BALKAN FICTION
Director: Dženan Medanović
Producer: Nives Zemba
Production company: Tout va bien! Productions
Director of photography: Viktor Gloc
Editor: Hrvoje Mršic
Croatia, 90 min, Social Issues
If football match can start a war, can it also bring peace again? Some years ago, TV station CNN has published a story on five sport events that changed the history line. One of those was the football match in Zagreb, back in the 1990s, between Croatian Dinamo and Serbian Crvena Zvezda. The match was never played because of the conflict among the supporters, who, symbolically, invaded the field. Later on, it was declared as the start of the war between Croatia and Serbia. Journalist Dejan Kožul is given a task to do the research on what really happened that day and what has changed in hearts and minds of these people after all these years. He was born in Croatia, but since the war he lives in Belgrade. His goal is to find ten football fans who were on the stadium supporting their football teams on May 13th 1990. Five of them – FC Crvena Zvezda supporters and the other five, supporting FC Dinamo. They will tell us their stories about that day and Dejan will ask them if they would like to symbolically play that match, 24 years later, as they once stopped it by invading the field. Whether or not they will use this opportunity, I still do not know.
442
Director: Brdar Iva, Rukavina Luka
Producer: Kuliš Šimun
Production company: Plan 9 Production , Barbarogeniji
442 , Croatia, Serbia, 52 min, HD, Society, Travel
On the day of the football match between Croatia and Serbia (which always draws attention of the two nations and hatred always arises again) two men, a helicopter pilot in the Croatian Police, Hrvoje from Zagreb and a music manager, Nebojša from Belgrade head down the road of 442 km in their cars in order to visit their girlfriends in Belgrade, that is in Zagreb. Nebojša is moving to Zagreb with his big van, and Hrvoje intends to finally ask his girlfriend to marry him. Both of them are members of „442“ group for a while and have used it for this trip as well. That is why Hrvoje departs on his trip to Belgrade together with Marina who goes to visit her brother’s ex-girlfriend and Nebojša travels with Aleksandra who is returning to Zagreb from her visit to her boyfriend in Belgrade. On their way we get to know their intimate stories, their own theories of what does 442 stands for along with the live broadcast of the football match. Everybody arrives at his/hers destination, the 442nd kilometer of the ex-highway of Fraternity and Unity, into the arms of their beloved ones.
FAMILY COMING OUT
Director: Mikulcová Kateřina
Producer: Vácha Pavel
Production company: Bratři s.r.o.
Rodinný coming out , Czech Republic, 90 min, DCP, Creative, Current Affairs, Society
A relationship between a child and a parent works both ways and it probably ends only when one of them dies, and sometimes not even death can sort out all the troubles of parent-child relationships. What does a process of accepting a homosexual son or daughter look like? Is there a difference between father’s and mother’s acceptance? Will parents accept also a partner of their child? When and how can they communicate about homosexuality with their child and when can they communicate about it with their, say, colleagues? How do mothers reply to questions of their colleagues like “does Jane already have a boyfriend?” when Jana already has a girlfriend?
FYODORYCH
Director: Ainelo Kaspar, Heifets Aleksandr
Producer: Talvistu Eero
Production company: Exitfilm OÜ
Estonia, 52 min, DCP, Creative, Current Affairs
Russia, as the legacy holder of the Soviet Union, as well as with the history of Czar Empire, has been changing its rhetoric over almost quarter of the century. In EU and the rest of the world understanding of this rhetoric is different. Russia is touching the boundaries. In 2008 Georgia, in 2014 Ukraine. What happens in 2020 if the rhythm stays the same? Next attempt could be Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania, even though they are part of EU and NATO. Or Finland, since they are not part of NATO? But it would be just a bigger boundary to touch, to see how the rest of the world is reacting.Estonia joined EU and NATO in 2004. Narva, the biggest most eastern town in Estonia became the eastern border of EU, with the majority of the population speaking Russian as their native language.
NO ADDRESSEE
Director: Okhapkina Ksenia
Producer: Kibus Kadriann
Production company: Vesilind
Estonia, Russia, 90 min, Blu-ray, DCP, Creative, Philosophy, Social Issues
Chechnya. The war ended five years ago. On the mountain of Ertan there is a cemetery, the last resting place for the ones killed in the war. The mourning relatives live in the village nearby. Some of them aspire to well-being and peace, some desire revenge. Cemetery caretaker Ahmed tries to unite people in the aspiration for peace and forgiveness, like his ancestor in the XIX century, who managed to stop yet another war between Chechnya and Russia. Once again, people must choose between revenge and forgiveness.
AFTERGLOW
Director: Szakonyi Noemi Veronika
Producer: Ugrin Julianna
Production company: Éclipse Film, Café Film Ltd.
Szilánkok, Hungary, 90 min, Blu-ray, DCP, DVD, HD, Creative, Drama doc, Personal View
“My brother was kidnapped by his own father in 5th of September 1985 from Budapest. After a long pursuit, on 20th of November 2007, I found him in Brussels.My mother went through unbearable pain of losing her only son and she never found him. Two years later I was born into this deep secret that she was carrying. It completely determined my life, after 6 years of searching I finally found him. He became the leader of one of the most powerful anti-terrorist SWAT teams in the world. Not long ago they met after 28 years. It was a beautiful experience and a huge shock at the same time. He invited us – his mother’s family – to his wedding in this year’s June, which will be the first time after 28 years that his father and mother meet again.My documentary is going to present the story of my mother and brother under the final years of the communist regime in Hungary and the present when everyone is facing the truth about the past.”
STYX
Director: Füredi Zoltán
Producer: Héger Barbara
Production company: Campfilm Production
Hungary, 70 min, HD, Creative, History, Society
The film is a resuscitation of a fifty year old story: Father Valter – the speleologist teacher from Pannonhalma – and the mysterious misadventure bringing forth the death of three students in the depths of Baradla Cave on the eve of New Year, 1965. Memoirs of survivors, eyewitnesses and those helping in the rescue work told in a detailed and personal voice, however also contradictory at some points. We can get a glimpse into the wider political context of the history of the Hungarian Benedictines and the operations of the Communist Regime. The character of Father Valter appears deep and nuanced in the film alongside the metaphor of an underground road leading through wonderful and frightening corridors; a ROAD that we choose for ourselves and on which we have to go along.
INGA CAN HEAR
Director: Goba Kaspars
Producer: Goba Ieva
Production company: Elm Media
Inga dzird, Latvia, 70 min, DCP, Creative
Inga can hear is a story about a deaf family, their efforts to start a business and the difficulties deaf people face to build and run a business. The film’s protagonist Inga is the only hearing member of a deaf family residing in the Latvian countryside. Since the age of 7, Inga has been the family’s interpreter in the hearing world and her current biggest challenge is helping the family build a business to be able to support themselves in the Latvian countryside where employment is hard to come by and almost impossible to find for people with disabilities.However, 15-year-old Inga has also got to complete her elementary school studies. How will Inga manage to combine finishing her studies with her role as an interpreter in the family business? And is personal development even possible if a person is acting as their family’s ears?
FIRST POLE ON MARS
Director: Elbanowska Agnieszka
Producer: Wasilewska Tatiana
Production company: Square Film Studio Ltd.
Pierwszy Polak na Marsie, Poland, 45 min, HD, Drama doc, Personal View, Portrait, Science and Technology
Kazimierz is a retired wood technologist and plans to move on Mars in 2023. By dint of a chance toparticipate in a historical space mission called “Mars One”, his peaceful and lonely life in a countrytown becomes more exciting. Kazimierz has a possibility to become one of the first colonists of thered planet. However, first he has to defeat around three thousand adversaries from all over theworld. He’s passing the consecutive steps of the selection and in the meantime continues his localactivity. With the idea of the construction of the enormous radio telescope and astronomicobservatory in the nearby village, he rouse in its inhabitants spirit of hope for a better tomorrow; heorganizes the sky observations for the people from his town and for all the interested internet usershe becomes a ubiquitous video reporter. He’s a real pionieer that brings to the people new dreamsand passion but will he be able to reach Mars, put there the polish flag and send us the first videomessage from there? They used to say that dreams comes true…
RUNNERS
Director: Borowski Lukasz
Producer: Krol Zuzanna
Production company: Wajda Studio
Biegacze, Poland, 70 min, HD, Creative
He run lasts uninterruptedly for 48 hours, during which the participants cover 240 kilometres. For two days the runners are deprived of sleep or rest, not even stopping to eat. After a few hours, toe nails start peeling, later, nipples start bleeding, people are dehydrated and faint. After 24 hours they start hallucinating. Those who make it to the finishing line feel great euphoria. It doesn’t last too long, though. They soon start thinking about a next run.Extreme runs are races covering a distance of over 100 kilometres or events that take place during 24 hours or more. Such races are organized worldwide.
BORDER BARBERS
Director: Chojna Igor
Producer: Pnacekova Michaela
Production company: Hanfgarn & Ufer Filmproduktion GbR, Lava Films
Fryzjerki Przygraniczne , Germany, Poland, Spain, 72 min, Society
Nieder Wutzen was a quiet German village. In 1945, with the shifting of the borders, it became Poland’s the westernmost settlement – Osinow Dolny. Twenty years ago a border bridge opened between Osinow Dolny and the German village, Hohen Wutzen, and the Germans started to come back, but this time only for a few hours, and mostly to get cheap haircuts. More then half of the population of Osinow Dolny work as hairdressers, leading to the town having the highest concentration of barbers in the world, and being called by the visitors “Dorf der Frieseure”. Halina, a fetching 70 year old hair stylist, has been cutting hair for more than 40 years. Together with her two young assistants, they run one of the first salons in the village. Her clients, like those of all the other salons, are old Germans who besides getting their hair trimmed, love to tell tales of their lives, their problems, and their hopes. Halina loves her job, but as of late her knees have been giving her problems, and she is getting ready to retire. Before she leaves Osinow Dolny, and the life she has known for the last 40 years, she needs to choose a successor from the two young woman who are her apprentices, and who she both considers unworthy.
NEW BLOOD
Director: Ziemilski Pawel
Producer: Długołęcki Lukasz
Production company: NUR
Nowa Krew, Iceland, Poland, 90 min, Blu-ray, DCP, Creative, History, Social Issues, Society
“New Blood” (“Nowa krew”) is a story of people from a little Polish village called Stare Juchy (which means Old Blood in Polish). The village is located in Masuria, area often referred as ‘’land of thousand lakes’’. More than 300 people from this village have emigrated to Iceland since the 80’s and nobody has returned.The film exposes the changes that occurred in the area, the connection between these who are left behind and these who migrated, as well as the ways of the Polish-Icelandic integration. Focusing on the evolution of the individuals, families and the whole society it shows what does the values like freedom, openness towards the world and the possibilities of the rapid mobility and modern technologies change in the understanding of oneself and the ones around us, as well as the understanding of controlling one’s ways of life.
PERSON OF VIEW
Director: Ina Ferlan
Producer: Jerca Jerič
Slovenia, Docu-fiction, Society, Dances
The senses are usually taken for granted. For the deaf however, this is not the case. Seeking different sensory impulses in order to revive sound in the body and mind, the other senses sharpen, especially the sense of sight and touch. There is a widespread belief that deafness is an impairment. But which perception is clearer? Is it the one that arises from the precise observation of a deaf person or the one of a hearing person, who can easily be distracted? Can the sight of a hearing person even come close to the visual experience of a deaf one? The film will explore these questions through the eyes of a deaf dancer that senses music through its vibrations.
CARROLL THROUGH THE RUSSIAN LOOKING GLASS
Director: Tatyana Soboleva
Producer: Yulia Bufina
Production company: FILMSTART
Russia, Experimental doc., History
Once writer Lewis Carroll set off for a first journey in his life and choses… Russia. When he returned, he wrote the book “Through the Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There)” and then didn’t traveled anywhere else until his death. What Carroll saw there – in Russia? A young English writer decided to repeat Carroll’s journey to, he believes that this country inspired Carroll and influenced the book.
ROSEMARIE
Director: Zoran Krema
Croatia, Docu-fiction, Personal view, Social
Two former lovers who meet coincidentally over the Internet after fifty years, being to review their memories in their old age – he while cleaning his unkempt, messy house on a Croatian island, she while watching neatly arranged photos in an old album in her apartment in Berlin.
On a summer evening of 1961, on the terrace of a hotel on the Island of Krk, Nikola (31) and Rosemarie (21) danced for the first time to the tune of “Oh my sailor” (Mornaru moj). She had come from far away Berlin to catch some sun and sea, and he was waiting for girls just like her. Fifty years later Nikola’s (81) phone rings and on the other side Rosemarie tells him that she has found his phone number “Googling” his name.
A month later Rosemarie gathers her courage to travel once more to the island of her splendid memories. Nikola decides to do a big clean-up of his house which has stayed almost identical to the one in which he and the young girl had stayed.
NEWS AT LUNCH
Directors: Kristina Barišić, Marta Ožanić
Croatia, Docu-fiction, Experimental, Society
When was the last time you have withheld, or delivered the bad news? How do you take the bad news yourself, do you let them effect you, do you lose your temper or stay calm, does your reaction cause another action?
“News at lunch” is a hybrid diptych about ordinary contemporary people showing the intensity and change of their mental states and emotions due to the certain events. It is told from totally separated standpoints: the first one (“New”) is dealing with the act of teenage’ vandalism and the public condemnation of it with instant (and equally vandal) reaction on the Internet. The second standpoint (“Lunch”) analyzes the family itself and the complexity of relationships within it.
