Slovenian films at Sarajevo Film Festival

21. August 2006

At this year’s 12th Sarajevo Film Festival (18–26 August), the competition programme - documentaries will feature TV Slovenia documentary Druga generacija (The Second Generation) by screenwriter and director Amir Muratoviæ, and competition short films programme will feature three Slovenian short films:

Boli? (Does It Hurt?) by screenwriter and director Marko Cafnik, Principessa (The Pricess) by screenwriter and director Blaž Kutin, and a short student film Sretan put Nedime (Good Luck Nedim) by director Marko Šantiæ...

Short films are scheduled on Sunday, 20th August. A member of jury that awards the best feature film in regional programme is director Jan Cvitkovič. His film Odgrobadogroba (Gravehopping) will be presented in the regional off-programme.

Documentary Druga generacija can be summarised by an actor’s quote: »I'm a Slovene … yet I am not…« It is about a generation born in Slovenia to parents who came to Slovenia from the »south«, from »down there« seeking work. They had come for a year or two, but stayed here in a hope that, one day when they retire, they will come back. Their longing to come back has strongly labelled them as well as their children. Children were nearly growing up in enclaves, where they communicated in their mother tongue, cherished their culture, customs, and celebrated their holidays – and had a feeling that they belong to a different world. Some parts of Ljubljana and other Slovenian towns, thus became small ghettos, where Slovenian language can rarely be heard.

Children from the so-called second generation are thus torn between two worlds: the neat an ordered one, that has its inexorable rules and where every penny is hard earned, and the other that seems more kind and familiar, in which life seems to be drinking coffee and chatting with friends, and making money is easy as it gets. In search for an identity some of them become Slovenians and accept the customs, and others remain devoted to their parents’ roots. The film is scheduled for 23rd of August.

After the projection of Druga generacija, Sarajevo Film Festival will also feature the Slovenian reception organised by Slovenian film fund and RTV Slovenia, honouring all Slovenian films that will be presented at the festival. More about the festival you can find at the festival website: http://www.sff.ba/2006.