15. Camera Zizanio i 18. Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People as seen by Jadranko Lopatić
Exactly 11 years ago, Vera, Miro and Jadranko visited the same city and the same festival so their return was full of stories and memories of interesting events. We expected a return to a familiar surroundings. Still, after a whole day trip with a plane and buss we realizes that nothing is the same. Pyrgos changed! This was the only logical conclusion since we remained the same and our memory was so fresh.
Luckily, well organized hosts (hi Sofia and Lito) didn't allow us to get lost along the way so soon we were standing with full stomachs in front of our hotel Odysseas, named after the famous hero and adventurer. Name was more than appropriate for the building since only courageous and adventurous people indeed stay there.
In the next few days we caught on a rhythm: after a rich breakfast there were projections by Camera Zizanio, production of children and youth films. Lunch time and then participating in Mythos project (for children, not for us) and after that projections at Olympia Film Festival, production of films for children and youth and the return to the hotel and starting everything all over again.
One day we kidnapped our children, Matea and Lana from Videodružina BezVizije from Slavonski Brod and Leda and Lara from FKVKZ (Jure from Kinoklub Karlovac decided that participating at a workshop was more important than sightseeing of ruins) and took them to the Olympia, a place where old Greeks invented Olympic games.
What is there to say about the festival?
Numerous new friendships youth connected and became inseparatable. Adults also connected, for example with the owner of a café across the cinema.
Croatian block at Camera Zizanio was created by two films by FKVK Zaprešić, two films by Frooom, three films by VANIMA, two films by Kinoklub Karlovac and one film by Bartol Kašić Elementary School Zagreb and one film by Andrija Mohorovčić High School from Rijeka. It was an admirable presentation to the European competition as well as presentation of programs by CFA: Four River Film Festival and Youth Film Festival as well as Croatian Children's Film Festival.
At the Olympia Film Festival program there were some excellent films that we analyzed thrally after projections. In those analyses we got help from Boris from Frooom so our discussions were long and at times extremely lively.
Mainly, it was eight new experiences and we all agreed that we should repeat this trip. But not in eleven years, a bit sooner.
Trivia
Swissair is better than Austrian Airlines because they give chocolate after the meal and play cartoons during the flight.
Packaging of suitcases in foil costs 10 Euros in Pleso while in Eleftherios Venizelos in Greece it costs 6 Euros. Price of the foil for domestic use is around 5 kunas in stores.
Bottle of a traditional Greek drink in Greece costs around 17 euros (around 130 kunas) while you can buy it in a store in Croatia for 99,99 kunas.
Jonian sea is as salty as Adriatic.
Sincerely yours, Jardanko Lopatić from Foto kino video klub Zaprešić
10.12.2015.