Archive of films Great Water / Velká voda

North Macedonia / Czech Republic / Germany / USA
2004, 93 min

Section: Czech Films 2004-2005
Year: 2005

A dying Macedonian politician named Lem Nikodinoski recalls the time when, as a twelve-year-old, he found himself living in a home for the children of "fallen enemies." Together he and his friend Isak try to resist the totalitarian brainwashing prevalent at the home.

Synopsis

Macedonia. Successful politician Lem Nikodinoski is dying in hospital. Herecalls the year 1945 when he was twelve and found himself at a home for the children of ‘fallen enemies’ (traitors and collaborators). The head, Ariton, and his representative Olivera fanatically try to ensure that their wards have no opinion or will of their own,and fall in line with brainwashing drills based on dogmatic communist principles. Isak Kejten comes to the unhappy Lem’s aid. Together the boys defend themselves against the inhumane regime, but only Isak is made to pay. Self recriminations mark Lem ’s entire life. Inspired by the Zhivko Chingo novel, this psychological drama takes up the theme and style of a strand of Yugoslav filmmaking which attempts to come to terms with a past scarred by totalitarian practices and fanaticism. The latter remains a threat in the contemporary lands of the former Yugoslavia.

About the director

Ivo Trajkov (b. 1965, Skopje, Macedonia) studied at Prague ’s Film Academy (FAMU) in 1986-92; he has lectured there in editing since 2004. He is a director, producer, screenwriter and documentarist who also works in television (producing over sixty episodes of the series “Unexplained Deaths ”). His work includes the documentary Duo de Guitares (1992); the made-for-TV movie Jan (1992) about student Jan Zajíc who immolated himself in protest against the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia; a documentary about homosexual relations, Such A Normal Marriage (1996) and another about the kidnapping of Slovak president Kováč ’s son entitled The Testimony of a Concealed Witness (1996). He is cofounder of the World Circle Foundation which supports new artists in the audiovisual sphere. In 1993 he debuted with the light comedy The Canary Connection. Five years later he made the artistic writer-director creation The Past (1998).

Contacts

The World Circle Foundation
Jana Želivského 39, 130 03, Praha 3
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 2644 00 74
Fax: +420 2697 00 70
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.wcf.cz

Media Luna New Films UG
Aachener Strasse 24, 506 74, Cologne
Germany
Tel: +49 221 510 918 91
Fax: +49 221 510 918 99
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.medialuna.biz

Falcon a.s.
Radlická 1c/3185, 150 00, Praha 5
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 224 422 222
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.falcon.cz

About the film

Color, 35 mm

Section:	Czech Films 2004-2005

Director:	Ivo Trajkov
Screenplay:	Vladimir Blazevski, Ivo Trajkov, Aleksandar Kolevski
Dir. of Photography:	Suki Medencevi´C
Music:	Kiril DŽajkovskij
Editor:	Atanas Georgiev
Producer:	Ivo Trajkov, Vladimir Chrenovský, Robert Jazadziski, Suki Medenčević, Mile Arsovski
Production:	The World Circle Foundation koprodukce/co-production AWARD Entertainment, LARA Entertainment, Kaval Film, Artis 3, Castor Productions
Cast:	Maja Stankovska, Saso Kekenovski, Mitko Apostolovski, Verica Nedeska, Risto Gogovski, Nikolina Kujaca
Contact:	The World Circle Foundation, Media Luna New Films UG, Falcon a.s.

www:	www.greatwatermovie.com

Guests

Ivo Heger

Service Company Rep.

Ivo Trajkov

Film Director

Ida Martins

Robert Jazadziski

Producer, Producer