Roots
Bicycle has many fathers, but there is not just one name as the real one, from which it all started. There is only mention of the first driver, from 1817, only two years after the battle of Waterloo. It was the German baron Karl von Drais (that first bicycle was named after him „draisine“) was the first one that was riding by pushing against the ground and by doing so moving his wooden and big transportation device. That first bicycle was saved until today in the museum Paleis het Loo in the Dutch city Apeldoorn and Karlovac museum also holds the first bicycle that was ridden in our country, in the far away 1849.
At the same time, Ernest Michaux has started to develop a model of bicycle with pedals with the large front wheel in France (so called Spider) which was easy to fall from and it was hard and dangerous to ride. Later, pedals will be moved from the front wheel to the bike frame and chain transition will be developed while the model by J.K. Starley from 1855 is considered the first modern bicycle. After John Boyd Dunlop from Scotland put pneumatic tires on bicycles (as they say, firstly on the children bicycle for his son) so bike riding became softer and nicer, joy never ended!
One small bicycle, as a necklace, hang around the neck of the coordinator of the Festival and FRFF, Marija Ratković Vidaković during the opening ceremony who was completely dressed in yellow, traditional color of these events. Next to here there was precious translator Vedrana Mihalić, all dressed in black, also one of the classic Festival colors so there was a question did those childhood friends spontaneously dress like these or was it the matter of perfect organization. Whole thing would be even more fun if the ceremony host, Luka Bulić, sang something in his style (Vedrana would, I'm sure, translate everything perfectly).
It all started even before the opening ceremony, during the afternoon when there was a screening of films made by children as well as the day long workshop program by IYMS for young Karlovac citizens called Seven world problems – seven solutions which was hosted by Antonio Britvar in Zorin Dom Theatre, which was followed by the presentation of the project Tandem which was created by the blind biker and bike constructor from Bečaj from Vojvodina – Bojan Biga. He came from one river – Tisa, to our four – Kupa, Korana, Mrežnica and Dobra, as well as long time contributor and friend Miomir Rajčević from Belgrade Media Education Center which started filming of documentary about this valuable and brave man and is announcing the sequel.
After appropriate welcoming words and screening of all ten trailers of previous Festivals and FRFF held in Karlovac – 21st Youth Film Festival 9th Four River Film Festival officially were opened by symbolic cutting of the ribbon. First day had ended by the screening of documentary Dragon Woman by Ivana Sansević after which there was a short panel discussion with film critic and publicist Boško Picula ad members of film crew and film protagonists.
Day after the beginning of 21st Festival and 9th Four River Film Festival, Karlovac officially marked 250 years of Karlovac Gramnar school where at a time Video section started, followed by development of Kinoklub Karlovac which directly lead to Youth Film Festival and Four River Film Festival. Everything else is (already) a legend!
Duško Popović
popovicdusko@yahoo.com
07.09.2016.