The Grand Prix for the short film Sisters at the festival in Clermont Ferrand
On Saturday, 6 February, the 43rd Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, which took place remotely as of 29 January, came to an end. The main international award at this most important short film festival went to a Slovenian film.
The short film Sisters by the directress Katarina Rešek – Kukla, which also had its world premiere at this festival, participated in the competition programme consisting of 78 films.
The directress had the following to say when she heard the news: “I am immensely proud of the team behind Sisters. This was the first film appearance for most actors and actresses, and I am thankful for their immeasurable trust and cooperation. Each member of the creative, technical, and production part of the team opened their minds and hearts and invested themselves fully in this work. The award means that films can make their way to the viewers even if they are produced in modest conditions – if we are honest and brave. Sisters are a study for the feature film Fantasy, which we are currently working on. By all means, the award represents a good motivation and incentive for us to keep working on the story that is related to the local environment, breaks apart the established patterns, and offers a fresh perspective. I hope that the viewers can enjoy it and that it touches them where it matters most: their hearts.«
The sisters from the title – Sina, Mihrije, and Jasna – are three best friends in their early twenties. The three tomboys, always wearing loose grey sweatsuits and tying their hair into low ponytails stuffed in their sweaters, train martial arts and keep to themselves. Their lifestyle often brings them into conflict with the local boys. During one of their scuffles, a fragile young girl, who is in fact only becoming that, saves them from a total defeat and humiliation.
Starring the actress Mia Skrbinac and debutants Sarah Al Saleh and Mina Milovanović.
The film was produced by A Atalanta and coproduced by Nuframe, Zvokarna, and Supermarket, and co-financed by the Slovenian Film Centre and Viba Film Studio. The creative team includes the director of photography Peter Perunović, editor Lukas Miheljak, sound designer Boštjan Kačičnik, production designer Mateja Medvedić, costumes designer Damir Raković, and makeup designer Špela Ema Veble.
The producer of the film is Barbara Daljavec.
This year, the film festival selectors had to choose among almost seven thousand applicants.
In recent years, Slovenian films have been screened at this prominent festival quite often: in 2017, the animated short Nighthawk by Špela Čadež was screened in the festival’s competition programme; while in 2020, Kristijan Krajnčan presented himself with the short film The Flood.
You can find the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/505573396