At this years, 52nd International Film Festival, which takes place from 23 February to 3 March,numerous films that the audience can only see at FEST will be shown. Some of these films, such as ‘Samsara’, by the Spanish director Lois Patiño or the film ‘Sidonie in Japan’ (Sidonie au Japon), with Isabelle Huppert in the lead role, will be shown in the
Dreamlike Film selection, and others, such as the film ‘My Little Nighttime Secret’ (Odin malenkiy nochnoy secret), are part of the FEST Focus section.
The mentioned film ‘Samsara’ by Lois Patiño received Special Jury Prize in the Encounters programme at the Berlin Film Festival, but also the Golden Alexander for Best Film at the
Thessaloniki Film Festival. According to critics, the ‘most narrative-driven and dynamic’ film by Patiño from this year's FEST selection, Dreamlike Film, is an experience not to be missed.
Part of the same programme section is the film ‘Once Within a Time’ by Godfrey Reggio. Thecelebrated director returns after ten years with a new experimental film unlike any other from his already daring career: a fairy tale about the end of the world and the beginning of a new one.
Lasting 51 minutes, ‘the film is all mood, all rhythm’, according to critics. Lisandro Alonso's drama ‘Eureka’, starring Viggo Mortensen and Chiara Mastroianni, is part of the Dreamlike Film selection as well. According to critics, the Argentinian director, who has already proven himself before the Cannes audience, is back to take us on another ‘weird journey
into the unknown’, building the story of a policewoman from the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Pioneer of the Tibetan new wave, Pema Tseden, director, screenwriter and writer who has won more than 40 awards at festivals, is coming to FEST with the drama ‘Snow Leopard’ (Xue bao). The film, which won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival, although universal in character, brings another typical story of Tibetan culture, which begins when the beast from the film’s title, one night, breaks into the sheep pen of a local herdsman and kills nine rams.
Belgian director Bas Devos; deeply moving drama ‘Here’ can only be seen at the 52nd FEST. The fourth feature film of the director, already awarded at the Berlinale 2014, is an
unconventional love story about a Romanian construction worker Stefan, who lives in Brussels, but is thinking about returning home, and was described as a ‘painfully tender and poetic’ film story.
French director Élise Girard, known as a lifelong cinema enthusiast, presents her film ‘Sidonie in Japan’, with Isabelle Huppert in the lead role, about an established French writer on a trip to Japan. Critics have already given Girard a boost, noting that all that it takes to make a film is a smart and thoughtful Isabel Ipper, and the Belgrade audience will be able to see this film in the Dreamlike Film section.
French director and screenwriter Catherine Breillat, known for provocative films that explore sexuality, relationships and family conflicts, will present her drama ‘Last Summer’ at the 52nd FEST, which won a special award at the Gijón International Film Festival.
The film which, according to critics, ‘defies moral boundaries and narrative conventions’, will be screened in the FEST Focus section.
The film ‘My Little Nighttime Secret’ by the Russian director Natalya Meshchaninova, from the FEST Focus programme, has won over the audience at the festivals in Rotterdam, Ljubljana and Shanghai, and may also appeal to the Belgrade audience, who will come to the 52nd FEST. According to film connoisseurs, this drama about the life of a teenager, Mira, deals with a very difficult subject in a tense and exciting way.
The Danish drama ‘Stille liv’ (The Quiet Migration) directed by South Korean director Malene Choi, about an adopted young man, received FIPRESCI award in Berlin and is part of the FEST Focus programme section as well. Adopted and raised in Denmark herself, Choi, according to critics, manages to say a lot with very few words in this film and offers ‘a subtle film,with a thoughtful approach, and an intriguing coming-of-age story.’
‘My summer with the shark’ (Denti da squalo) is the full-length feature debut of Italian director Davide Gentile and tells the story of thirteen-year-old Walter, who has just lost his
father, after completing another school year. As he wanders seemingly aimlessly along the Roman coast, an unforgettable journey begins for him. This interesting film will be shown in the FEST Focus selection.
