My Beautiful Country
view in croatian- DE, HR, RS
- 2012
- 88'
- DCP
- color
- drama
- debut feature | serbian, albanian, croatian
- Orig. Title: Die Brücke am Ibar
The Kosovo War, 1999: Albanians are fighting Serbs, Serbs are fighting Albanians. Neighbours have become enemies. Friends kill each other. Danica, a young Serbian woman, lives with her two sons, Danilo and Vlado, in a small Serbian-Albanian village next to the river Ibar. She is mourning her husband, who was killed in the ongoing civil war. When Ramiz, a seriously-injured soldier, seeks shelter in her home, she is forced to make a decision. He is a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK). Should she sell him out to the Serbian militia – or try to save his life? Danica and Ramiz are practically neighbours, since he lives on the Albanian side of the river near the hospital where she gave birth to her children. Now they are sworn enemies. By helping him and giving him shelter she puts her own life and the lives of her children in danger. The soldier and the widow fall in love but their fragile happiness is threatened by a jealous neighbour. For Danica, it soon becomes evident that there is no way to evade the effects of the war.
- Director
- Michaela Kezele
- Screenplay
- Michaela Kezele
- Cinematography
- Felix Novo de Oliveira
- Editing
- Andre Bendocchi-Alves
- Production Design
- Goran Joksimović Joksa
- Costume Design
- Ljiljana Petrović
- Music
- Gerd Baumann, Gregor Hübner
- Sound Design
- Andre Bendocchi-Alves
- Cast
- Zrinka Cvitešić, Mišel Matičević, Andrija Nikčević, Miloš Mesarović, Ema Simovic, Danica Ristovski, Ana Marković, Miloš Timotijević, Slavko Štimac, Velimir Bata Živojinović
- Producer
- Gabriela Sperl
- Co-producers
- Damir Terešak, Piroska Tolnai Varga
- Production
- Sperl Productions GmbH (DE)
- Co-production
- MaXima Film (HR), Atalanta (RS)
Michaela Kezele (1975) worked as an actress after graduating from the Musical Academy and Academy of Dramatic Art in Munich. In 1999, she won the grand prize at the Munich Film Festival for her debut role in Dubrovnik Twilight, directed by Željko Senečić. In 2008, she graduated in directing from the Munich Academy for Film and Television. Her graduation film Milan won awards at over thirty festivals around the world. It was shown at approximately 100 festivals in more than 40 countries. In 2007, it was nominated for a Student Academy Award, and in 2008, it was shortlisted for an Academy Award in the short film category. She is currently developing two feature-length films.