Official Selection - Competition 2009 / Nije kraj / Croatia, Serbia 2008
War veteran Martin happens to see the beautiful Desa in a porn version of Little Red Riding Hood. Through the Romany Djuro he makes the girl’s acquaintance and buys her from her pimp. The deeply traumatised girl can’t understand that this isn’t just another man who wants to take advantage of her. It later turns out that both protagonists have something in their past which comes back to haunt them, even now the war has ended... Experienced director Vinko Brešan has come up with a tragicomic story of love in a world where it seems all human values are put up for sale or destined for cynical destruction.
Djuro is neither Serb nor Croat. He is a Romany, he has a large, happy family and earns a living appearing in obscure Serbian porn films. And it’s through his open-minded, sarcastic perspective that we follow the story of the Croatian war veteran Martin. The young man’s life takes a considerably bizarre turn when he sees the beautiful Desa in a porn version of Little Red Riding Hood. Djuro, who gives a highly convincing performance as the wolf, agrees to help the young man find the girl, who turns out to be a prostitute. Since there isn’t any alternative, Martin buys Desa from her pimp and takes her away from Belgrade to Zagreb. The seriously traumatised girl thinks this is just another man who wants to take advantage of her and she doesn’t understand what Martin wants from her. What’s more, both protagonists have something in their past which comes back to haunt them, even now the war has ended. Experienced director Vinko Brešan has come up with a tragicomic story of love in a world where it seems all human values are put up for sale or destined for cynical destruction.
112 min / Color, 35 mm
International premiere
Director Vinko Brešan
/ Screenplay Mate Matišić, Vinko Brešan, Franjo Moguš
/ Dir. of Photography Franjo Moguš
/ Music Mate Matišić
/ Editor Sandra Botica Brešan
/ Producer Ivan Maloča
/ Production Interfilm Produkcija
/ Cast Ivan Herceg, Nada Šargin, Predrag Vušović
/ Contact Interfilm Produkcija, Intramovies
Vinko Brešan (b. 1964, Zagreb) studied philosophy and comparative literature before mooring on to film and TV direction at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. His short student film Our Exchange (Naša burza) was awarded at the Oberhausen IFF in 1987. He gave his debut with the low-budget war comedy How the War Started on My Island (Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku, 1996 – Grand Prix at the Festival of Young East European Cinema in Cottbus) which, after the Hollywood hit Titanic, was the biggest Croatian box office success in twenty years. His next film, the comedy Marshal Tito’s Spirit (Maršal, 1999) won prizes at the international film festivals in Karlovy Vary (Best Direction in 2000) and Berlin (Forum – Wolfgang Staudte Award). In 2003 he made the war drama Witnesses (Svjedoci – Peace Film Award and Ecumenical Jury Award at the Berlin IFF, Philip Morris Award at the KVIFF). He also directs for the theatre.
Interfilm Produkcija
Nova Ves 45/2, 10000, Zagreb
Croatia
Phone: +385 146 672 90
Fax: +385 146 670 22
E-mail: [email protected]
Intramovies
Via Eustachio Manfredi 15, 00197, Rome
Italy
Phone: +39 064 577 7930
E-mail: [email protected]
Vinko Brešan
Film Director, Film Director
Sandra Botica Brešan
Film Editor
Nada Šargin
Actress
Predrag Vušović
Actor
Federica Mei
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