Erased
| Director | Miha Mazzini, Dusan Joksimovic |
| Producer | Frenk Celarc – Gustav Film; Kinorama, Delirium, Pakt Media |
| Writer | Miha Mazzini |
| Camera | Dusan Joksimovic |
| Editor | Tomislav Pavlic |
| Cast | Judita Frankovic, Sebastian Cavazza, Jernej Kogovsek, Doroteja Nadrah, Izudin Bajrovic, Silva Cusin |
| Original Title | IZBRISANA |
| Year | 2018 |
| Length | 86 min |
| Country | Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia |
| Subtitles | English |
| Section | Current Relevant Cinema |
| Screening | Friday 8 November | 19:30 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag Saturday 9 November | 19:45 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag |
Inspired by true events, this amazing and compelling story of a new mother erased from all state documents, is certainly one of the most memorable films from recent Slovenian production. Screenings will be followed by Q&A with the actor Sebastian Cavazza. Dutch Premiere
Synopsis
After giving birth to a healthy baby girl, Ana finds her own name cannot be found in the system. At first this does not worry her, computer mistakes happen and they can be fixed. However, what ensues is a bureaucratic nightmare of monumental proportions. She is forced to leave the hospital and her baby until everything is sorted. But since Ana doesn’t legally exist, her baby doesn’t have official mother and as such is to be put up for adoption. Ana begins the fight of her life to get her identity and her child back. This first feature film by Slovenian award-winning writer Miha Mazzini is based on true events. After declaring independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Slovenia erased 25,671 of its own citizens due to bureaucratic complexities. The majority of those are still unable to regain their legal status.
Director’s statement
I thought of telling a story that would not be a biography, which I would have to base on actual events, and make one story out of several told stories. This erasing happened in 1992, but fortunately there are many non-governmental organizations that had these stories written, so there was plenty of material. I was hoping someone would tell this story much earlier, but nobody did, so I did it.
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Festival of Slovenian Film, Portoroz 2018 – Best Actress, Best Music, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design | Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, 2018 – International Premiere | Cleveland International Film Festival, 2019 | FEST, Belgrade 2019 – Best Screenplay | Trieste Film Festival, 2019 | Pula Film Festival, 2019 – Best actress, Special Mention (Judita Frankovic Brdar)
Director’s bio
Miha Mazzini is a Slovenian writer, screenwriter, computer expert and film director. He has an MA in Creative Writing for Film and Television from the University of Sheffield and a PhD in Anthropology of Everyday Life from the Institutum Studiorum Humanitatis. Mazzini is a voting member of the European Film Academy. He has directed five short films (winner of the Best Director Award of the Highgate FF, London) and written scripts for two features (the European CIRCOM Award for Best TV Film of the Year, the Golden Palm for Best Film at the XXII Mostra de Valencia, and other awards).