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Slano Film Days Festival Is Ceremonially Opened
Last night, a press conference was held in the beautiful, intimate atmosphere of the garden of Villa Riva in Slano, near Dubrovnik, Croatia, which was attended by all participants and guests of Slano Film Days, a unique format of events dedicated to film that connects up-and-coming filmmakers and prominent names from the world of the film industry.
Over the next five days, Slano will become a place for film discussions, the exchange of experiences and ideas, informal get-togethers and film screenings. Evening screenings of award-winning films by our guest filmmakers will also be held.
The director of Slano Film Days, Mirsad Purivatra, addressed the attendees, starting the night by greeting all of the guests and participants; directors Alfonso Cuarón, Paweł Pawlikowski, Ruben Östlund, Michel Franco, Juho Kuosmanen, Elia Suleiman, Ognjen Glavonić, director Lili Horvát, director of photography Michael Seresin and influential representatives of the film industry Christian Jeune, program director and deputy general delegate at the Cannes Film Festival, producer Emilie Georges , producer and executive director Timka Grin, the president of the International Association of Casting Directors. Also, he mentioned producer Philippe Bober and talent agent Jessica Kovacevic who will soon join Slano Film Days team. Each Slano Film Days participant was greeted with a special applause individually, 16 young film artists who represent the bright future of the regional film scene; actresses and actors Era Balaj, Milica Janevski, Saško Kočev, Anuša Kodelja, Lidija Kordić, Boris Ler, Goran Marković and Anita Ognjanović, directors Ivan Bakrač, Blerta Basholli, Dina Duma, Urša Menart and Vladimir Tagić and cinematographers Milica Drakulić, Dubravka Kurobasa and Maja Radošević.
"This unique format of events dedicated to film, which connects up-and-coming regional filmmakers and prominent names from the film industry, will turn Slano into a place for film discussions, an exchange of experiences and ideas, informal gatherings and film screenings for the next five days. The idea behind the whole project is that young directors, actors and cinematographers, freed from competitive pressure, openly discuss the creative process of filmmaking, their ideas and new projects with film professionals who have influenced the cinema both in Europe and the rest of the world.," said Purivatra.
After the press conference, this year's first film screening at Slano Film Days took place. The movie that was shown, Children of Men, with Clive Owen and Julianne Moore in the lead roles, was made by one of today's greatest directors, Alfonso Cuarón. Before the screening, the five-time Oscar winning director, addressed the audience: "It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this festival, thank you all for coming to this screening, I am deeply honored that my film will be shown in such a beautiful place."
The friendship between Mirsad Purivatra and Alfonso Cuarón dates back to 1995. That year Cuarón came to besieged Sarajevo and brought his film A Little Princess and showed it in front of 900 students at Sarajevo schools. In the words of Mirsad Purivatra, Cuarón, risking his life, then showed not only courage and character, but also his love for film.
The Slano Film Days brings open air film screenings in the evenings for participants and all film lovers. Before the screenings, the audience will be greeted by the filmmakers and this year's guests of Slano Film Days. In the coming days the audience will have the opportunity to watch the films: Alan Parker’s Angel Heart, Nebojša Slijepčević’s The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, Paweł Pawlikowski’ s Ida, Michel Franco’s Memory, Alfonso Cuarón’s And Your Mother Too and Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves.
The participation of film artists and students at Slano Film Days was supported by regional film centers and funds through a partnership with Slano Film Days: the Croatian Audiovisual Center, the Film Center of Serbia, the Film Center of Montenegro, the Film Agency of North Macedonia, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton and the Slovenian Film Center.
Slano Film Days takes place in Slano and on the Elafite Islands until June 22, 2024.
Partner of the Slano Film Days is the Sarajevo Film Festival.
All information about the program and accompanying contents of Slano Film Days is available on the official website www.slanofilmdays.hr and via social networks.