Motovun Film Festival reveals its first features for 2020 edition
This year, the Istrian festival will be held from July 30 to August 1.
The organizers of the 2020 Motovun Film Festival revealed first information about the feature films that will be shown at this year’s event. Albeit in a shorter edition, from July 30 to August 1, MFF joins other of festivals in the country that will be held under present measures instituted due to COVID-19.
The Croatian representative is Tereza37, directed by Danilo Šerbedžija and written by the Croatian actress Lana Barić. As written in the festival’s press release, the film is a generational tale of a thirty-something woman who is trying to find her happiness in modern-day Split. In this search, Tereza is confronted by less-than-perfect-reality and is someone we can easily recognize ourselves in. The title role is played by Barić and she is joined by Ivana Roščić, Marija Škaričić, Leon Lučev, Dragan Mićanović, Goran Marković, and others.
Tereza is a film we have been waiting for a long time, a strong female tale told in the spirit of Dalmatia that sets new boundaries in Croatian cinematography. I believe that the audience will share our enthusiasm about Lana’s and Danilo’s film – express one of the festival selectors, Milena Zajović.
Ajvar is a drama coming from Serbia. Directed by Ana Maria Rossi, it tells a story of a forty-something married couple, Vida and Bane – played by Nataša Ninković and Sergej Trifunović – who live in Sweden and have built seemingly a nice life without children. When they come back home for holidays, the narrative of their life starts crumbling and certain secrets resurface.
The Motovun audiences met Ana Maria Rossi ten years ago when she was one of the authors of the omnibus Some Other Stories. Her debut Ajvar was in the kitchen for a long time, and the result is, luckily, masterful –said the festival director, Igor Mirković.
U krug comes from Bulgaria, and it is a mosaic drama that could, as is put in the release, easily be made for our region. The film follows 6 police officers who, during a night in Sofia, encounter all the absurdities of a country in transition – including corruption, immigrants, a forgetful old man, and an unwanted dead body. The director is Stefan Komandarev.
This is a film that has become a seasonal hit, and that speaks of very important subjects while dancing between a drama and a strong black comedy. I believe it will play very well to the Motovun audiences – predicts the festival selector, Jurica Pavičić.
Earlier, the organizers announced that 15 feature films will be shown during the festival, together with accompanying events and the program of short films, which, for the second year will choose a winner that will compete for the European Film Academy award.
Another news this year is a fresh festival identity, designed by Klasja&Zita. This time, it is inspired by dystopian and SF stories, including Blade Runner and Terminator, as well as the present state of the world. The festival poster shows a man at the top of a hill, flying a kite, which is the signature sign of the festival – as the lights of the festival projectors behind him announce a “new” world.
