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    • NTC Award Ceremony
      New Talent Competition gives young filmmakers from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe the opportunity to present their outstanding debut or second film to the public. Join us on Sunday 1 December at 19h
    • Music at ENFF
      The Eastern Neighbours Film Festival welcomes special musical guests each year to enrich our program. For this 16th edition, we’re thrilled to present two talented young musicians: guitarist Antonio Peršak (CR) and violinist İdil Yunkuş (TR). Together, they will perform a traditional Balkan dance and folk song, highlighting the beauty of this music through the… Read more: Music at ENFF
    • Masterclass with Janez Burger
      This masterclass presents a unique opportunity to explore Burger's distinct storytelling style, genre use, and exploration of contemporary social issues. Join us on Saturday 30 November at 17h - Room 5
    • Panel Discussion: Exploration of individual and collective memory in cinema
      Panel Discussion: Exploration of individual and collective memory in cinema on Friday 29 November at 18h

Hotel Jugoslavija

DirectorNicolas Wagnieres
ProducerBenjamin Poumey / C-Side Productions
WriterNicolas Wagnieres
EditorDamian Plandolit
CameraDenis Jutzeler, Benoit Peverelli
SoundMasaki Hatsui
ScreeningSat 10 November | 12:45 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag
Sun 11 November | 20:15 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag
Sun 11 November | 15:00 hours | Theater Dakota
Year2017
Length78 min
CountrySwitzerland
SubtitlesEnglish
SectionDOCUMENTARIES OPEN DEBATES

A documentary-reflection of a Serbian society in search of new points of reference, premiered at this year’s Berlinale. Screenings will be followed by Q&A with the director Nicolas Wagnières. Dutch Premiere

Synopsis

The Hotel Jugoslavija was a mythical place, both a symbol and a witness to the different moments that shaped former Yugoslavia. From Tito to Milosevic, from NATO’s bombing to corrupted liberalism. With journey through the times and spaces of the building, the Swiss-born director explores a collective unconscious as well as a part of his own Yugoslav identity as a second generation immigrant. By exploring the Hotel Jugoslavija and by meeting people with a strong link to the building, he wanted to bring his own testimony to a country that does no longer exist. What secrets are hidden in the Hotel Jugoslavija?

Director’s statement

While filming „Hotel Jugoslavija“ the owner of the building changed three times – each one bringing his own new transformation project: bigger, higher, and more luxurious. To me, this is watching the new political and economical paradigms at work after the transition from a socialist to a post-socialist world and how it reshapes a city and a country. By exploring the various eras and states of the Hotel Jugoslavija and by meeting people with a strong link to the building, I wanted to bring my own testimony to a country that does no longer exist. If there’s an inherent nostalgia in the film, then it’s about a country I never really got to know except through childhood memories. As an adult I discovered what remained of it. The gap between Tito’s ideal socialism and the reality of the people and the way they were represented was real. But can today’s reality allow any kind of identification? As the Hotel Jugoslavija has still not finished its mutation, I keep wondering about our relationship to the built environment and its impact on changing values.

Festivals & Awards (selection)

Berlin International Film Festival, 2018 – Panorama Dokumente, European Premiere | Subversive Film Festival, 2018 – Best Documentary | Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, 2018 | Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival, 2018 | Beldocs, International Documentary Film Festival, 2018 | Sao Paulo International Film Festival, 2017