We’re only days away from the beginning of the 22 nd Motovun Film Festival. In the five days between 23 and 27 July, there will be 70 films, accompanied by educational and music programs, performances and entertainment. Like always, Motovun Film Festival will celebrate freedom and diversity, with more than a touch of joy and humor.
One good example of the above focus in the particularly strong slate of films we offer this year is Support the Girls by our guest of honor Andrew Bujalski. In addition to this witty story that turns upside down all the stereotypes of women in a man’s world, two other Bujalski’s films will be shown out of competition. Bujalski was a student of the recently departed Dušan Makavejev, to whom MFF will pay special tribute.
Austrian film The Ground beneath My Feet tells us about a woman’s fear of failure in the cruel corporate world. A few other films from Central Europe address the growing xenophobia, nationalism and transition-related problems. Among them are the great Slovakian drama Let There Be Light, coming to us with critical acclaim from Karlovy Vary under its belt, and Latvian film Oleg, offering a realistic depiction of the life of the disenfranchised emigrants in Western Europe. A story about an anti-hero, Jumpman is a criticism of the corrupt Russia. The Innocent, a psychological drama with elements of thriller which balances between real and surreal, comes from Switzerland.
Another film that skillfully balances between a psychological drama and thriller is A White, White Day, an intriguing story from Iceland. The bizarre black comedy Deerskin, about a jacket persuading its owner to commit crimes, will certainly draw particular attention. The opening night, however, is reserved for My Last Year as a Loser, an easy Slovenian comedy about a lost generation of young people reaching the age of thirty.
Croatian colors will be defended by Tusta, a documentary film about the late front man of the punk-rock band KUD Idijoti, directed by the long-time MFF team member Andrej Korovljev. The world premiere of this film has already aroused great interest, and so has The Diary of Diana B., a true story about a humanitarian who saved children from Ustasha WWII concentration camps. The film by MFF’s former colleague Dana Budisavljević has just won Big Golden Arena for Best Film at Pula Film Festival.
Our short film program is particularly varied this year and there will be more short film screenings than in previous years. Thirty films in the competition program will compete not only for the MFF award, but also for the nomination for the European Film Award – the new partner of Motovun Film Festival.
Our side program Poland in Focus will present the new wave of young and gifted Polish filmmakers dealing with many intriguing issues in this country characterized by growing conservativism. One of these films is the acclaimed Nina by Olga Chajdas, tackling lesbian love. MFF’s program Populism for Beginners will present sharp documentaries about the countries with growing populism, such as Hungary, Poland, Italy and Greece. Contributing to this topical theme will be artists like Siniša Labrović and Rumena Bužarovska with their performances and street interventions.
In addition to Andrew Bujalski, other festival guests include Wojciech Smarzowski, the director of the provocative Polish film Clergy, Icelandic actor Ingvar Sigurðsson, his Macedonian colleague Labina Mitevska, Slovenian director Urša Menart, Serbian actor and producer Uliks Fehmiu and many filmmakers from Poland. Our special guest will be the doyen of film photography Živko Zalar, this year’s laureate of our 50 Years Award. The film Reflections will be shown in his honor.
As always, Motovun has a great music program, too. This year’s lineup includes names like Vojko V, Svemirko, Pankrti, Saša 21, Vlado Kreslin, Mario Kovač and Jeboton Ansambl. A few music films will be shown, including one particular treat – the long-forgotten and found after 40 years Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire. The film will be shown at our new venue in Hotel Roxanich. Other segments of the program include a big film quiz hosted by Morana Zibar, conversations with guests and various entertaining events.
As of this year, Motovun Film Festival will be a single-use plastic-free festival. In the festival campsite, multiple-use cups will be promoted, a Greenpeace workshop on the life without plastics will be held and chef Goran Zgrablić will teach you how to cook without waste.
The tickets for Motovun screenings are available for booking. Besides individual tickets, you can also book the Evening Sets of tickets for all evening screenings (HRK 300) via KupiUlaznicu.hr. Bus tickets for the return trip from Zagreb to Motovun and back can also be booked via KupiUlaznicu.hr.
