Rada Šešić: Uvod / Introduction

16 filmskih dragulja za ljubitelje dokumentaraca IZOLACIJA I INTIMA

Kriza izazvana pandemijom COVID-19 nas je naučila da posvetimo više pažnje vrijednosti svakodnevnice, ljudske komunikacije i ophođenja. Ovo novo iskustvo otvara i drugačiji način razmišljanja o izgradnji našeg novog doživljaja vremena. Iz ove perspektive, lako je vidjeti da potreba za izolacijom sebe, odnosno sakrivanjem ili bijegom od nečega što je bolno i uznemirujuće, jasno prožima većinu filmova u našem takmičarskom programu. Prvi film, SVETI OTAC (HOLY FATHER) talentovanog rumunskog autora Andreia Dascalescua, je intimna priča o samoizolaciji rediteljevog oca koji je porodični život zamijenio manastirskim i time ostavio ogroman ožiljak na duši svoga sina, koji će i sam uskoro postati otac. Izolacija je osnovni motiv grčkog poetičnog, meditativnog filma ČETVRTI LIK (THE FOURTH CHARACTER) autorice Katerine Patroni, koja provodi mnoge noći sa tri lika osuđena na procesiranje bola, gubitka i krivice.

Dok smo prethodnih godina sa publikom podijelili brojne političke priče, ove godine reditelji iz naše regije okreću neumoljivo oko svoje kamere ka intimi, društvenim tabu temama, porodičnim tajnama i ličnim ispovijestima.

Na neki način, suočavanje sa zlostavljanjem predstavlja ključni element ovogodišnje selekcije. Jedan od dva snažna filma koja nam dolaze iz Mađarske, POVRATAK U EPIPO (RETURN TO EPIPO) je opčinjavajuća lična priča rediteljice Judit Olah koja se prisjeća vlastite traume uzrokovane zlostavljanjem od voditelja u dječijem kampu, koji je pored nje zlostavljao još desetak njenih vršnjaka. U uvjerljivom hrvatskom filmu Đure Gavrana JEDNA OD NAS, užasavajuća priča o silovanju školske kolegice polako izranja na površinu. Obuzimaju nas hladni žmarci dok gledamo ovaj pedantni, prilično tihi film koji nas tjera da razmišljamo o tome koliko često okrećemo glavu i tjeramo žrtve u izolaciju. U filmu HOLD ME RIGHT, mlada srpska glumica Danijela Štajnfeld otkriva svoje razloge za bijeg iz Beograda u Sjedinjene Američke Države. Nakon što je silovao slavni muškarac iz njenih profesionalnih krugova, u ovom debitantskom ostvarenju ona okreće kameru ka sebi i drugim žrtvama silovanja koje su zlostavljale kolege, obično kolege koje su bile u jačoj poziciji od svojih žrtava.

Drugi ključni atribut ove godine je velika zastupljenost žena. Više od polovine filmova su režirale i producirale žene. U austrijsko-rumunskoj produkciji pod nazivom DRVO (WOOD), tri hrabre žene odvažno pokazuju kako međunarodna mafija vodi ilegalnu trgovinu drvetom. Monica LăzureanGorgan (dobitnica Srca Sarajeva 2016. godine), Michaela Kirst i Ebba Sinzinger prate istražitelja koji razotkriva ovaj megazločin kroz film koji teče poput trilera. Druga odvažno obrađena tema je homofobija, još uvijek vrlo prisutna u regiji. U sve više desničarskoj političkoj klimi Mađarske, gay par se susreće sa brojnim preprekama u pokušaju da usvoji romsku djevojčicu. U debitantskom filmu PRIČA NJENE MAJKE (HER MOTHERS’ STORY), dvije mlade žene, Asia Dér i Sári Haragonics, prate svoje šarmantne protagonistice kroz njihovu dugotrajnu borbu na delikatan i intiman način. Bosanski reditelj Ado Hasanović u NEKA BUDU BOJE (LET THERE BE COLOUR) istražuje homofobiju u svojoj zemlji, uz to prikazujući i prvu Paradu ponosa u Sarajevu. Drugi bosanski reditelj, Mladen Bundalo, se bavi temom migracije u svom kratkometražnom filmu NENAD. Srpska rediteljica Tamara Drakulić u svom poetskom filmu U SLAVU LJUBAVI odlazi daleko od kuće da bi posmatrala zajednicu autohtonih žitelja Meksika, čiju će mirnu svakodnevnicu i rituale sporog življenja uskoro poremetiti industrijski radovi velike korporacije. Zanimljiva ženska tema – šta sa ostarjelim tijelom kada je duh i dalje mlad – artikulisana je u šarmantnom i zabavnom rumunskom filmu KUĆA ZA LUTKE (HOUSE OF DOLLS) Tudora Platona, koji je snimao svoju baku i nekoliko njenih

16 film gems for documentary lovers ISOLATION AND INTIMACY

bliskih prijateljica tokom boravka u odmaralištu za uljepšavanje.

Totalno šokantan i zapanjujući, IZBOR LJEPOTE (THE PAGEANT) turskog reditelja Eytana İpekera donosi priču o jedinstvenom natjecanju ljepote koje se održava u Haifi od 2011. godine. Stare žene koje su preživjele holokaust, u svojim osamdesetim i čak devedesetim godinama učestvuju u takmičenju pod nazivom Mis Holokausta kako bi prikupile novac da spase svoj starački dom. Rumunski ACASA, MOJ DOM (ACASĂ, MY HOME) debitanta Radua Ciorniciuca predstavlja jedinstvenu sagu o slobodi i izgnanstvu, u kojoj porodica sa devetoro djece koja je dvadeset godina živjela u divljini Delte Bukurešta biva izmještena od strane vlasti i prisiljena da se prilagodi životu u velikom gradu. SREĆAN BOŽIĆ, YIWU renomiranog srpskog reditelja Mladena Kovačevića bavi se vrlo specifičnom kineskom zajednicom, koja radi u jednoj od 600 fabrika koje proizvode božićne i novogodišnje ukrase za cijeli svijet. MIR NAŠE GOSPE veterana filmske poetike Vladimira Perovića posmatra duhovno mjesto u okviru prelijepog Crnogorskog pejzaža. Drugi Crnogorac, Šeki Radončić, koji je iz novinarstva prešao u reditelje, u svom filmu ZAVJERA odvažno istražuje pokušaj političkog puča koji je, uz pomoć Rusije i Srbije, trebao s vlasti svrgnuti premijera Crne Gore. Šesnaest filmova, šesnaest relevantnih priča i kinematografskih dragulja. Od šesnaest filmova koji su ušli u našu selekciju, osam će imati svjetsku premijeru u Sarajevu, a tu je i još nekoliko međunarodnih, evropskih, regionalnih i nacionalnih premijera. Molimo vas, čuvajte se u našim kinima, uživajte u razgovorima sa rediteljima i dijelite priče koje vam donose naši regionalni talenti. Svi ste dobrodošli! E The COVID-19 crisis has taught us to look deeper into the values of everyday life, of human communication and behaviour. This new experience opens a different kind of reflection on the development of our new temporality. From this perspective, one can clearly see that the need to isolate oneself, either to hide or to run away from something painful and disturbing, is very visible in most of the films we have in our official competition. Our opening film, the Romanian HOLY FATHER by the talented Andrei Dascalescu, is an intimate story that tackles the self-isolation of the director’s father who exchanged family life for a monastery and left an immense scar on the soul of his son, who is soon to become father himself. Isolation is also the key notion of the Greek poetic, meditative THE FOURTH CHARACTER by Katerina Patroni, who spends many nights with three characters bound to process pain, loss and guilt.

While in previous years we shared with our audience many political stories, this year our regional directors are turning their sharp camera eye towards intimacy, social taboo topics, family secrets and personal confessions.

In a way, dealing with abuse is a key element of this year’s selection. One of two strong films from Hungary, RETURN TO EPIPO is the captivating personal account from director Judit Olah, who recalls trauma of abuse by a leader at a children’s camp, who victimised a dozen of Olah’s peers. In the Croatian compelling ONE OF US by Djuro Gavran, the awful story of the rape of a school colleague slowly comes to the surface. One gets cold chills while watching this meticulously made, rather quiet film that makes us think how often we turn a blind eye and force victims into isolation. In HOLD ME RIGHT, young Serbian actor Danijela Štajnfeld discloses her reasons for running away from Belgrade to the United States. Having been raped by a famous man in her professional circle,

she turns the camera in her debut towards herself and other rape victims abused by colleagues, who are usually in positions in which they hold greater power than those they violate.

Another key attribute of this year is a strong female presence. More than half of films are directed and produced by women. In the AustrianRomanian production WOOD, three brave women courageously disclose how the international mafia deals in illegal wood trafficking. Monica LăzureanGorgan, (winner of the Heart of Sarajevo in 2016), Michaela Kirst and Ebba Sinzinger follow an investigator as he exposes this mega-crime in a film that flows like a thriller. Another topic courageously tackled is the homophobia which still very present in the region. In Hungary’s increasingly right-wing political climate a gay couple faces numerous hurdles attempting to adopt a Roma girl. In their debut HER MOTHERS’ STORY, two young women, Asia Dér and Sári Haragonics, follow their charming protagonists through their long struggle with a sensitive lens and close access. The Bosnian director Ado Hasanovic in LET THERE BE COLOUR digs into homophobia in his own country and also depicts the First Gay Pride in Sarajevo. Another Bosnian director, Mladen Bundalo, deals with migration in his short film NENAD. Serbian director Tamara Drakulic in her poetic IN PRAISE OF LOVE went far from home to observe a Mexican indigenous community whose everyday peace and slowlife rituals will be soon disturbed by the industrial works of a big corporation. An engaging female topic – how to deal with an aged body when the spirit is still young – is expressed in the charming and funny Romanian HOUSE OF DOLLS by Tudor Platon, who filmed his own granny at her beauty retreat with several close friends.

Totally shocking and mind-boggling is THE PAGEANT by Turkish director Eytan İpeker, who unfolds the story of a unique beauty contest that has been taking place in Haifa since 2011; old women, Holocaust survivors in their eighties and even nineties, participate in an event called Miss Holocaust to raise money to save their care home. Romanian film ACASĂ, MY HOME by debutant Radu Ciorniciuc, is a unique story of freedom and exile, in which a family with nine children, who have been living in the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta for twenty years, are driven away by state authorities and forced to adapt to life in the big city.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, YIWU by Serbian renowned director Mladen Kovacevic deals with a very particular Chinese community that works in one of the 600 factories producing Christmas and New Year’s decorations for the whole world. OUR LADIES PEACE by veteran film poet Vladimir Perovic observes a spiritual place within the beautiful Montenegrin landscape.

Another Montenegrin, Seki Radoncic, journalist turned director, daringly investigates in his film CONSPIRACY the attempt of a political coup that was supposed to bring down the Prime Minister of Montenegro with the help of Russia and Serbia.

Sixteen films, sixteen relevant stories and cinematic gems. Among the sixteen films in our selection, eight will have their world premiere in Sarajevo, several international and European and others regional and national. Please, keep safe in our cinemas, enjoy the talks with the directors and share the stories brought to you by our regional talents. We welcome you all!!!

Rada Šešić Selektorica Takmičarskog Programa – Dokumentarni Film / Competition Programme – Documentary Film Selector