FESTIVALS

Men’s stuff

14. Days of Croatian Film

The same as in previous years, this year’s Days of Croatian Film presented a small number of film productions, which evidently indicates a total lack of concern for film by the society. Still, despite this fact and all the usual lack of coordination in organization (the regulations of the festival were changed because of a single film), and despite a lousy offer of motion pictures (none of which won the critics’ award Oktavijan), the Days still featured several exceptional works. Winner of the Festival’s Grand Prix, documentary All’s Well! (Sve 5!) by Dana Budisavljević (about a prostitute and porn actress Lidija Šunjerga) is a valuable piece in spite of the lack of discipline in exposition, but truly interesting were documentary films Blue Pony (Plavi poni) by Ivona Juka (with an imaginative approach to the subject of inter-ethnic coexistence in Eastern Croatia), Park (Park) by Saša Ban (a formally playful study of space), and Cesar Franck — Wolf Vostell by the conceptual artist Antonio Lauer, formerly known as Tomislav Gotovac. A poor choice of animated films was redeemed by Duplex, animated work by cinematographer and artist Goran Trbuljak, a poetic homage to a pregnant woman and also the best film of the Days of Croatian Film. Spoj by Darko Bakliža was also a good film. Selection of animated films featured several worthy pieces, in particular Ukidanje jabuke by Vlasta Žanić, where in one shot two scenes are juxtaposed without double exposition.

Goran Kovač