Serbian cinematography has achieved an exceptional success at the 73rd Pula Film Festival, where films from Serbia, including Croatian minority co-productions, have won a total of six Golden Arenas, confirming the strong presence of local authors at one of the most important film festivals in the region.
The highest recognition went to the film Wind, Talk to Me directed by Stefan Đorđević, which won the Golden Arena for the best film in the competition of minority co-productions. The achievement was also awarded the Golden Arena for the best photography, which was awarded to director of photography Marko Brdar.
Still from the film Wind, Talk to Me
In explaining the award for the best film, the jury pointed out that the film, dealing with one of the most difficult human subjects – loss – consistently avoids pathos and simple emotional solutions, building an authentic film language in which silence, rhythm and subtle gestures carry the same weight as words. Explaining the award for photography, the jury stated that the camera, through thoughtful composition and an exquisite sense of space, light and time, builds an intimate relationship with the protagonists and gives shape to emotions that remain unspoken.
The film Three Weeks Later also met with great success, winning three Golden Arenas – director Miroslav Terzić was awarded for the best direction, Vladimir Arsenijević, Bojan Vuletić and Miroslav Terzić jointly took home the award for the best screenplay and Marko Feraković won for best editing, which confirmed his exceptional authorial and artistic ability. The film is inspired by real events from 2011 and deals with peer violence among adolescents. It is dedicated to Aleksa Janković from Niš and Mahir Rakovac from Sarajevo, whose tragic fates have become a symbol of the fight against violence among young people.
Still from the film Three Weeks Later
Among the award winners is the film Our Father directed by Goran Stanković, for which Vučić Perović, an actor of the National Theater in Belgrade, won the Golden Arena for the best male lead in a program of minority co-productions. The jury emphasized that the award was given for exceptional acting creation, unusual inner complexity and deeply experienced interpretation of the character that carries the entire dramatic structure of the film.
Our Father/Vučić Perović
Actress Aleksandra Janković, known for her theater roles in Belgrade’s Atelje 212, won the Golden Arena for the best supporting female role at the 73rd Pula Film Festival, for her role as Tajana in the Croatian film Honey Bunny by director and screenwriter Igor Jelinović.
The selector of this program, Mario Kozina, assessed that this year’s edition of the Pula Film Festival once again confirmed the strength of Serbian cinematography. Pointing out that six out of seven films in the competition of minority co-productions came from Serbia, Kozina assessed that such a result speaks of the continuity of quality production and recognizable auteur poetics that Serbian film has nurtured for decades, which is why such success is not a surprise.
All awarded films were realized with the support of Film Center Serbia, and the awards won are another confirmation of the quality of domestic cinematography and the success of Serbian authors on the international festival stage.
Photo: IG/Pula Film Festival
Photo: Promo/Wind Talk to Me, Three Weeks Later, Our Father