Side program for all generations: children film classics and new titles by Grlić and Sviličić

26th August – From 9th till 12th September 2010, the city of Karlovac becomes the top destination for high school film – during the four days of the festival, Karlovac will host the 15th Youth Film Festival and the 3rd Four River Film Festival! The program of these events will take place at several venues: the City theater Zorin dom, the old town of Dubovac and the Karlovac Youth library.

The festival competition includes a total of 91 Croatian and foreign films made by high school students – out of which 39 Croatian films make up the official program of the YFF, while 52 films, made by students from all over the world, comprise the Four River Film Festival competition.

As well as in previous years, the diverse side program includes films to please all generations: the program “Film 5+” will be held at Zorin dom and it is designed for the primary school audiences, while “Dubovac Open Air” covers outdoor screenings at the old town of Dubovac, this year featuring two films that just appeared at the Pula Film Festival. The program “High School Kids for High School Kids”, on the other hand, includes presentations of similar festivals and workshops.

Primary school kids will be able to enjoy several children’s film classics: “The Secret of an Old Attic” a kids fiction film from 1984, directed by Vladimir Tadej, combining adventure, action, espionage and humor. It is the story of two boys radio-amateurs, Miro from Zagreb and Pepek from Prague who, spending their school holidays on the island of Hvar, discover a long-forgotten strange anti-gravity cannon, invented by Miro’s late great grandfather during World War I. “Lapitch, the Little Shoemaker” is a 1997 animated film about the adventures of the famous character from the classic tale by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić. It is directed by Milan Blažeković while Pajo Kanižaj wrote the script. The main protagonist, the little mouse Lapitch, the apprentice, and his faithful dog Bundaš, go through a series of adventures thanks to a tight pair of boots which Lapitch has to break in. The program “Film 5+” also includes the “Jules of Zagreb Film for Kids” consisting of 13 short animated films for children by famous Croatian authors such as Dušan Vukotić, Zlatko Grgić, Borivoj Dovniković, Mate Lovrić and many others.

The program “Dobovac Open Air” includes two of this year’s Croatian film hits: the most recent accomplishments by famous Croatian filmmakers Rajko Grlić and Ognjen Sviličić. The film “Just between Us” is the absolute hit of this year’s Pula Film Festival, having won as much as seven awards, including the Golden arena for the best film. It is a drama about love and adultery of middle aged couples from Zagreb whose incredible cast is led by Miki Manojlović, Daria Lorenci, Bojan Navojec and Nataša Dorčić.
The film “Two Sunny Days” in the Croatian-French coproduction also had its premiere at Pula and it is a story about a couple of foreign tourists vacationing at the Adriatic whose nature trip turns into a nightmare, which adds a new dimension to their relationship. Starring in the film are international actors and actresses: Maya Sansa, Bristol Pomeroy an Sylvia Kristel, while the Croatian cast is led by Leon Lučev. This is also one of the last films on which Vedran Šamanović was the director of photography. He was a selection jury member last year in Karlovac and the film will be screened in his honor while this year’s edition of the festival is also dedicated to him.

In addition to the already mentioned programs, over the course of these four days Karlovac will host various educational programs, out of which three will be film workshops. All the young filmmakers inclined to animation as the medium of expression, will be taught to draw caricatures by the first academy graduated animation artist form Karlovac and renowned caricaturist Neven Mihajlović Cetinjanin. The best caricatures to come out of this workshop will be published in the festival bulletin “Diary in the Bottle”. Young director Matija Radeljak will present his project “365 – film for ten lipa”. In order to raise money for his first feature fiction film, Matija and his team are making a series of 365 films throughout Croatia, each costing ten lipa. One of these films will be made right here at the festival in Karlovac. And finally, “Film Mask and Make-up Workshop” will come in handy to all the future film directors. How to simulate blood, tears, a common bruise or perhaps make the actor look twenty years older? Renowned make-up artist Zdenka Mihelj will try to give answers to these and other questions.

The Youth Film Festival is the national festival of high school film and as such the center of high school filmmaking in Croatia. For four consecutive years the YFF has been organized jointly by the Cinema Club Karlovac and the Croatian Film Clubs’ Association. Since 2008, it also includes its international version – the Four River Film Festival, the festival dedicated to high school film, unique not only in Croatia but also in the whole region because the only criterion to apply is the high school status of the films’ authors.

31. 8. 2010