Radmila Djurica's blog

21st of June 6th day of Cinema City, went off very quickly. Beside a wonderful party, a lovely lunch with editor Bruno Chatelin and extensive talk with NickPowell about the celebrity world and rather interesting programs on festival there were interesting events to go to and films to see. Powell is a film producer, a co funder of Virgin Group (with Richard Branson), director of National Television and Film School in England and founder of Palace Production.

The story of the paradoxical pursuit of happiness at the wrong time and the wrong place, won two awards at film festival in San Sebastian, opened the film program of Cinema City 2012 on 6th day and it is an excellent film Adikos Kosmos (Unfair World) directed by Greek director Filippos Tsitos: a tragic comedy about how people become dishonest to others for their misfortune. Then of course, Serbian director Miroslav Momčilović with his latest film Smrt čoveka na Balkanu (Death of man in the Balkans). The long awaited achievement, Smrt čoveka na Balkanu (Death of man in the Balkans) is the story about lonely artists who kills himself in front of web camera and his neighbor, who glorify the life of the deceased, although he cannot remember his name. It is about the experience of death and how we as people treat such an event and the services which can then interfere and it touches the topic of corruption in modern Serbian society. "Everything that happens in the film, although the tragic occasion, basically has a lighthearted tone" - said the film director Miroslav Momčilović. The film ended with ovation of the audience especially when the main actor of film Bosnian Emir Hadžihafizbegović came to a stage. There is also the main competition selection National Class and Maya Miloš’s Clip (Klip): film awarded with the Grand Prize at the Festival in Rotterdam to be recognized by Dutch critics: a bold film about turbo/folk subculture in Serbia that affects the intimacy of small teen urban life to the point of frustration, expressed by experimenting with sex, alcohol and drugs. A film directed by a very young woman in early 20s that is not only representing this young turbo folk subculture, but most likely coming from the same subculture. Turbofolk music is the kind of music that came out of extreme poverty and chauvinistic subculture, based on the artificial form of Serbian folk music. This music represents certain layers of people (not necessarily poor) in Serbia, attracted to kitcsh subculture and can be compared with poor and similar structured white trash culture in Western countries.

Screenings of films in a cinema hall Arena Cineplex started with Slovakian film House (Dom) directed by Zuzana Liova, a typical example of courage and intelligent Eastern European film. Then another beautiful French film in the competition selection Educons Hungry Days a title Nana (Nana) directed by the guest of festival Valérie Massadian: a very personal story can be told from the perspective of four years old girl. This debut French achievement was awarded first prize at the Locarno Film Festival and is the first film from director Valérie Massadian, one of the greatest debut films over the past year: it is a quiet and minimalist exploration of childhood in all its elusiveness. The film is intimate without false sentimentality, and evokes a true emotions out of its unusual rhythms and spatial configurations. There was also film called To Die Like a Man (Morer como um Homem) an unusual set of drama, fantasy and music directed by Loao Pedro Rodriguez, a film director who is one the jurist as well. Then, there is also a debut film by Satjango Mitre, Student (Student), which is also the best achievement of modern Argentina. A dynamic story of indifferent students who have won Associate professor begins to engage in politics in university circles: it is cleverly designed metaphor for the political manipulations that occur in society.

And not to forget Whisky and Vodka (Whiskey mit Wodka) a comic drama directed by fantastic Dresen which won the award for Best Director at Karlovy Vary 2009 portrays the fate of the drunken actor and a film crew: a story told by a refined sensitivity to light, laconic humor, focusing on loneliness and aging and the actual possibilities and dreams