25-10-2021

FNE Oscar Watch 2022: After the Winter to Represent Montenegro in Oscar Race

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    After the Winter by Ivan Bakrač After the Winter by Ivan Bakrač

    PODGORICA: After the Winter / Poslije zime by Ivan Bakrač has been selected as Montenegro’s candidate for the 94th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category. The film is a Montenegrin/Croatian/Serbian coproduction.

    After the Winter was the only candidate at the call launched by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports from Montenegro.

    The film had its world premiere in the East of the West Competition of the 2021 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

    The story follows five friends in their late twenties as they try to keep their friendship although they are scattered throughout ex-Yugoslavia and try to ignore the bad economic situation and the war past of the region.

    “The driving force in my story is the youth coming to an end, which I approach as something that comes suddenly, an occurrence which is both expected and a result of a conscious delay”,  Ivan Bakrač said in a statement.

    The main characters are played by Montenegrin and Serbian actors: Momcilo Otasević, Ana Vucković, Petar Burić, Maja Susa and Ivona Kustudić.

    The film was produced by Ivan Ðurović and Snezana Nikcević through Montenegrin Artikulacija Film and ABHO Film, in coproduction with Serbian Akcija Film and Biberche Productions, Croatian Maxima Film, and French Arizona Productions. Maja Ilić, Nikolina Zečević, Damir Terešak and Guillaume de Seille are the coproducers.

    The film was supported by the Film Centre of Montenegro, the Croatian Audiovisual CentreFilm Center Serbia, the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro and MEDIA – Creative Europe.

    The project participated in the Karlovy Vary IFF's Eastern Promises pitching forum 2019, as well as in the Script Station Lab (Berlin International Film Festival) 2017, the best pitch competition at the Prishtina IFF 2016, and the best pitch competition at the Tirana IFF 2016.