FILM COMES HOME AT ITS BEST AND WITH THUNDEROUS SHOUTS

Balthazar in the left corner of the stage holding a big Dukat milk cart in his hand, the dark Sith standing next to the chair of mayor Damir Jelić, Cowboy close to the Head Secretary of the Croatian Film Association, Mrs Vera Robić-Škarica and the jittery Charlie Chaplin pacing the stage. That was the setup of last night’s opening of the 16th Youth Film Festival and the 4th Four River Film Festival, on 7th September at 8:30 PM at Edison cinema. The festival trailer awakened the audience and the performance of the singling Singrlice marked the beginning of the ceremony. Edison cinema – a real cinema with a real big screen and a real projector opened its doors to all the cinephiles.

The famous actress from Karlovac, Zrinka Cvitešić, hosting the ceremony addressed the audience and retold the conversation with Festival Coordinator, Marija Ratković, about the opening repeating what Marija told her over the phone “But listen, this year we’re doing at Edison!” She also asked the audience to give a loud shout, start clapping and cheering every time they hear the word Edison, and the most definitely did!

After about 400 cinema-hungry residents of Karlovac shouted out the word, she invited on stage Mr Josip Šimunčić, one of the members of the Kino group of the Dr Ivan Ribar Gymnasium back in the 60 to present the film Friday. “The film was made 45 years ago. I know that today’s young generations might find it funny and that they can’t even imagine it was made this way, but in those days we had problems with the camera, the editing and the sound. I had about 15 students and only about three of them mastered the shooting technique. So you get the idea of what we were up against in those days. We wanted to show Karlovac on Fridays in the film and importance of Friday as the fair day”, said Mr Šimunčić.

After introducing the selection jury, the ‘big’ and the ‘small’ juries, the mayor of Karlovac, Mr Damir Jelić, came on stage. He has been closely connected to film and the Cinema Club Karlovac for many years, so he looked back on the ones who are no longer with us but to whom the festival is greatly indebted. “I remember as if it were today when we sold milk to make money for half a camera and start shooting. I also have to remember the ones who are no longer here but who have helped us so much. I don’t want to spoil tonight’s fun but I have to mention Peterlić, Tadić and Šamanović.”

Mrs Vera Robić-Škarica, the Head Secretary of the Croatian Film Association, also addressed the audience. Accompanied by Cowboy, she came on stage and carried away by the great atmosphere in the auditorium, she also shouted “Edison!” and announced Marija Ratković the head orchestrator of this four-year-long high school filmmaking madness. Thanking the volunteers and the intervention unit of the festival, Marija handed a 33-mm role of film to Charlie Chaplin who waddled out and took in to the projection room. The screening of a clip from 1579 – 1979 followed, the film by Oscar-winner Dušan Vukotić made for the 400th anniversary of Karlovac.

The highlight of the evening was marked by the arrival on stage of last year’s Gran Prix winner, all the way from South Korea. Just one cut of the film role and the 16th YFF and the 4th FRFF were opened!

There are three more days of rich programmes ahead of us. Today, on 8th Sept, film fans will have a chance to see three more competition screenings. Also, at 11 o’clock at the City Theatre Zorin dom, there will be a screening of one of the episodes of The Little Flying Bears in the programme Film 5+ with Dukation, while we wrap up the day with the screening of Kotlovina, directed by Tomislav Radić, in the program Dubovac Open Air, under the open sky at 9:30 PM.

The grand opening is behind us! The film role is spinning, Edison cinema came to life again and the audience is eager to see the next screening. We’re betting on film! How about you?!

Media contact: Marija Ratković, 098 92 77 483, marijaratkovic@gmail.com

9. 9. 2011