Film test tubes have just exploded!

The 12th of September is here, a date better known as the beginning of the 17th Youth Film Festival and the 5th Four River Film Festival!

The guests have already arrived and settled in hotels around town, the projectionists have tweaked out the very last details needed to kick off the film screenings, the town of Karlovac has painted itself yellow, and Edison cinema opens its doors.

The first to pass through its doors and fill the seats of the most famous Karlovac cinema was the youngest audience. Their film day begun at 10:30 in the morning with the first screening of Andersen’s Fairytales with Dukatino in the programme Film 5+ and the competition Dukat Milk in Search for Film around the city theatre Zorin dom. 350 children enjoyed the world of Andersen’s fairytales, while the competition of 7 teams from Karlovac high schools got everyone one their feet. Pantomime, dribbling a ball while simultaneously holding Dukat’s chocolate milk in the other hand and running with tied feet saw competing teams from the Karlovac Gymnasium, Industry and Trade School and School of Economics, while the winning Gymnasium team took home Dukat’s products. “We were the best at pantomime because we had to guess the latest films so it was very easy”, says Luka, a member of the winning team.

After a short break from the games and the experiments, at 17:30 the high school students take up their film test tubes. In the programme High School Kids for High School Kids, all film lovers will get to know two Austrian festivals, one from Vienna, called Media Literacy Award, and Youki from the town of Wels. These most inventive media projects created within European educational institutions will introduce themselves to Karlovac film enthusiasts, as well as film guests from 14 countries present at the festival and participating in YFF and FRFF this year. Before the actual presentation, the high school students have to get to know each other so we’ve decided to spice up this part with a speed-dating just like the ones you see in movies. Sitting in chairs opposite each other, the students have to introduce themselves to the other participant in a few minutes and then take turns. From 16 to 17:30, in the park next to Edison cinema (or inside the cinema in case of rain), several world languages and definitely many interesting high school stories will be heard.

And while high school students are enjoying their programme at the Karlovac Youth Library, the festival organizer, coordinators and volunteers begin their final preparations for the grand opening of the YFF and FRFF, organized by the Croatian Film Association and the Cinema Club Karlovac. Even though the whole town has already painted itself yellow, and the man scientist enjoyed the first part of the day’s programme, the festival officially starts with the grand opening at 20:30, at Edison cinema. With a well-known Karlovac actor and TV host, Marinko Leš, as our host and the finally opened Edison, the chemical experiment is sure to be a success! The audience will for the first time meet in person those who made the decision on the 67 films in competition – the selection jury trio and the “small jury” choosing a film for the Yellow Flag Award. After the traditional greeting from Damir Jelić, the Mayor of Karlovac, who always looks forward to this festival, the only thing left to do will be for last year’s Grand Prix winner, Sara Pedersen, to cut the film ribbon for the yellow madness to officially take over the town on four rivers. After the opening screenings, we are in for a lot of fun with a young Karlovac band, Pobuna kmeta Janka.

And now we can stop with the details because some things need to remain a secret. The only thing we can say is that tonight you are going home with a test tube.

Come and see this film experiment about to explode!

12. 9. 2012