Ovations at Sundance for a film shot in Šibenik

Croatian cinematography is represented at this year's Sundance Film Festival by Zagreb producer Anita Juka. As one of the producers of the film Infinity Pool, an intriguing horror thriller by Canadian director Brandon Cronenberg, she attended the world premiere at the world's most important independent film festival.

"We are delighted with the reaction of the audience. The way she accepted the Infinity Pool only increased the excitement before the film's arrival in cinemas", said producer Anita Juka with satisfaction after the premiere. The first public screening of Infinity Pool was held at The Ray Theater in Park City. This ski town, which did not see much snow this year, has been attracting filmmakers from all over the world for 44 years. Having a premiere at Sundance is a matter of prestige, but also increased exposure to the American media.

Crowded midnight screening

The infinity pool earned media attention even before the festival. How could it not be when it was directed by Brandon Cronenberg, one of the more interesting young filmmakers and the son of the famous director David Cronenberg. The main roles are played by Hollywood stars Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth. "Even though it's a Midnight Screening, a midnight screening that, as the name suggests, starts at midnight, all the tickets were sold out.

The screening was followed by a short conversation with the film crew. Although it was already two in the morning, almost no one left the hall. Everyone wanted to hear what the director and actors had to say about the film", said Anita Juka from the production company 4Film.

The endless pool is the story of a writer who comes to a luxury resort with his girlfriend. There they meet a new, interesting couple, and discover the "perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism". As it is pointed out in the promotional presentation of the film - "devastating violence and surreal horrors pierce this dark satire about the privileged few".

Croatian actors with stars

A good part of Infinity Pool was filmed in Šibenik, and the crew included a number of Croatian filmmakers. Local actors Alan Katić, Amar Bukvić and Romina Tonković have prominent roles in the film. Immediately after the premiere, the first film reviews followed. A critic from the web magazine The Daily Beast called it a shocking masterpiece, noting that "Cronenberg's third feature is a lot of things at once, and while not everything is coherent and neat, that messiness is part of the point. This is confirmed by repeated close-up shots of blood dripping, gushing and spurting from various openings and wounds".

After the world premiere, Infinity Pool will begin distribution in American theaters at the end of January. It will not be an "art release" with a few cinemas, but a solid distribution with 1500 copies. The European premiere of the film is scheduled for February at the Berlin Film Festival.

This article was provided by KINO FILM.HR