The American Cinematheque in
collaboration with HAVC - Croatian Audiovisual Center; with support from
Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles, E.L.M.A. (European
Languages and Movies in America) and Croatian National Association, presents
KINO CROATIA: NEW FILMS (May 30 - June 1, 2014),a Fundraiser for
Flood Victims in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzogovina. American
Cinematheque is joining the humanitarian effort to help the victims of recent
catastrophic floods in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Proceeds from the film
series will be donated to the Kino Croatia's Floods Relief Fund.
Additional fundraising will take place during the three days of screenings, May
30 - June 01, culminating with the in person appearance by actors Goran
Visnjic and Miraj Grbic, leading the drive. KINO CROATIA's opening
night takes place at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on May 30th and will
continue with four more feature films and a short film at the Aero Theatre in
Santa Monica May 31 - June 1. The series is produced by Matko B. Malinger.
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| Handymen |
Croatian cinema combines a haunting,
often savagely bleak outcry against political and personal repression with
humor, lyricism and a tenderness born of constant conflict and adversity.
However, it was little known before late 2000, when the American Cinematheque
and CAMEO presented "Wednesdays in Croatia," the first comprehensive
overview of Croatian cinema ever mounted on the West Coast.
This year's Kino Croatia series
opens with the latest hit comedy from director Vinko Bresan, THE PRIEST'S
CHILDREN. A reception for all ticket holders will follow the screening, in
the Egyptian Theatre courtyard. A priest - albeit a phony one - plays a central
role in Krsto Papic's FLOWER SQUARE. Dalibor Matanic's HANDYMEN
follows a beleaguered housewife who becomes the object of three men's
affections. Bobo Jelcic's tense look at the war legacy, A STRANGER,
dominated the Pula Film Festival awards this year. VIS-À-VIS examines a
subject close to home for director Nevio Marasovic - a filmmaker struggling
with the autobiographical script for his next project.
Kino Croatia Trailer | See
trailers and more info on Kino Croatia:
Film Schedule:
Opening Night:
Friday, May 30, 2014 - 7:30 PM
Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood
Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028
 |
| The Priest's Children (2013) |
THE PRIEST'S CHILDREN
SVECENIKOVA DJECA
2013, InterFilm, 93 min, Croatia,
Dir: Vinko Bresan
Catholic priest Don Fabijan
(Kresimir Mikic) is distressed to see his island parish shrinking in
population, so he enlists a condom vendor (Niksa Butijer) and a pharmacist
(Drazen Kuhn) to sabotage birth control methods - a plan that produces quite a
few unintended complications. Working with frequent collaborators including
writer-composer Mate Matisic, director Vinko Bresan handles a touchy subject
with humor that shifts from whimsical to sardonic, making this comedic
cautionary tale one of the year's biggest box office hits in Croatia. In
Croatian with English subtitles.
Discussion following the
film with actor Niksa Butijer. Evening concludes with Opening Night Party for
all ticket holders with finger foods, drinks and live music performed by
international actors & filmmakers.
Saturday, May 31 - 7:30 PM: Double Feature
Aero Theatre, 1328 Montanta Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90403
 |
| Handymen (2013) |
HANDYMEN
MAJSTORI
2013, HRT/Croatian Radiotelevision,
75 min, Croatia, Dir: Dalibor Matanic
Though housewife Keka (Areta
Curkovic) feels her marriage to Baja (Niksa Butijer) may be out of steam, the
attentions of inept handyman Ilija (Goran Bogdan) are little consolation. After
a warring Baja and Ilija practically destroy her home, Keka escapes to a
coastal village, where a third man (Bojan Navojec) enters the picture. As in
his earlier CASHIER WANTS TO GO TO THE SEASIDE, writer-director Matanic mines
plenty of humor from these characters' mundane lives, including some wonderful
slapstick sequences. In Croatian with English subtitles.
Discussion between films
with HANDYMEN director Dalibor Matanic and actor Niksa Butijer.
 |
| Flower Square (2012) |
FLOWER SQUARE
CVJETNI TRG
2012, Ozana Film, 101 min, Croatia,
Dir: Krsto Papić
To keep his son out of jail,
puppeteer Filip (Drazen Kuhn) agrees to help police in a sting operation
against a hospitalized crime boss (Mladen Vulic). Disguising himself as
"Father Lovro," Filip hears the man's confession - but when the ruse
is discovered, divine intervention seems his only hope for survival. The black
comedy of director Papic's earlier WHEN THE DEAD START SINGING gets even more
absurd here as the pretend priest sinks deeper into desperation. In Croatian
with English subtitles.
Sunday, June 1 - 7:30 PM: Double Feature
Aero Theatre, 1328 Montanta Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90403
The double feature will be preceded
by a short film:
"Little Hands" ("Male Ruke")
2011, Chandelier Films, 11 min. Dir.
Claire McCarthey.
Written and produced by Dinka
Dzubur, Australian actress of Croatian and Bosnian descent, short film
"Little Hands" focuses on a need to heal the wounds and help the
victims in the aftermath of a major humanitarian disaster. The film is based on
the real life experience Dinka had doing humanitarian workshops at the post-war
orphanage in the city of Mostar. Featuring D. Dzubur, Miraj Grbic, Manon
Bennett and 54 kids from the orphanage. In Croatian and Bosnian with English
subtitles.
 |
| Vis-A-Vis (2013) |
VIS-À-VIS
2013, Antitalent Produkcija, 81 min,
Croatia, Dir: Nevio Marasovic
A young director (Rakan Rushaidat)
struggling to make his autobiographical debut feature cloisters himself on the
island of Vis along with his lead actor (Janko Volarić Popović) to get the
script into shape. As the men's artistic struggles intertwine with their
personal ones, writer-director Marasović (THE SHOW MUST GO ON) reveals an
affinity for sharp, self-reflexive humor reminiscent of vintage Woody Allen. In
Croatian with English subtitles
 |
| A Stranger (2013) |
A STRANGER
OBRANA I ZASTITA
2013, Spiritus Movens, 85 min,
Croatia, Dir: Bobo Jelcic
This haunting drama swept the top
awards at the most recent Pula Film Festival. In the Bosnia and Herzegovina
city of Mostar, ethnic fissures have not entirely closed two decades after the
war, a fact underlined when one of Slavko's (Bogdan Diklić) old friends dies.
Slavko and his wife (Nada Durevska) are Catholic and the deceased was Muslim;
simply attending the man's funeral is an act fraught with peril. Stage stars
Diklić and Đurevska capture the tense mood with every gesture, aided by some
fine handheld camera work. In Croatian and Bosnian with English subtitles.
TICKETS SOLD ON www.fandango.com
$11 General Admission
$9 Student/Senior
$7 American Cinemathque Member
Event sponsors include:
Sponsored
by: Tony's Food Service, Sunce Winery, Grgich Hills Estate, Shade Hotel, The Courtyard
Kitchen, Café LuMar, Dalmatia®, HistriaMarkets.com, DOMA Restaurant, Jana
Water, Karlovačko Pivo, Roxbury Café, Aroma Café, BIOTEST Anti-aging &
Wellness, Dr. Bo - South Bay Dental Esthetics, Central Care Pharmacy,
Artukovich, Inc., Dr. Amneris - Dental Esthetics Center, Books LA,
RadioKapija.com and Cinema Without Borders.