16.8.2012
This year, Hrvatski Telekom supports the Vukovar Film Festival, the unique festival of the Danube Region countries, for the sixth consecutive year. The 2012 edition of the Festival, which will take place from 22 to 26 August, will feature as many as 43 outstanding films which will be screened on as many as six locations.
“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to make the films from this special festival accessible to viewers throughout Croatia, via our MAXtv and MAXtv Sat service. We have provided MAXtv users with the possibility to see, during the Festival already, one of the most awarded films –Just the Wind, which won the Jury Grand Prix and the Amnesty International Prize at this year's Berlinale“, said Ivana Frankol, Head of Residential Communications Work Unit, on behalf of Hrvatski Telekom.
In the main competition program of long feature films, the following awarded titles will be screened – the Romanian film Beyond the Hills / Dupa Dealuri, directed by Cristian Mungiu, the Hungarian film Just the Wind / Csak a Szel by Benedek Fliegauf and the German film Barbara by Christian Petzold. The Croatian film Vegetarian Cannibal by Branko Schmidt, winner of several awards at the 2012 Pula Film Festival, will also be screened.
In the category of short feature films, the touching Romanian drama directed by Tudor Giurgiu Superman, Spiderman or Batman / Superman, Spiderman sau Batman about a boy who wants to save the world and his ill mother will be screened, among other films. Another must-see in this category is the German film Armadingen by Philipp Käßbohrer, about a farmer who learns that the end of the world is near and decides to conceal it to his long neglected wife and spend the nicest day on the Earth with her.
A lot of interesting titles will be screened in the category of in-competition documentaries. One should highlight the Ukrainian and Canadian documentary Family Portrait in Black and White by Julia Ivanova, a prize winner at the Hot Docs Festival and an excellent story about biracial children raised, with a lot of troubles, by a remarkable woman who is their guardian and “spiritual” mother. Yet another documentary gem from Romania is Digging for Life / Doina Groparilor by Pavel Cuzuioc, an interesting story about the largest cemetery in Europe, in Chişinău, Moldova and its workers – grave diggers. The awarded documentary from the Czech Republic Solar Eclipse / Pod sluncem tma by Martin Mareček is a story of two Czech technicians who provide a desolate Zambian village with electricity. The topic of this year's winner of the Czech Lion for the best documentary in 2012 is the clash of mindsets and rural Africa as seen through the eyes of the two Czechs. One of the in-competition documentaries is The King by Dejan Aćimović, about the Croatian Paralympic athlete and shot-put champion Darko Kralj.
The real gem comes from the out-of-competition program “The World”, namely Woody Allen's new film To Rome with Love, an ode to the Eternal City, told through a number of adventures and ups and downs, in typical Woody Allen style, starring Oscar winners Penelope Cruz and Roberto Benigni.
One should highlight two titles from the out-of-competition program “The Planet Partner: the Earth” – the French documentary The Hut of the Good Lord/La cabane du Bon Dieu about mystical Catholic monks who live in Belgian woods in the spirit of St Francis and the outstanding American documentary The Atomic States of America about the crucial question in today's world, namely whether one can split atoms in a responsible way.
This year, the out-of-competition program “Europe, Open Up” has been introduced with the aim to present films from less known European film industries. One should mention the exotic Icelandic thriller Black's Game / Svartur A Leik about the Icelandic crime scene and the Estonian documentary Kuku: I Will Survive / Kuku: Mina Jään Ellu about the problematic Estonian actor and bohemian Arvo Kukumagi.
The jury consists of the Croatian actor Goran Grgić, the Slovene director Jan Cvitkovič and the Croatian film critic Marko Njegić.
The Festival guest list includes names such as this year's winner of Cannes award for the best actress Cosmina Stratan, Valieru Andriuta (leading actresses in the film Beyond the Hills), the actresses starring in the Hungarian film Just the Wind - Katalin Toldi and Emese Vasvari, the directors of the films: Flower Buds - Zdenek Jirasky, Vegetarian Cannibal - Branko Schmidt and The Bear - Dan Chisu.
Evening screenings (the in-competition program and the out-of-competition program “The World”) will take place on two locations, namely on the river barge and on the terrace of the Agency for Waterways.
The documentary in-competition program and children's morning performances will be held at Ružička's House.
The out-of-competition programs “The Planet Partner: the Earth” and “Europe, Open Up” (films from less known European film industries) will be screened on the exotic location of the Danubian sand island called Ada, an excellent choice for a summer theater.
The film program will be rerun in the Borovo naselje cinema (during the Festival) and in CineStar cinemas throughout Croatia (after the Festival).