It has just been announced that the Serbian film Oasis, directed by Ivan Ikić, won the “Europa Cinemas Venice Label” at the Venice Film Festival as the best European film in the “Days of Authors” selection. This is the 17th year in a row that this award has been given in Venice. In 2019, this award was won by the Polish film The Body of Christ by Jan Komasa, one of the most praised and most awarded films from last year.
Thanks to this award, “Oasis” will have an easier time getting ditributed across Europe, and as the jury pointed out in the explanation: “This is a beautifully shot and poetic film, which stood out in this year’s selection of the Author’s Day, and we chose it unanimously. Ikić’s Oasis is gentle and deeply moving, but at the same time it offers a fresh and uncompromising view of the lives of young people with special needs in a home in Serbia. ”
The story of Ikić’s film (formerly known as “Users”) is set in a Home for Children and Youth with Special Needs, and revolves around a love triangle between two girls and a young man. In addition to screenwriter and director Ivan Ikić (known for his debut film Barbarians from 2014), the rest of the film crew includes: editor Dragan von Petrović, director of photography Miloš Jaćimović, set designer Dragana Baćović, costume designer Milica Kolarić, sound engineer Aleksandar Perović… The film stars debutants Valentino Zenuni, Tijana Marković and Marijana Novakov, with the roles of caretakers entrusted to Maruša Mejer and Goran Bogdan.