{{ mainName }}

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

    • New Talents Open Call
      Eastern Neighbours Film Festival (ENFF) began in The Netherlands in 2008 with the idea to offer Dutch and international audiences a unique glimpse into the cinema of their neighbors from Eastern and Southern Europe. This annual event presents the most recent, exciting, and thought‐provoking films, from countries with small, but often powerful film industries, that… Read more: New Talents Open Call
    • ENFF 2023 On Demand!
      Unable To attend the festival in person? No problem! From November 27th to December 3rd, we’re thrilled to bring you a curated selection of this year’s films available for online viewing! Catch our captivating Opening Film Ivan’s Land, or the touching Closing Film Seventh Heaven. Or explore a collection of shorts from the New Talents Competition! Follow along… Read more: ENFF 2023 On Demand!
    • What’s up in Slovak Cinema? A conversation with Monika Lostakova
      We talked with Monika Lošťáková about contemporary Slovak cinema.
    • ENFF and the Eastern European Film Festival Network!
      The Eastern European Film Festival Network brings together five film festivals dedicated to promoting and showcasing Eastern European cinema, alongside one partner organisation.
    • Masterclasses
      Through these masterclasses we approach two memory in film from different angles: memories from a personal or collective recollection through archive material.
    • Work in Progress
      In Work in Progress, emerging filmmakers and artists will present their works in development to the audience and engage in discussions with Dutch experts.
    • Festival Timetable Available!
    • Check out the catalogue for our 2023 edition!
    • Music at ENFF
      Every year, ENFF brings special musical guests who bring beauty to the program and further represent the rich cultures of their countries to a Dutch audience.
    • Film Marathon
      Join us for the Film Marathon, a new concept in which we merge two components, Short Films, Big Stories, and New Talents Competition into a whole-day screening of short films!

On the Water

DirectorGoran Devic
ProducerHrvoje Osvadic – Petnaesta umjetnost
WriterGoran Devic
CameraDamian Nenadic
EditorJan Klemsche, Vanja Sirucek
SoundMartin Semencic
Original TitleNA VODI
Year2018
Length79 min
CountryCroatia
SubtitlesEnglish
SectionDocumentaries Open Debates
ScreeningSunday 10 November | 13:00 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag

In this touching documentary, Goran Devic captures poetic visuals of his hometown in Croatia that was once a thriving multinational community. Critics proclaim “On the Water” as one of his best achievements and the jury of the DOK Leipzig honoured him because it ‘’beautifully shows that despite the trauma and the scars of war, humanity and survival transcend’’. Dutch Premiere

Synopsis

A human story of the former industrial city of Sisak told through the rivers that pass through its centre. Today, the rivers are places of relaxation and leisure. However, when we meet people who appear on the water or riverside, the social conflicts of a country in transition arise in all directions. Sometimes the river reveals the remains of past that left traces in the water. Even though Yugoslavian civil war was more than two decades ago, this historic period seems like a parallel reality which throws its shadows over the protagonists. What will remain behind us?

Festivals & Awards (selection)

DOK Leipzig, 2018 – Honorary Mention (International Premiere) | Croatian Film Days 2019 – Best Cinematography | UnderhillFest, Montenegro 2019 – Special Jury Mention | DocAviv, Tel Aviv International Documentary FF 2019 | Freiburger film forum 2019 | Liburnia Film Festival 2019 – Best Directing, Best Sound Design | DokuFest, Prizren 2019 – Special Jury Mention

Director’s bio

Goran Dević was born in 1971 in Sisak, Croatia. He studied law, archaeology and film art at Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb, Croatia. His filmography includes several award-winning documentaries and shorts, among others: Imported Crows (2004), I Have Nothing Nice to Say to You (2005), Three (2008), Happy Land (2009), Don Juan: Excuse Me Miss (2010), Flood (2010), Two Furnaces for Udarnik Josip Trojko (2012). The Blacks (2009), co-directed by Zvonimir Jurić, was his first feature narrative. Goran is the founder of 15th Art Production (Petnaesta umjetnost) – a film production company. He teaches documentary film at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. He lives and works in Zagreb.