Today we are launching a new edition of Motovun Film Festival, from now on called Cinehill. On the first day, we’ve prepared diverse events for you, from short and feature film screenings, to different side programs and entertainment.
The program kicks off at 2 p.m. at Cinema Bauer with a block of short films in the competition Cinehill Shorts, among which Croatian director Marko Bičanić’s student film Last Winter, Bruna stands out.
The festival Garden opens at 3 p.m. and it’s a place where you can relax during the day and savour some of the different side events.
We continue with the short film program at 4 p.m., again at Cinema Bauer. This batch of shorts includes the award-winning German title Tremor, screened in competition programs of prestigious festivals in Cannes, Toronto, Berlin and elsewhere.
Our diverse cinematic program can make choosing just one film difficult. In case you’re still undecided, at 5 p.m., at the Garden, join us for a conversation with the festival selectors offering their film recommendations. Shortly after that, at 6 p.m. we’ve prepared The Night of Old T-shirts celebrating the long history of Motovun FF. Put on one of your T-shirts from previous festival editions and win a free film screening. The oldest T-shirt in the bunch will win you a bonus prize. Please note: T-shirts from post-pandemic festival editions are not eligible to participate in the competition.
The feature film competition starts at 6 p.m. with Indian drama Seventeeners directed by Prithvi Konanur. The film centres on two high school students in love whose pornographic video ends up on the internet, putting their future in the hands of the school board. Coupled with Seventeeners, we’re screening Big Bang, the award-winning short filmed in France and Brazil.
Festival’s quarter of a century tenure is visually represented in the exhibition Motovun: 25 Years in a Flash at the Five Towers Gallery, at 7:30 p.m. The exhibition captures the countless spontaneous and precious moments that marked Motovun Film Festival from its beginnings until today.
The festival will be officially inaugurated with the screening of great Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s latest title Fallen Leaves. The screening starts at 9 p.m. at Cinema Square and centres on two lonely people, Ansa and Holappa, who meet by chance in the Helsinki night and try to find their one true love. The film won this year’s Cannes Jury Prize.
If you can’t make it to the official opening, don’t worry, because at 9:15 p.m. at Cinema Billy we’re screening June Zero by American director Jake Paltrow, the brother of the slightly more famous Gwyneth Paltrow. The film portrays the trial of war criminal Adolf Eichmann in the 1960s and the far-reaching consequences that redefined the way we understand the Holocaust today. Along with Zero June, we are also showing Italian short Like Snails about two boys whose chance meeting will changes their lives.
Cult Serbian comedy Dudes directed by Radivoje Andrić, the sequel of which will appear in this year’s main program is screening at hotel Roxanich at 9:30 p.m. Mare and Pop are musicians who want to release an album. They ask their old friend Gojko for help, but remembering how they used to make fun of him in school, he makes it all but impossible.
Screening at 11:30 p.m. at Cinema Square is The Blue Caftan, a subtle erotic drama by Moroccan director Maryam Touzani. The owners of a caftan shop in Morocco, Halim and Mina, hire Youssef, a talented apprentice. His dedication to his work attracts Halim’s attention, while his wife Mina something deeper is at stake. The film screened at Cannes in 2022.
Cinema Billy offers a real treat, with the 11:30 p.m. screening of Aftersun in the program Lost&Found. Scottish director Charlotte Wells’ debut feature follows Sophie, a young woman who recalls her summer vacation with her father Calum (Paul Mescal) in Turkey. As Sophie searches for her identity, Calum struggles with a variety of problems, from financial to emotional and psychological ones. Paul Mescal was nominated for an Oscar for his fantastic performance, while the film received the Cannes Critics’ Week Jury Award.
Finally, if you can’t sleep and are looking for a smooth transition from late night to early morning, we recommend the musical night at Cinema Billy, starting at 1:00 a.m., presented by DJ Ivanka Mazurkijević and friends.
