The Slovenian author and director Urška Djukić will appear at this year's opening of the »Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2019« programme of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival with her live-action short "The Right One", featuring, among others, the Slovenian actress Doroteja Nadrah and director of photography Lev Predan Kowarski. On this occasion, Djukić stated the following: "The complex process of finding a common language with my co-director has turned out to be an outstanding experiment that has prompted me to create with a profound and bold feeling of trust. The work was inspiring, encouraging, educational, and, above all, honest. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this crazy experience, which will certainly have a strong impact on my further creative work." The film was co-directed by Gabriel Tzafka, a representative of Denmark and Greece. Apart from Nadrah, the film also features the actors Mirjana Karanović and Muhamed Hadžović.
Five pairs of international directors and directors from the region – including Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia – have participated in the project. Five short films have been created in the context of the project "Southeast European Factory", based on the "La Factory" concept signed by Dominique Welinski. They will be screened in the "Directors' Fortnight" programme on Wednesday, 15 May at 16:45 hours, in Theatre Croisette. Another screening will follow on Sunday, 19 May at 11:30, in Cinéma Alexandre III.
The films were made with the support of the Slovenian Film Centre, Film Center Serbia, Macedonian Film Agency, Film Centre of Montenegro, and the Ministry of Culture and Sports Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo and produced by the Sarajevo Film Festival (established by the Obala Art Centre).
At this year's edition of the Cannes Festival, the Slovenian Film Centre will present four Slovenian feature films at the film market (Market Screenings 2019) between 14 and 25 May. The market film screenings are mainly intended for the festival selectors, who can ensure that the films have the best possible international festival premieres.
The first film to be screened will be Don't Forget to Breathe by the director Martin Turk. The film focuses on the fifteen-year-old Klemen, who lives with his elder brother Peter and single mother in a small and remote rural town. Klemen's well-established routine of spending time with his beloved brother on the tennis court and by the nearby river is interrupted by Peter's sudden and passionate love affair with his gorgeous peer Sonja, which triggers a torrent of conflicting emotions and reckless actions in Klemen. The film is scheduled for Wednesday, 15 May at 13:30, in Hall H; and for Saturday, 18 May at 11:30, in Hall B. It was produced by Ida Weiss from the Bela Film production house and co-produced by Quasar from Italy, Studio Dim from Croatia, RTV Slovenija, and RAI Cinema. The film's sales agent is Intramovies from Italy.
The film Half-Sister by the director Damjan Kozole is slated for Sunday, 19 May at 11:30, in Hall B. The 33-year-old Irena is getting a divorce and looking for an apartment. When she finds out that her half-sister Neža is coming to Ljubljana for postgraduate studies, Irena asks her father, whom she has not spoken to for several years, if she could stay with her half-sister temporarily. The father agrees. Neža feels betrayed. The estranged half-sisters have only talked a few times in the past 27 years, and now they share a one-room apartment in Ljubljana. They ignore each other at first, nervously smoking on a tiny balcony. Their communication is restricted to reproaches, cursing, and short discussions about veganism and psoriasis. Both of them are full of contradictions and frustrations, but they are much more alike than they would ever admit... Half-Sister is a film about people who do not know how to communicate with each other or show any feelings of sympathy. It was produced by Danijel Hočevar from the Vertigo production house and co-produced by Sisters and Brother Mitevski Production from North Macedonia and Film House Baš Čelik from Serbia.
The third film is All Against All by Andrej Košak. A political drama with elements of a thriller discusses politics, electoral fraud, and the decay of moral values takes place in the fictional town of Rovte in the foothills of the idyllic Alps. Franta, a corrupt mayor, is about to lose the election. After a TV debate, where he fails utterly, Franta calls his mistress Jožica in desperation. She advises him to seek the aid of Fleischmann, a criminal who is the only one capable of solving the problem on such short notice. There are only four days left until the election... Scheduled for Monday, 20 May at 11:30, in Hall B. Produced by Zoran Dževerdanović from Blade Production and co-produced by RTV Slovenija and Mind Productions from North Macedonia.
The fourth film is I Am Frank by the director Metod Pevec. Frenk and Brane are brothers, but they could hardly be more different. Frenk is a "social dinosaur" – a good man, yet also a more or less ineffective barstool apostle who keeps arguing for the remainders of the communist ideology. Even though he is over fifty years old, all he owns is an antiquated moped and a children's accordion. Brane, on the other hand, has successfully adapted to the liberal capitalist circumstances and is far from sentimental. Had it not been for their father and an unusual heritage, they might have remained brothers... However, this way they get entangled in a conflict that only exacerbates their differences. During this clash of male egos, they forget all about the old times when they both played in a band together as well as fail to recall the woman that they both loved once. Nonetheless, it is she who once again comes between them. I Am Frank is yet another film produced by Danijel Hočevar from the Vertigo production house. Co-produced by Interfilm from Croatia, Small Moves Films from North Macedonia, and Backroom Production from Serbia.
Finally, Rok Biček, the head of the Cvinger Film production house, is this year's Producer on the Move. On this occasion, Biček said: "I am humbled by the trust in me that the Slovenian Film Centre and the European Film Promotion have expressed by including me among the twenty promising European producers. I intend to make the best of this opportunity to forge new co-production connections and promote the films that are currently being produced by Cvinger Film. This includes two first films, Vesna by Sara Kern and Cent'anni by Maja Prelog; the new film by Olmo Omerzu; as well as my new feature Dark Mother Earth."
Biček's directorial debut, the feature Class Enemy, received the Fedeora Award at the Venice International Film Critics' Week 2013; while his documentary film Family won and received the main award at the Locarno Critics' Week in 2017. He also co-produced the film Winter Flies by the director Olmo Omerzu, who received the Best Director Award in Karlovy Vary last year; as well as the multiple award-winning feature Consequences by Darko Štante.
All the films were created with the financial support of the Slovenian Film Centre.
In 2019, Slovenian cinematography will be presented, for the tenth time, in the South-East European Pavilion, together with the film institutions and filmmakers from Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. The Slovenian part of the pavilion will function as the meeting point for all Slovenian filmmakers, who are coming to Cannes to present their already completed projects, seeking partners for their projects in development, and establishing all kinds of business contacts in the field of film.
In cooperation with the Slovenian Tourist Board, the Slovenian Film Centre will once again present to the global film community the opportunities that the Slovenian film locations can provide to the film industry in combination with the advantages ensured by the cash rebate measure.
THE RIGHT ONE by Urška Djukić at La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs / The Directors’ Fortnight – South East European Factory
Slovenian actor Doroteja Nadrah; Slovenian Director of Photography Lev Predan Kowarski; 14 min; Directors Gabriel Tzafka (Denmark / Greece) & Urška Djukić (Slovenia); Casting Doroteja Nadrah, Mirjana Karanović, Muhamed Hadžović
A possessive mother, a loving son, the fiancée’s first visit, a mute witness… Four players around a pie.
Biography:
Born in 1986 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Finished her BA and MA at the Academy of Arts, University of Nova Gorica. Her graduation film First day at work was screened at Biennale of young artists (Rome, 2011). Her experimental short Rabbit Hole represented Slovenia at the World Event Young Artists (Nottingham, 2012). Her first professional fiction / animated short Bon Appétit, La Vie! won the Best Short Film Award at the 19. Festival of Slovenian film. By combining live action, animation and various forms of experimental techniques Urška Djukić creates hybrid visual narratives and is especially focused in exploring topics of contemporary womanhood.
Five short films co-directed by young directors from the South East Europe and their colleagues from other parts of the world, make up the South East European Factory: The Package by Dušan Kasalica (Montenegro) and Teodora Ana Mihai (Romania, Belgium), The Right One by Urška Djukić (Slovenia) and Gabriel Tzafka (Greece, Denmark), The Sign by Eleonora Veninova (North Macedonia) and Yona Rozenkier (Israel, Switzerland), In Your Hands by Maša Šarović (Serbia) and Sharon Angelhart (Israel), and Spit by Neven Samardžić (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Carolina Markowitz (Brazil).
The films were supported by regional film centres including the Slovenian Film Centre, Film Center Serbia, the Macedonian Film Agency, the Film Centre of Montenegro and the Ministry of Culture and Sport of Canton Sarajevo. They were produced by the Sarajevo Film Festival (Obala Art Centre) in cooperation with the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo.
Theatre Croisette May 15 16:45
Cinéma Alexandre III May 19 11:30
MARKET SCREENINGS
DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE by Martin Turk
Production Bela Film, 2019, www.belafilm.si
Producer Ida Weiss; Co-production Quasar (Italy), Studio Dim (Croatia), RTV Slovenia,
RAI Cinema; 98 min
World Sales Contact: Intramovies, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The fifteen-year-old Klemen lives with his elder brother Peter and single mother in a small and remote rural town. Klemen’s well-established routine of spending time with his beloved brother on the tennis court and by the nearby river gets interrupted by Peter’s sudden and passionate love affair with his gorgeous peer Sonja, which triggers a torrent of conflicting emotions and reckless actions in Klemen.
PALAIS H May 15 13:30
PALAIS B May 18 11:30
HALF-SISTER by Damjan Kozole
Production Vertigo, 2019
Producer Danijel Hočevar; Co-production Sisters and Brother Mitevski (North Macedonia), Film House Baš Čelik (Serbia); 105 min
Contact: Danijel Hočevar, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.vertigo.si
Irena leaves her husband Brane without disclosing the reasons to her family. Since she does not have the money to rent an apartment, her father, who lives with his second wife and daughter Neža, steps in. Since Neža has to move to Ljubljana in order to finish her studies, the two half-sisters, who barely know each other, end up sharing a small flat. Their communication is limited to complaints, cursing, and short conversations about veganism and psoriasis. Both are full of contradictions and frustrations, but they are much more alike than they are willing to admit.
PALAIS B MAY 19 11:30 By invitation only!
ALL AGAINST ALL by Andrej Kosak
Production Blade Production, 2019;
Producer Zoran Dževerdanović, Co-production Mind Productions (North Macedonia), RTV Slovenia; 105 min
Contact: Zoran Dževerdanović, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.bladeproduction.com
A political drama with elements of a thriller discusses politics, electoral fraud, and the decay of moral values, taking place in the fictional town of Rovte under the idyllic Alps. Franta, a corrupt mayor, is about to lose the election. After a TV debate, where he fails utterly, Franta calls his mistress Jožica in desperation. She advises him to seek the aid of Fleischmann, a criminal who is the only one capable of solving the problem on such short notice. After all, there are only four days left until the elections…
PALAIS B MAY 20 11:30
I AM FRANK by Metod Pevec
Production Vertigo, 2019
Producer Danijel Hočevar; Co-production Interfilm (Croatia), Small Moves Films (North Macedonia), Backroom Production (Serbia); 98 min
Contact: Danijel Hočevar, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.vertigo.si
The unexpected inheritance from their dead father causes a dispute between Frank, the rebel who still swears by solidarity and “the old values”, and his brother Rajko, a typical post-transition tycoon. While Frank investigates the origins of the money that their late father had appropriated during his various suspicious dealings as one or the visible protagonists of the Slovenian independence, Rajko wants to lay claim on it with the help of lawyers and the network of his father’s “cronies”, who do not shy away even from mafia methods. Rajko’s wife Ines, who has in fact been in love with Frank all along, once again finds herself in the middle of a fraternal dispute, which leads to the final showdown.
PALAIS B MAY 21 13:30
EFP Producers on the Move - Rok Biček
Biography:
Rok Biček is the head of Ljubljana based production company Cvinger film with a branch office in Vienna. His feature directorial debut Class Enemy won Fedeora Award at Venice Critics´ Week in 2013, while the 2017 documentary The Family won Grand Prix at Locarno Critics´ Week. He co-produced Olmo Omerzu’s Winter Flies which won best director in Karlovy Vary 2018 and Darko Štante’s Consequences which premiered at Toronto in 2018. Rok is now working on the development of his third film Dark Mother Earth, to be made with partners from the region and France.
Contact: Rok Biček, Cvinger film, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.cvinger-film.si
