Soft Creatures
In “Soft Creatures”, awarded in Motovun for the Best Croatian Short Film, a hypersensitive teaching assistant gives us an insight into the school battlefield.
Synopsis
Nena recently started working as a school assistant to seven-year-old Dejan who has learning disabilities. It’s one of the first Nena’s grown-up jobs, and Dejan is a tough cookie so every day is a new challenge for the two of them. Apart from that, she also struggles with the rigid school system around them. Things look pretty bleak until one day a fluffy white friend comes to visit.
MEKANA BICA
Croatia | 2021 | 19 min
DIRECTOR / SCREENPLAY: Ivana Skrabalo
PRODUCTION: Tena Gojic – Dinaridi Film
CAST: Valentina Loncaric, Maks Kleoncic, Mirela Brekalo, Mia Petricevic
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Danko Vucinovic
EDITING: Martin Semencic
SCREENING: Saturday 26 November / 17:45 hours / Zaal 6 / Dutch Premiere
Director’s bio
Ivana Škrabalo is an award winning filmmaker from Croatia working as a film director, screenwriter, art director, and production designer. Ivana holds degrees in architecture and film directing from the University of Zagreb. She has had extensive experience in both smaller local and larger international productions as Art Director and Production Designer over the past ten years. Her production design was awarded twice with the national film award – the Golden Arena (Vegetarian Cannibal, The Eight Commissioner). Her short films were screened internationally: She Dreamt That She was Happy was in the competition of Drama Film Festival and Cinema Jove. Ivana participated in Berlinale Talents, Midpoint Shorts, and the Ekran + programme.
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Motovun Film Festival, 2021 – Corto Montonese Award for the Best Croatian Short Film | Los Angeles International Underground Film Festival, 2021 – Best Narrative Short | Hong Kong International Short Film Festival, 2021 | Pula Film Festival, 2022 – Nikola Tanhofer Award for the Best DOP in short film category