From the YFF to the stars!
The tradition of the “Previous laureates of the Youth Film Festival and FRFF - where are they now?” program continues this year as well. We try to track the further professional development of high school filmmakers with this program in some ways. Some end up as filmmakers, while others go on a different, equally successful path. This year we would like to present directors Čejen Černić and Goran Ribarić as previous laureates.
Čejen Černić
Čejen Černić graduated in film and TV direction at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. She has directed a series of short films, with the short fiction film “Followers” and short documentary films “Circle”, “To Me without Me” and “Il Postino” standing out. Since 2007, she has been working as an assistant on fiction films and series, documentaries and animated films, and as an associate on dance shows. In 2013, she wrote and directed her first short animated film “The Girl Who Liked Fairytales”. Recently, she directed her first fiction film “The Mystery of Green Hill” based on the novel by Ivan Kušan of the same name. Čejen participated as a high schooler at the Children and Youth Film Festivals. In 2001 at the 39th Festival in Čakovec, she won the first award for the documentary film “This is Us as Well”. The jury said about the film in the festival catalog: “Applied arts, design, freedom and the town. A girl cannot make a choice. Funny details from the School for Fashion and Design. An interestingly conceived film with elliptical presentation and sequential dramaturgy.” Čejen said about the award won at the festival: “Hm... Well, the society raises us so that we see awards as a confirmation that we did something well, so they immediately provide you with some benefits, for example at school, etc. Sometimes that’s true, sometimes it’s not. Awards are equally a joy and a burden. Whether you win an award or not, you can always do something better or different. It is important to keep searching in this line of work... and try not be afraid, of yourself in the first place. That will sometimes pay off, sometimes it will be a colossal mistake. But both options are fine. You should not take things too seriously.” Both the festivals and the Croatian Film Association played a significant role in her career, she said: “Thanks to the participation at the Festival through four years of high school, and thanks to Vera Robić-Škarica, I had the opportunity to participate in the international workshop of documentary film “Imaginary Academy” held in Grožnjan at the time, and that is when I realized directing is my calling. Until that time, I was interested in camera work and editing.” Since then, some things have changed for the better in the Croatian film industry: “When you enroll in the Academy of Dramatic Art, especially, if like me, you enroll immediately after high school, you have no idea what’s waiting for you, nor what kind of occupation you have chosen... We all go to ADA because we have this idea we will make films for a living, and then you face the reality and realize that making a feature-length film is a privilege not everyone gets. Luckily, debutants have the opportunity to make a film each year since we have the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. That does not mean you get the funds immediately. For example, we could not get funds from the tender four times for “The Mystery of Green Hill”, which was a really big psychological and emotional challenge... In the meantime, you need to find a job to make a living. I have been working as an assistant director for the last 10 years on films and I still love that job.”
This is Us as Well
Besides the film “This is Us as Well” that was received incredibly well at the festival in Čakovec, we will also watch her animated film “The Girl Who Liked Fairytales” and inserts from the children’s film “The Mystery of Green Hill” that was a success as well. Although Čejen has been to Karlovac many times, this is her first time to attend the Karlovac festival: “We filmed some scenes for the films “Koko and the Ghosts” (directed by Daniel Kušan” and “The Mysterious Boy” (directed by Dražen Žarković) where I worked as the assistant director. We were all thrilled how the citizens of Karlovac were always forthcoming and hospitable. At this year’s festival, I expect all participants to have a great time, to learn something, to have a good time with each other, and maybe even arrange future collaborations!”
The Girl Who Liked Fairytales
Unlike Čejen, who remembers the children and youth festivals together and traveling across Croatia year after year, our second laureate, Goran, participated in some of the first youth festival editions in Karlovac. Goran Ribarić graduated in film and TV direction at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. He participated in many festivals with short fiction films (“Weekend”, “Fred”, “Through the Window”, “On the Water”, “Semicolon”). He has directed the show “Midge” by the Bastien Acting Company. Currently, he works as a freelancer for the Croatian Radio Television, directs animated film synchronizations, writes radio dramas and is finishing his independent short fiction film “Wolf, Sheep, Cabbage”. Considering he finished the Private Art High School in Zagreb, it is no surprise that he teaches film art at the same school and holds a film workshop for the students. The Special Recognition, that led him to Karlovac today, was won during the intermediate stage of the festival, back when the Youth Film Festival had joined with the festival for adults and students. The documentary film “Mozart in Salzburg” won the award at the 39th Festival of Croatian Film and Video Production in Samobor. “Winning the Festival’s Special Recognition means more to me with each passing year. Mostly because it was my first award. You remember your first, with no disrespect to all the selections to various festivals! But the biggest stepping stone wasn’t the award itself, but the possibility to communicate with other filmmakers,” said Goran, who still likes to remember his high school festivals in Karlovac: “My memories are nostalgic, cheerful and a bit sad. Nostalgic because I wish I had those years and that playfulness today. As I am answering these questions, I’m giving myself the task to be like that again. Cheerful because we had so much fun, joy, and a lot of really tasty food. Somewhat sad, because I remember the dear departed Vedran Šamanović, who held film workshops I attended and was a member of the jury several times, and with whom you could comment on a film with great pleasure.”
Goran Ribarić
Apart from “Mozart in Salzburg”, we will also watch Goran’s latest work, the short fiction film “Semicolon”. “This year I’m afraid, because my position is completely unnatural and strange to me, so don’t be too hard on me...” We won’t Goran, we promise!
Mozart in Salzburg
Semicolon