The film Is the Sky Blue? directed by Nikola Ljuca won the D-Facto Motion award within the Connecting Cottbus (CoCo WIP) program, intended for professionals in the film industry, at the 35th edition of the international FilmFestival Cottbus in Germany.

This prestigious award, sponsored by the German post-production studio D-Facto Motion, includes the participation of the studio in the post-production of the image of the film worth 35,000 euros, as well as 1,000 euros for additional costs. The project was presented at the festival by producer Nikolina Vučetić from the film company Biberche.

The movie Is the Sky Blue? brings a drama with elements of thriller and melodrama, set in contemporary Serbia. The story explores the collisions of interpersonal relationships with corporate ambitions and state interests, illuminating moral dilemmas and the effects on love and friendship. The focus is on young people and their decisions, principles and choices in a world of corruption and fear — where truth is the most dangerous weapon and love is the greatest risk.

The main roles are played by Ivana Vuković and Milan Marić, while the cast includes Jasna Đuričić, Boris Isaković, Miloš Lučić, Dragana Dabović, Milica Trifunović, Sunčica Milanović, Rade Maričić and Aleksandar Đurica.

The script was written by Vuk Bošković, Staša Bajac and Nikola Ljuca, the director of photography is Mladen Teofilović, set designer Kiril Spaseski, costume designer Ljiljana Petrović, masker Goran Ignjatovski, editor Milica Jelača, composer Ted Regklis, and sound design by Julij Zornik.

The main character, Nadja, a former activist of a non-governmental organization for the protection of human rights, is today the personal assistant to a director of a powerful company called Magnolia. The company, in cooperation with foreign partners, buys the factory of the former industrial giant. Boris, Nađa’s former partner returns to her life, becoming part of a network of political and business interests. Their reunion sets in motion a series of events in which emotions, power and truth intertwine.

The film was developed through the Midpoint and ACE Producers programs, with the support of MEDIA Creative Europe and the regional fund Re-ACT, and was supported by Film Center Serbia, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the City of Novi Sad, the Film Center of Slovenia, the Croatian Audiovisual Center, the Film Agency of the Republic of North Macedonia, the Audio-Visual Center of the Republic of Srpska, the Film Center of Montenegro and the Greek Film Center.

The Connecting Cottbus (CoCo) program represents one of the most important co-production markets in Europe, which connects film professionals from the East and the West, with a focus on Eastern European cinema. As a aprt of this year’s festival, six feature film projects in post-production and twelve in development phase were presented. The festival in Cottbus, founded in 1991, has ove around 17,000 visitors and is counted among the most important cultural events of the Berlin and Brandenburg region, dedicated to film works from Central and Eastern Europe.

Photo: Jerzy Wypych, CoCo Cottbus