This year Kino Croatia’s series opens with the latest hit comedy from director Vinko Brešan, The Priest's Children. A priest – albeit a phony one – plays a central role in Krsto Papić’s Flower Square. Dalibor Matanić’s Handymen follows a beleaguered housewife who becomes the object of three men’s affections. Bobo Jelčić’s tense look at the war legacy, A Stranger, dominated the Pula Film Festival awards this year. Vis-À-Vis examines a subject close to home for director Nevio Marasović – a filmmaker struggling with the autobiographical script for his next project.

Warm-up for Kino Croatia

Kino Croatia 2014 Kick-off Party is hosted by Shade Hotel, Manhattan Beach (1221 N. Valley Drive). It takes place on Friday, May 16th from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Special guests: music legend Oliver Dragojević and Croatian-American winemaker Frane Franičević (Sunce Winery). Program includes the first Croatian Oscar winner, animated film Surogat (Substitute) by Dušan Vukotić, Kino Croatia 2014 film trailers, music videos and a short film Little Hands by Croatian-Australian writer, producer and actress Dinka Džubur. Lead actor Miraj Grbić in person!

Fundraiser for Flood Victims in Croatia & Bosnia

American Cinematheque is joining the humanitarian effort to help the victims of recent catastrophic floods in the Balkans. Proceeds from the film series will be donated to the Kino Croatia’s Floods Relief Fund and than to Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Additional fundraising will take place during the three days of screenings, May 30 - June 01, culminating with the in person appearance by actors Goran Višnjić and Miraj Grbić, leading the drive.

Programme

 Egyptian Theater, Hollywood 

Friday, May 30 – 7:30 PM

The Priest's Children (Svećenikova djeca), 2013, Interfilm, 93 min., Dir. Vinko Brešan

Catholic priest Don Fabijan (Krešimir Mikić) is distressed to see his island parish shrinking in population, so he enlists a condom vendor (Nikša Butijer) and a pharmacist (Dražen Kuhn) to sabotage birth control methods – a plan that produces quite a few unintended complications. Working with frequent collaborators like writer-composer Mate Matišić, director Vinko Brešan handles a touchy subject with humor that shifts from whimsical to sardonic, making this comedic cautionary tale one of the year’s biggest box office hits in Croatia.

Q&A with actor Nikša Butijer.

Evening concludes with Opening Night Party for all ticket holders. Finger food, drinks and live music performed by international actors & filmmakers. VIP Reception, for invited guests and All Event Pass holders only.

 Aero, Santa Monica 

Saturday, May 31 – 7:30 PM, double feature

Handymen (Majstori), 2013, HRT/Croatian Radiotelevision, 75 min., Dir. Dalibor Matanić

Though housewife Keka (Areta Ćurković) feels her marriage to Baja (Nikša Butijer) may be out of steam, the attentions of inept handyman Ilija (Goran Bogdan) are little consolation. After a warring Baja and Ilija practically destroy her home, Keka escapes to a coastal village, where a third man (Bojan Navojec) enters the picture. As in his earlier Cashier Wants to Go to the Seaside, writer-director Matanić mines plenty of humor from these characters’ mundane lives, including some wonderful slapstick sequences. In Croatian with English subtitles.

Flower Square (Cvjetni trg), 2012, Ozana Film, 101 min., Dir. Krsto Papić

To keep his son out of jail, puppeteer Filip (Dražen Kuhn) agrees to help police in a sting operation against a hospitalized crime boss (Mladen Vulić). Disguising himself as “Father Lovro,” Filip hears the man’s confession – but when the ruse is discovered, divine intervention seems his only hope for survival. The black comedy of director Papić’s earlier When the Dead Start Singing gets even more absurd here as the pretend priest sinks deeper into desperation. In Croatian with English subtitles.

Q&A with Handymen director Dalibor Matanić and actor Nikša Butijer, between the films.

Sunday, June 1 – 7:30 PM

Vis-À-Vis, 2013, Antitalent Produkcija, 81 min, Dir. Nevio Marasović

A young director (Rakan Rushaidat) struggling to make his autobiographical debut feature cloisters himself on the island of Vis along with his lead actor (Janko Volarić Popović) to get the script into shape. As the characters’ artistic struggles intertwine with their personal ones, writer-director Marasović (The Show Must Go On) reveals an affinity for sharp, self-reflexive humor reminiscent of vintage Woody Allen. In Croatian with English subtitles.

A Stranger (Obrana i zaštita), 2013, Spiritus Movens, 85 min., Dir. Bobo Jelčić

This haunting drama swept the top awards in the most recent Pula Film Festival. In the Bosnia and Herzegovina city of Mostar, ethnic fissures have not entirely closed two decades after the war, a fact underlined when one of Slavko’s (Bogdan Diklić) old friends dies. Slavko and his wife (Nada Đurevska) are Catholic and the deceased was Muslim; simply attending the man’s funeral is an act fraught with peril. Stage stars Diklić and Đurevska capture the tense mood with every gesture, aided by some fine handheld camera work. In Croatian and Bosnian with English subtitles.

The double feature will be preceded by a short film:

Little Hands (Male Ruke) 2011, Chandelier Films, 11 min. Dir. Claire McCarthey

Written and produced by Dinka Džubur, Australian actress of Croatian and Bosnian descent, short film Little Hands focuses on a need to heal the wounds and help the victims in the aftermath of a major humanitarian disaster. The film is based on the real life experience Dinka had doing humanitarian workshops at the post-war orphanage in the city of Mostar. Featuring D. Džubur, Miraj Grbić, Manon Bennett and 54 kids from the orphanage. In Croatian and Bosnian with English subtitles.

Special guests, actors Goran Višnjić and Miraj Grbić, will introduce the screenings, lend their support and give guidance for Kino Croatia’s floods relief efforts.

Closing Night Reception (6:00 PM) is hosted by The Courtyard Kitchen (1211 Montana Ave., just one block down the street from Aero). For invited filmmakers, sponsors and All Event Pass holders only

About Kino Croatia 2014

Presented in collaboration with HAVC - Croatian Audiovisual Center, with support from Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles, E.L.M.A. (European Languages and Movies in America) and Croatian National Association.

Produced by: Matko B. Malinger.

Sponsored by: Tony’s Food Service, Sunce Winery, Grgich Hills Estate, Shade Hotel, The Courtyard Kitchen, Café LuMar, Dalmatia®, HistriaMarkets.com, DOMA Restaurant, Jana Water, Karlovačko Pivo, Roxbury Café, Aroma Café, BIOTEST Anti-aging & Wellness, Dr. Bo - South Bay Dental Esthetics, Central Care Pharmacy, Artukovich, Inc., Dr. Amneris - Dental Esthetics Center, RadioKapija.com and Cinema Without Borders, Books LA.

Film series compiled by Gwen Deglise, Philemon Bourdelique and Matko B. Malinger. Program notes by John Hagelston.

Production team: Andrea Balen, Jack Barić, Jeffrey Bačić, Matko Brljević Malinger, Marko Čabov, Bella Ćurak-Posavec, Zia Domić, Bobby Grubić, Dajana Gudić, Sylvana Gusich, Mariana Hazdovac, Natali Jurić, Željka Jurić, Vlatka Knežević, Antonio Lujak, Mirela Selimovic, Tihana Škaričić and Natalija Ugrina.

Special thanks to Kathaerine Arion.

"I would like to express my gratitude to all who have made it possible for Kino Croatia 2014 to continue it’s cultural mission, promoting Croatian cinematography in Los Angeles. I find 2014 selection of films quite impressive and I would like to assure the viewers that they will be exposed to recent, interesting and diverse Croatian film production."
Consul General Josip Buljević