina Masuch, John Ashford and Honne Dohrmann
Girl with the Dragon (dance performance)
Award for the best pitch

8th International Festival of youth arts Muzite, Bulgaria
The Daddy Project (dance performance)
Award for the best dance performance

OPUS 1 & Public Fund for Cultural Activities, Slovenia
Special award for the 12-year continuous contribution & Special award for the production of a new work 

Festival of Choreographic miniatures, Serbia
The Daddy Project (dance performance)
Plaquet Aleksandar Izrailovski

Contemporary Dance Network Slovenia
The Daddy Project (dance performance)
Ksenija Hribar Award for the emerging dance artist

2012 

Festival of Independent Film, Slovenia
Award for the best picture / Horizontal shock (short film)

Public Fund for Cultural Activities, Slovenia
Silver Insignia of Meta Vidmar For long-lasting creative contribution to establishing contemporary dance in Slovenia

2011 

OPUS 1 & Public Fund for Cultural Activities, Slovenia
UMmotion (dance miniature)
Award for the best dance performance

2007 

Amnesty International Slovenia
Special recognition award

Pozitivke, Svet je lep & Magazines Karma Plus and Viva, Slovenia
Readers’ and editors’ choice recognition for the sunniest personality of 2007

National Youth Council of Slovenia / Mladinski Svet Slovenije
Award for the best volunteer of 2006 for projects Helpmanija and children’s demonstrations against fur
Award for the best voluntary project Helpmanija, which was also supported by the former President of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek

UNICEF, Slovenia
Special award earned at the celebratory 60th anniversary of UNICEF Slovenia

2005

OPUS 1 & Public Fund for Cultural Activities, Slovenia
Svoboda (dance miniature)
Award for the best dance performance

2003

OPUS 1 & Public Fund for Cultural Activities, Slovenia
Ali naju v muzeju kdo opazi? (dance miniature)
Award for the best dance performance

2008 – 2016

Recipient of the Municipality Ljubljana Scholarship for young talent

2015 – 2016

MASTERS IN FILMMAKING [Directing fiction films]
Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

2011 – 2015

BACHELOR OF DESIGN [Visual communications]
Faculty of Design, Slovenia

2007 – 2011

ART AND DESIGN GYMNASIUM
Secondary School for Design and Photography Ljubljana, Slovenia

2007 – 2011

CONTEMPORARY DANCE GYMNASIUM
Secondary Preschool Education, Grammar School and Performing Arts Grammar School Ljubljana

1998 – 2007

CONSERVATORY FOR MUSIC AND BALLET LJUBLJANA
[2002 – 2007] Ballet
[1998 – 2005] Contemporary Dance
[1999 – 2003] Violin