{{ mainName }}

{{ newsTitle }} {{ newsVisible ? '✦' : '✧'}}

Archive 2012

The 5th edition of ENFF

Eastern Neighbours Film Festival 2012 took place from 1-9 November at the Filmhuis Den Haag and Het Nutshuis, as a new location for the now traditional meeting of films and their authors from Central and Eastern Europe with viewers from the north, who often know little about filmmaking (and the world) outside the borders of the European Union.

The Opening Film

The opening film of the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival was ‘’Children of Sarajevo’’ by producer, screenwriter and director Aida Begić. The story of the wedding of a young couple surrounded by traditional desires and habits. their parents, the ever-increasing influence of social events and various media, and people who offer themselves to combine all these wishes and expectations into an acceptable, even top-notch performance. The film was also shown at Cannes, and it is especially distinguished by the cinematography approach and the superb acting of Marija Pikić.

Milestones, Masters and New Talents from non-EU Europe

The ENFF screened more than 30 films, mostly Dutch premieres. Bosnian documentary ‘’A Cell Phone Movie’’ (2011) by Nedžad Begović, the Montenegrin short ‘’All of That’’ (2012) by Branislav Milatović, ‘’Baggage’’ by Danis Tanović (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011), ‘’The Book’’ by Albanian authors Elton Baxhaku and Erion Çami, Ukrainian ‘’Cross Country’’ (2011) by Maryna Vrode, ‘’Death of a Man in the Balkans’’ by Serbian director Miroslav Momčilović, ‘’The End of the World’’ by Macedonian director Jani Bojadži, ‘’Future Lasts Forever’’ by Turkish director Özcan Alper, Macedonian ‘’Game Over’’ by Zoran Miševski, Austrian ‘’Mama Illegal’’ by Ed Moschitz, Turkish ‘’No Darkness Can Make Us Forget’’ by Hüseyin Karabey, Dutch premiere of Bosnian documentary ‘’Orchestra’’ in presence of director Pjer Žalica and writer/musician Sasa Losic; Macedonian ‘’People’s Front 12’’ by Ivan Ivanovski, documentary ‘’Polyphonia: Albania’s Forgotten Voices’’ by Björn Reinhardt and Eckehard Pistrick, Russian ‘’Reaching Out to Mama’’ by Olga Tomenko, Macedonian ‘’Sarah, The Myth’’ by Saša Stanišik, Dutch ‘’The Branch Beside the Sea’’ by Una Kreso, Ukrainian ‘’The Rain’’ by director Maryna Vroda, the Croatian representative ‘’First Lady of Dubrava’’ by Barbara Vekarić, as well as ‘’The Big Day’’ by Đuro Gavran, the winner of this year’s Croatian Film Days; the documentary ‘’The War Reporter’’ by Silvestr Kolbas and the fictional ‘’Vegetarian Cannibal’’, a Croatian candidate for the Oscars with guest appearance by the director and screenwriter Branko Schmidt.

Festival Highlights

The audience could also join Mirjana Karanović’s Masterclass; see the legendary ‘’Walter Defends Sarajevo’’ by Hajrudin Krvavac, old hit filmed in 1972; and ‘’Woman in Purple’’ (2010) by Bosnian director Igor Drljača. Among the films shown, the Austrian-Slovak co-production ‘’Cooking History’’ (2009) by Peter Kerekes deserves special attention. It’s an entertaining film about the surprising role of food throughout history, a colourful and inspiring account of military cooks, exploring the connection between the need for thousands of troops to be fed and how this basic everyday requirement can affect the victories and defeats of statesmen. Furthermore, the Russian feature film ‘’Siberia, Monamour’’ by Slava Ross with an amazing camera that reveals the inner strength and beauty of the wilderness; the Serbian ‘’Clip’’ directed by Maja Miloš with amazing fifteen-year-old actors; and ‘’The Ascent’’ by Nemanja Bečanović filmed in the inner parts of Montenegro.

Filmmaker in Focus – Kujtim Çashku

This year’s filmmaker in focus is the Albanian director and screenwriter Kujtim Çashku, rector of the Academy of Film and Multimedia Marubi, director of the International Film Festival on Human Rights in Albania, and member of the European Film Academy. His films ‘’Colonel Bunker’’ from 1996 and ‘’Magic Eye’’ from 2005 were shown.

Side Program

Among the accompanying program was a Brunch at the Filmhuis Den Haag where the audience could meet and speak with the filmmakers and actors from the screened films. The Culinary Workshop & Wine Tasting in cooperation with the Croatian National Tourist Board gave insight into the rich flavors of Balkan cuisine; i.e. the Babysitting program dedicated to children whose parents took them to the cinema.

ENFF Newsletter