From Berlinale to FEST

Over 10 pieces of the world cinematography are hailing to the FEST, straight from the Berlin International Film Festival. Berlin Festival will screen five Serbian films, Humidity among others, by our director Nikola Ljuca, which will also open the FEST 44. This is his debutante feature film, with Staša Bajac as co-screenwriter. Miloš Timotijević plays the protagonist, a businessman whose wife (Tamara Krcunović) disappears without explanation, which is a fact he tries to hide from everyone, maintaining the illusion of a perfect life he has built. Humidity is a part of the Forum program at the Berlin Festival, which showcases new trends in the world film, fresh narrative forms and new voices, especially highlighting debutante works and innovative works by young directors.

A new film by the Cohen brothers, Hail, Caesar, has opened the festival, screened as part of the Main program out of competition. This is the second time that the four-time Oscar winners have this privilege, aftertheir film True Grit opened the 61. edition of the festival in 2011. The film is set in the fifties, at the Golden age of Hollywood, and follows a day in the life of a problem solver in a film studio - a day when he’ll have some serious problems to solve, too. George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes and Channing Tatum are starring.

The Competition program of the Berlin Festival includes the film The Commune by the Danish director Thomas Vinterberg. FEST will screen another Vinterberg’s film, Far From the Madding Crowd, while three years ago our viewers had the opportunity to see his awarded filmThe Hunt, which also received an Oscar nomination. The Commune follows the development of a commune in Copenhagen and internal relations, conflicts and emotions in a group of friends, with a focus on the married couple who start the whole thing in their large house in the suburbs.

Being 17 is also part of the Competition program. Famous French director Andre Téchiné stands behind this project, in the race for the Golden bear for the third time in his career. Through this portrait of two confused boys who are trying to get a hang of their own emotions, Téchiné examines what it’s like to grow up in different social circumstances. As seasons go by, a village in Southwest France becomes a psychological landscape of a relationship of two boys, constantly on a verge between contempt and attraction.

Main program out of competition willscreen News from the Planet Mars by Dominik Moll. This dark comedy follows Philip Mars’ attempt to please everyone - to be a good father, a friendly ex-husband, an affable coworker, anunderstanding brother. Naturally, the whole world is against him, especially the ones closest to him. This is a different kind of family film, where father is suddenly faced with a complicated set of circumstances which initially frustrate him, but eventually help him reconnect with his family.

The Panorama Special program will screen Maggie’s Plan. The director, Rebecca Miller, daughter of the famous author, Arthur Miller, and wife of Daniel Day-Lewis, has made a name for herself in the world of independent film. Her latest romantic comedy, dealing with a complicated relationship between Maggie, her child’s father and his ex wife. Thiscomplicated family web features Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore.

On the Other Side (minority Serbian coproduction) is a new film by the awarded Croatian director Zrinko Ogresta, which will be premiered in the Panorama program, while at the FEST it will be shown as part of the competition program Serbian Film. This psychological drama is based on the screenplay by Mate Matišić and Zrinko Ogresta, dealing with a nurse, Vesna, who moved to Zagreb 20 years ago with her children, fleeing from events that nearly ruined their lives. After an unexpected phone call, a secret she had been trying to hide all this time comes to light. Ksenija Marinković and Lazar Ristovski are starring in the film.

Noma, My Perfect Storm will be shown as part of the Culinary film program. If we view cooking as a language, and the ingredients as words that form it, then ReneRedzepi is one of the greatest poets of that language. In this film Pierre Deschamps reveals a portrait of a chef constantly in search of new flavours and methods of preparation, leading his team attentively and motivating them in unusualways. It also shows Redzepi as a man who, relying on his passions, creativity and talent, overcame all of the hurdles and cooked his way up to the top of the world.

LOLA is a program that showcases best German films - those that were considered for the Award of the German Film Academy (Lola). Three films from this program will screen at the FEST.

More than a decade after his extremely successful film Goodbye, Lenin, Wolfgang Becker has made a comeback with Kaminsky and I. The main role, as in the previous film, is assigned to Daniel Bril who plays a conceited journalist. He plans to write a biography of a legendary, but forgotten painter, Kaminski. The unscrupulous journalist finds the withdrawn artist and takes him on a crazy trip through Europe to find his love from youth, trying to fish out as many secrets as possible, to put in the book.

FEST’s program Frontiers will feature two films from LOLA. TheNightmare follows seventeen year old Tina who, after a crazy night out,finds herself stalked by a mysterious monster. After her parents start considering sending her to an institution on account of her fantasies, Tinafaces the monster. She starts hiding it in the room, feeding it, bonding with it like with a wild animal, realizing slowly that the creature might be just an incarnation of her fears.

The Bunker is a dark, twisted, funny tale of childhood, growing up and education. In order to focus on his work, a student rents a room in the house of a strange family that welcomes him with open arms. After a while, the family pushes him to tutor their eight year old who lives under extremely strict rules that prevent him from enjoying his childhood. When the student conspires with the boy, with the intention to resist his dominant parents, the situation will get out of hand.