KinoCroatia2015
Kino Croatia 2015 – Croatian films at American cinematheque
The American Cinematheque and CAMEO began their Croatian cinema series in 2000. We celebrate our 15th anniversary with two nights (plus an introductory screening of Cowboys at Laemmle's Music Hall 3 on May 2) of films marked by humor, lyricism and a tenderness born of constant conflict and adversity. This year’s Kino Croatia series opens with These Are the Rules, a look at parents coming to grips with an attack on their son; the feature will be preceded by the short President Nixon's Present. There’s slightly lighter fare in Happy Endings, a tale of best friends who try to shore up their failing business through a bank robbery. The documentary Naked Island is an exploration of family secrets and the terrors of a Yugoslav regime from decades past.
Programme
Laemmle's Music Hall 3
Saturday, May 02 – 5:00 PM
Cowboys (Kauboji), 2013 / 105 min., Dir. Tomislav Mršić
Amusing adaptation of the Croatian hit play Cowboys is about a theater director returning to his hometown and forming a theater troupe from a group of misfits. They stage a play based on Hollywood Westerns with the usual clichés and stereotypes, but as the actors develop their stories, they start to view the play as a metaphor for their own destinies – and the opportunity of a lifetime. In Croatian with English subtitles.
After-party at DOMA Restaurant, 362 N. Camden Dr., Beverly Hills at 7:00 PM (for invited guests, sponsors and ALL EVENT PASS holders only).
Egyptian/ Los Angeles premiere
Saturday, May 16 – 7:30 PM
These Are The Rules (Takva su pravila), 2014 / 78 min., Dir. Ognjen Sviličić
A Zagreb couple’s realization that the social institutions around them are riddled with apathy is the core of this subtle and haunting drama from writer-director Ognjen Sviličić. When 18-year-old Tomica (Hrvoje Vladisavljević) returns home badly beaten, parents Ivo (Venice Film Festival best actor Emir Hadžihafizbegović) and Maja (Jasna Žalica) face uphill battles to get medical treatment and justice for their son. In Croatian with English subtitles.
Discussion with director Ognjen Sviličić.
Preceded by:
President Nixon's Present (Poklon predsjednika Nixona), 2014 / 25 min., Dir. Igor Šeregi
Low profile agents Stipe and Pedja (Rene Bitorajec, Radovan Vujović) get a special assignment: to deliver a present from US president Richard Nixon to Yugoslav president Tito at his summer residence on Brijuni Islands. Seems like task with zero chance to fail. But…
In Croatian with English subtitles.
Evening concludes with Gala Party with live music, special guests (Mozart Twins, GOGA by Gordana and many more!) + V.I.P. Reception (for invited filmmakers, sponsors and ALL EVENT PASS holders only).
Aero / US premieres
Thursday, May 21 – 7:30 PM
Double Feature:
Happy Endings, 2014, 78 min., Dir. Darko Šuvak
Ankica (Areta Ćurković) and best friend Ljilja (Daria Lorenci) are struggling to keep their new Zagreb massage salon in business, but their loan shark is losing patience and their adult children keep asking for money, too. Robbing a bank might do the trick - and as it turns out, a friend of theirs is an assistant manager at one.
In Croatian with English subtitles.
Discussion with director Darko Šuvak and composer Nuno Malo.
Naked Island (Goli), 2014 / 75 min., Dir. Tiha K. Gudac
Long curious about her grandfather’s “missing years” in the 1950s - a time that scarred him physically as well as mentally but was never discussed by the family - director Tiha Gudac turned her search for answers into this documentary, unearthing secrets about a political prison in the former Yugoslavia.
Screenings preceded by Networking Reception, starting at 6:30 PM
(for invited filmmakers, sponsors and ALL EVENT PASS holders only).
About Kino Croatia 2015
Presented in collaboration with HAVC - Croatian Audiovisual Center, American Cinematheque and SEEfest; with support from Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles, ELMA - European Languages & Movies in America and Croatian National Foundation.
Produced by Matko B. Malinger.
Sponsored by: Tony’s Food Service, Sunce Winery, Grgich Hills Estate, Shade Hotel, The Courtyard Kitchen, Café LuMar, DOMA Restaurant, Jana Water, BIOTEST Anti-aging & Wellness, Dalmatia®, Central Care Pharmacy, Dr. Bo - South Bay Dental Esthetics, Aroma Café, HistriaMarkets.com, Artukovich, Inc., Attorney Joseph Brajevich – Glaser Weil, Dr. Amneris - Dental Esthetics Center, Roxbury Café, RadioKapija.com and Cinema Without Borders.
Series programmed by Gwen Deglise, Agathe Dubes and Matko B. Malinger. Program notes by John Hagelston.
Production Team: Andrea Balen, Jack Barić, Dante Brljević, Bella Ćurak-Posavec, Zia Domić, Lucija Filičić, Bobby Grubić, Mariana Hazdovac, Dali Malinger, Žaneta Mudrovčić, Tihana Škaričić & Natalija Ugrina.