The selector of the main competition program of the 18th Leskovac International Film Festival LIFFE, director and screenwriter Ognjen Sviličić chose seven works from the area of the former Yugoslavia: Pavilion, directed by Dino Mustafić, This is Not a Love Song, directed by Nevio Marasović, Family Therapy, directed by Sonja Prosenc, Jon Vardar vs. Galaxiat, directed by Goce Cvetanovski, Rabbit Embankment, directed by Čejen Černić, My Late Summer, directed by Danis Tanović, Restitution, or Dream and Reality of the Old Guard, directed by Želimir Žilnik.
Ognjen Sviličić, selector of the main competition program said: “This year, we again gathered a representation of films from the former Yugoslavia that show us how our region is changing. The focus is on intimate problems, love, family. There are no more wars and the disintegration of society. It’s calm sailing now. We have a bizarre Slavic family drama, a love story from Dalmatia, stories about older people and their problems from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and two more love stories from Croatia. And one film is a feature-length Macedonian Sci-Fi animation. So, our film region offers us an insight into the intimate problems of people from this area, and most importantly, each of these films has its own stamp. I sincerely hope that the audience in Leskovac will find a lot in common with the stories of these wonderful films.
The coming of age of the Leskovac International Festival of Film Direction also brings a turning point when it comes to awards. The Directorate and the Artistic Council of the Festival, guided by the idea that the Award should reflect the spirit of the Festival and the city of Leskovac, known for its textile and pharmaceutical industry, gastronomic specialties, authenticity, eighteen years as a film festival, but known, above all, for its hospitable people, decided that the Festival’s awards would bear the name ZLATNA NIT.
At this year’s edition of LIFFE, the following prizes will be awarded:
Golden Thread – Grand Prix for Best Director in the Main Competition Program
Golden Thread – Award for the best director of a debut film in the Special Treatment program
Golden Thread – Special recognition for the affirmation of the film art of the region
The Print of Goran Paskaljević
The look of the Golden Thread award was designed by two great artists at the invitation of the Festival, academician Dušan Otašević, winner of the most prestigious art awards, and award-winning designer Slavimir Stojanović.
Academician Dušan Otašević said this about the design: “I used a well-known scenario for the artistic solution of the Leskovac International Film Festival Awards. The hero Theseus rescues innocent young men, trapped in a labyrinth, from the villain Minotaur, and he is helped by Princess Ariadne. Following the unwound thread from the ball, obtained by Ariadne, Theseus will emerge, from the intricate corridors of the labyrinth, with the saved young men. The film director, thanks to the thread called talent and the skill of the job with which is engaged in, is successfully getting out of the labyrinth in which he finds himself doing the complex work of a film director. I joined the production of this festival, along all those who are caught in the labyrinth of everyday life yet still cling to the thread called Art above all, believing that the the light of day will come.”
Graphic designer and visual artist Slavimir Stojanović said this about the design: “The idea came from Miroljub Mića Vučković, the doyen of film art and my eternal mentor, with whom I collaborated in the mid-nineties on projects promoting Yugoslav cinema in the world. He thought of connecting me with one of my favorite artists, Dušan Otašević, whose work I remember from high school design school, when he became and remained a great inspiration with his strong graphic narrative. We decided to use one of Dušan’s art works, the backbone of which is the Golden Thread, and try to create an authentic piece in a combination of plexiglass and print that is a metaphor for top tier achievements in the field of film art. The festival may be of a regional character, but through it Leskovac embodies universal values, such as belief in one’s own authorial expression, in ideas, aesthetics and creativity that help make the world at least a little better and brighter.”
The 18th LIFFE will be held from October 14th to 18th in Leskovac.