Golden Corn Award for Best Debut Director Goes to Marko Novaković for the film „Accomplices“

The 9th Ravno Selo Film Festival, an international festival dedicated to first and second feature films, concluded with the official awards ceremony followed by the screening of Accomplices, directed by Marko Novaković. Over the course of four days, the festival welcomed filmmakers, guests from Serbia and abroad, emerging talents and audiences to Ravno Selo. A total of 29 films were screened across three competition programmes. The festival programme also featured the official reopening of the renovated House of Culture, a film music concert, an art colony, a comic book workshop, film workshops for young participants, and numerous accompanying events.

The Main Competition Programme, featuring 12 films, including five national premieres, was evaluated by an international jury chaired by Glauce Valdini, Director of the Italian Film Institute. The other jury members were director Dejan Zečević and director and screenwriter Đorđe Milosavljević.

The Golden Corn for Best Director, accompanied by a €1,500 cash prize, was awarded to Marko Novaković for film „Accomplices“. The Golden Corn for Best Film of the 9th Ravno Selo Film Festival was awarded to the film „Bird Boy“, directed by Savely Osadchyi.

The Best Young Actor Award, accompanied by a €1,000 cash prize sponsored by GORKI LIST, was presented to Ubeimar Rios for his performance in „The Poet“, directed by Simón Mesa Soto.

The Audience Award for the Best Film, accompanied by a €500 cash prize, was presented to „DJ Ahmet“, directed by Georgi M. Unkovski. The Audience Jury was chaired by Sanja Mićić, representative of Telekom Srbija, with Mira Gvozdenac, retired professor, and Olivera Pantović, Principal of the „Branko Radičević“ Primary School in Ravno Selo, serving as jury members.

In the documentary competition „Short 100 Minutes“, which this year featured films from Mexico, Canada, Poland, India, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Belgium, Lithuania and Russia. Golden Corn for Best Documentary Film, together with a €500 cash prize, went to the film „Only If the Baby Cries“ by Indian director Shadab Farooq. The winner was selected by a single-member jury chaired by Giuseppe Panebianco, Artistic Director of the i-Fest International Film Festival.

The First Meter Award for Best Student Film, accompanied by a €500 cash prize, was presented to „They Will Love Me Now“ by Nikulás Tumi Hlynsson, a student at FAMU Film Academy in Prague. A Special Mention in the same category was awarded to Petr Vlček for his film „Fathers“.

As part of the closing ceremony, the audience also watched the short films created by local schoolchildren during the Filmić workshop in Ravno Selo, under the mentorship of Petar Pešut.

Lazar Ristovski, founder and festival director, said during the closing ceremony: „I am happy that next year we will celebrate the festival’s first major milestone – the 10th Ravno Selo Film Festival. This year’s edition was truly special, thanks to the large number of guests from abroad and across the region, as well as the video messages of support and congratulations we received from filmmakers and award winners from around the world. All of this came together to create a remarkable success and a shared sense of emotion. I believe this year’s festival has been our finest and most emotional edition to date.“

The festival was supported by the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, the Film Center Serbia, the Municipality of Vrbas, the Vrbas Cultural Centre, the Vrbas Centre for Physical Culture, and the Local Community of Ravno Selo. The festival’s general sponsor is Telekom Srbija.

Over the course of four days, the Ravno Selo Film Festival once again demonstrated that cinema can serve as a powerful platform for bringing communities together, encouraging dialogue, and fostering new cultural connections.

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This June, Ravno Selo will once again become a place where film, audiences, and filmmakers from different parts of the world come together. Over the course of four festival days, this small village in Vojvodina once again proves that great film stories do not belong only to big cities, but to everyone who believes in the power of cinema and the shared experience of the silver screen.

The ninth edition of the Ravno Selo Film Festival brings together an international selection of first and second feature films, acclaimed filmmakers, and emerging voices of world cinema. Audiences can look forward to premiere screenings, talks with filmmakers, educational programs, and a rich accompanying program, creating the unique atmosphere that has made the Ravno Selo Film Festival recognizable for almost a decade.

Under this year’s slogan, “Film Stories Roam the Village”, Ravno Selo, located near Vrbas, will host the international festival of first and second films for the ninth time, from June 25 to 28.

Thursday, June 25

Friday, 26 June

Saturday, 27 June

Sunday, 28 June

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The festival, created from the idea of bringing film back to audiences and communities outside major cultural centers, once again brings a rich, diverse, and carefully curated program primarily intended for young authors, new cinematic voices, and audiences who enjoy discovering different, fresh, and authentic film stories.

The main program of this year’s festival will feature 12 feature-length films selected by guest curator Andrej Klemenčić. The program brings together authors from Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Italy, Germany, Australia, Russia, the United States, the Czech Republic, and other countries, confirming the festival’s international character and its openness to different poetics, generations, and cinematic sensibilities.

In addition to the main feature film selection, audiences can also expect a short documentary program, as well as a student selection dedicated to the youngest filmmakers and their first professional steps. It is precisely within these program segments that the Ravno Selo Film Festival further confirms its mission to be a space for encounters, support, and visibility for new authors.

A special part of the festival will also be the accompanying program, conversations with authors, meetings between filmmakers and audiences, as well as content intended for young people, through which the festival continues to develop its educational character and bring film closer to new generations of viewers.

As tradition dictates, the official opening of the festival will be marked by a performance of film music, creating the recognizable atmosphere of Ravno Selo, ceremonial, warm, and cinematic.

“As we approach this year’s festival, I am excited about everything that awaits us, and honestly, I am already thinking a little about the tenth, jubilee festival. I hope that is not immodest, but my satisfaction is truly immense as we approach that important anniversary. We are promoters of new cinematic thought. We are a small community and a small festival, but a festival that grows together with the authors who come here with their films and later become stars in the global film sky. Hospitable hosts await you, ready to open the doors of their homes. And besides a celebration of film, we are preparing a celebration for the other senses as well: music, homemade food, and valuable awards for the winners,” emphasizes Lazar Ristovski, the festival’s founder.

The main festival program will open on Thursday, June 25 at 9 PM with the film “Nuremberg,” directed by James Vanderbilt, a psychological thriller starring Russell Crowe as Nazi criminal Hermann Göring, following one of the greatest war crimes trials. Rami Malek plays an American military psychiatrist tasked with assessing the mental state of Göring and the other criminals on trial.

In addition to this cinematic treat, Klemenčić’s selection for this year’s main festival program also includes the following works:

“South Wind” (“Južina”), the debut feature film by director Ante Marin. The burden of the southern wind awakens suppressed conflicts among five residents of a four-story apartment building in Split, who, pressured by humidity and wind, dance through the film in the famous Dalmatian dialect and with an even more famous temperament.

“Pavilion” (“Paviljon”), directed by Dino Mustafić, featuring an impressive cast including Rade Šerbedžija, Mirjana Karanović, Zijah Sokolović, and Meto Jovanovski. After years of humiliation, the residents of the “Pavilion” retirement home take justice into their own hands and stage a rebellion. Former caregivers become hostages, and the struggle expands beyond the institution into the media sphere.

“The Poet” (“Un Poeta”), signed by Colombian director Simón Mesa Soto, follows the possibility of rebirth for a lonely obsessive poet, Oscar. Until yesterday surrounded only by loneliness and alcohol, Oscar finds inspiration in a young poet named Yurlady, whose talent gives him strength but also pushes him to resolve his life dilemmas.

The drama “One More Round Before Bed” (“La città di pianura”), directed by Francesco Sossai, is a true treat for lovers of the genre. Two broke fifty-year-olds obsessed with “one last drink before bed” meet a naive architecture student. Taking him under their wing, these mentors completely change his perspective on love and life.

The Australian feature documentary “The Raftsmen,” directed by Chadden Hunter, presents the longest raft journey in the world from Ecuador to Australia.

“How To Make A Killing,” directed by Jon Patton Ford, is a blend of black comedy and thriller inspired by the 1949 film “Kind Hearts and Coronets.” Beckett, masterfully played by Glen Powell, is the illegitimate child of a teenage mother whom a wealthy family rejected. Determined to reclaim the fortune that rightfully belongs to him, Beckett begins eliminating the arrogant family members one by one.

Actors Dustin Hoffman and Jean Reno are the best recommendation for the film “Tone of Crime” (“Tuner”), directed by Daniel Roher. The story of piano tuner Nick, who accidentally discovers a method for opening safes and slowly slips into crime, only to be interrupted by falling in love with talented pianist Ruthie, will certainly be interesting to audiences in Ravno Selo.

“Accomplices” (“Saučesnici”), directed by Marko Novaković, follows the fate of an apparently perfect married couple, Branko and Sofija. Branko decides to cover up the truth about an accident they were involved in, while Sofija succumbs to the pressure of conscience, discovering how deeply the social structures around her are soaked in hypocrisy and fear.

“DJ Ahmet,” by Macedonian director Georgi M. Unkovski, deals with the life of a fifteen-year-old village boy who dreams of becoming a DJ, winning over a girl promised to another man, and freeing himself from the limitations imposed by his rural and conservative environment.

“Bird Boy” (“Dečak-ptica”), directed by Savely Osadsky, is based on the story of eighteen-year-old orphan Vanya, whose voice has not yet changed. Facing difficulties in socializing with others, especially with his adoptive family and the girl he falls in love with, Vanya must decide whether he will sound like a child forever or attempt to change his voice and his destiny.

“A Real Man” (“Un hombre de verdad”), by Spanish director Liteo Pedregal. Guillermo, an eighty-year-old neurosurgeon, has spent his entire life accustomed to being served by his wife Maria. After her sudden death, he faces new challenges and the task of becoming “a real man” in his later years.

Over the course of four festival days, Ravno Selo will once again become a meeting place for film, authors, and audiences a small village of great film stories.

The Ravno Selo Film Festival is held with the support of the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the City of Vrbas, and the production company Zillion Film.

Source: nedeljnik.rs – “Ninth Ravno Selo Film Festival from June 25 to 28”

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Taunus Filmfest is an international film festival held in the Taunus region, in the immediate vicinity of Frankfurt am Main. The festival brings together filmmakers from around the world through live screenings, with the aim of promoting films that entertain, inspire, and provoke thought. Over more than 15 years, it has become a recognizable platform for international filmmakers.

The Honorable Mention was awarded to the film as a special distinction by the jury within this year’s program.

“Accomplices” continues its international festival journey, and this recognition represents yet another confirmation of the film’s strong reception among festival audiences and selectors.

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The committee, which consisted of representatives of the Provincial Government, the University of Novi Sad, the Tourism Organization of Vojvodina, “Jugoinspekt” and other organizations, decided that the Ravno Selo Film Festival deserves this honor.

Lazar Ristovski, the founder of the Ravno Selo Film Festival, thanked the Provincial Government for its support and spoke on behalf of all the winners of this prestigious mark, saying:

“We’ve been recognized for turning our crafts into art.”

Among others, the Kovačević, Deurić and Kiš wineries and the sports and recreational event “Tour de Fruška” were awarded the label.

With this recognition, Ravno Selo Film Festival confirms its uniqueness and authenticity in the field of artistic expression and proudly joins all other holders of the “Best of Vojvodina” sign.

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At the press conference on November 6, the director of the Multimedia Directorat of Telekom Srbija – Aleksandra Martinović, the producer of the series and one of the actors of the perpetrator, Lazar Ristovski, and the director of the series Petar Ristovski spoke. They, along with the cast, shared their excitement about the upcoming series ’Mind Tunnel’, which will premiere on November 11, on SuperstarTV.

Lazar Ristovski expressed his gratitude to the actors and participants and emphasized that the quality of the “Mind Tunnel” series reaches a level that would easily deserve a place on platforms like Netflix, HBO and similar.

Although the series is primarily based on real events, it cannot simply be classified as a crime series. This is because in this story there is no classic conflict between people on both sides of the law. Instead, it dives deep into the background and motivation of the perpetrators, who found themselves in a situation with no way out and made extreme decisions, were words of the director of the series, Petar Ristovski.

We remind you that the series “Mind Tunnel” is based on real events and follows a special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia that deals with negotiations in extreme situations, but it is much more than an ordinary police thriller. It talks about people who are faced with challenges not only at work, but also in their private lives.

At the center of the story is a team of negotiators who face unprecedented challenges, where everyone has the same goal – saving lives.

The series was created in cooperation with Telekom Srbija and Zillion film, and you can see the official trailer here .

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by STUART KEMP

The Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF) is welcoming Russian cinephiles, filmmakers, and industry executives in person this week to what is one of Europe’s first (almost) fully physical events to take place during the pandemic.

The 43rd edition of the Moscow film festival is running from April 22 –April 29. The festival aims to provide a platform for international films into the Russian market and to bring Russian films to international attention. There are two main international competitions – for features and documentaries.

Working closely with the chairman of selection committee Andrey Plakhov’s name and also MIFF president Nikita Mikhalkov, Festival program director Kirill Razlogov, and the event team has worked hard to ensure the festival will go ahead entirely in cinemas. Cinemas in Moscow are now open with Covid measures in place.

“The main challenge has been with bringing people to Moscow, there was no challenge with getting films,” Razlogov says of pulling the festival together at a time of limited international travel. “Moscow’s promise of a cinema experience for the films boosted our allure.”

The festival is also hosting online screenings and events for those filmmakers unable to overcome travel bans or quarantine requirements.

Socially-distanced screenings are taking place at the festival’s main hub of the Oktyabr cinema center and at the festival’s other venues, including one of Moscow’s most famous cinemas, the recently refurbished Art Theater (Khudozhestvenny) on Arbat Square. Audiences are required to wear masks and gloves and screening rooms will be at 50% capacity.

This year’s festival opens with the world premiere of Timur Bekmambetov and Sergey Trofimov’s WWII thriller Devyataev, based on the true story of a Soviet Union fighter pilot Mikhail Devyataev captured by the Nazis in 1944. Trofimov is the regular cinematographer on Bekmambetov’s films.

The closing film is the European premiere of The Cafe Of My Memories from Finnish filmmaker Valto Baltzar. The France-Finland co-production details a love story between a Finnish worker and a French teacher who arrives in Helsinki for work. Razlogov expects Trofimov to attend and anticipates inviting French Embassy representatives and various French cultural institutions in Moscow.

There are 14 titles in the festival’s main competition section, of which nearly half are world premieres: Agustí Villaronga’s The Belly Of The Sea, Aleksey Fedorchenko’s Last Dear Bulgaria, Zrinko Ogresta’s A Blue Flower, Yelena Popovic’s Man Of God, Cuban director Miguel Coyula’s Blue Heart and Iranian director Noushin Meraji’s The Son.

Although the festival estimates just 40% of the usual number of international guests are able to attend this year’s edition, they include a good number of filmmakers from the main competition with Popovic, Villaronga, and Meraji among them.

“We received special permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to invite filmmakers if their countries are allowing them to travel to Moscow,” says Razlogov. Russia does not require any international visitor to quarantine unless they are UK citizens or arriving from the UK.

The competition jury is chaired by Filipino director Brilliante Mendoza with jury members Serbian-Russian actor/producer Milos Bikovic, Brazilian filmmaker Karim Ainouz, Russian composer Yuri Poteenko, and Russian film and TV director Nigina Sayfulaeva. All will be watching the films in person in Moscow.

“The Moscow film festival does what it has always done: Showing films that are difficult to get to see [for Russian audiences],” Razlogov says

He points to Radu Jude’s Berlinale Golden bear winner Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn, which is screening in the Missing Pictures strand. It is about a woman who suffers when a personal sex tape is leaked on the Internet. The subject matter is causing a few headaches for the Moscow selection team with Russian censors.

“They come down hard on films with explicit language content,” Razlogov explains. However, the festival is able to take advantage of a special dispensation from the censors for film festivals in Russia. “We are permitted to show the film without a censorship permit. But dirty words are forbidden by law in Russia. We will show it the best way we can.”

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After being politically convicted several times, his struggle is continued by his daughter, the first woman journalist in Serbia – Milica Miletic and Jasa Tomic, Miletic’s successor in the Serbian People’s Liberal Party, who will declare the accession of Vojvodina to the Kingdom of Serbia in 1918. Milica leads a double fight – both for accession and gender equality. Milica’s perspective brings a more layered and deeper understanding of the epoch and social relations of the 19^th century which represent the foundations of the modern Serbian state.

Get acquainted with the story that sheds light on an important and insufficiently celebrated period of Serbian history.

The director is Darko Bajić, and the roles are brilliantly played by Ljubomir Bandović, Žarko Laušević, Katarina Žutić, Anja Pavićević, Andrija Kuzmanović, Nikola Ristanovski, Milutin Mima Karadžić, Dragan Petrović Pele, Radovan Vujović, Ana Franić, Arpad Mesaroš, Atila Girić, Aleksandar Matic, Ivan Bekjarev, Jovan Ristovski, Pavle Mensur, Isidora Jankovic …

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With the help of Videomite, Zillion Film will make its extensive film catalog available globally on platforms such as Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, and their YouTube channel.

– The reason why we decided to partner with Videomite is that it has almost 10 years of experience managing the content of Turkey’s largest production houses and TV channels. We are very pleased that we can capitalize on that knowledge and that the creations of Zillion Film
will reach new audiences. – Lazar Ristovski said in a statement.

– Serbia and the Western Balkans are very interesting for us, and we are very excited to expand our footprint in these countries. Collaboration with Zillion Film is a great start, and I look forward
to bringing their films to as many countries as possible. We are experiencing tremendous growth in the VOD market, and the appetite for good and new content is growing. We believe that the films of Zillion Film will be a great addition to the offering of global VOD players. –
said Dilek Telkes, Videomite’s Founder and CEO.

Zillion Film was founded in 1996 in Belgrade, Serbia, and has so far received more than 100 awards for its feature films and TV series. Its CEO, Lazar Ristovski, is one of the most well-known actors, writers, producers and directors in Serbia.

Videomite is, among other platforms, a direct partner with Netflix, Google/YouTube, Amazon, Apple, and has a track record of successfully increasing revenue and growing online communities for major producers and broadcasters such as Discovery, Besiktas Kultur Merkezi, Arzu Film, Most Production, Nulook. As one of the largest and most successful YouTube Enterprise Partners in the EMEA region, with more than 500 channels on their network, Videomite has been awarded numerous Gold and Silver Play Buttons.

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The film consists of three stories, and during its course, we found out about structure and interrelationships. The main characters are the general, who has a strong desire to commit suicide, the minister in the Government of the Republic of Croatia, who imprisoned himself without an official judgment, and a group of parents of different nationalities (Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian) who want to force the Governments of Croatia and Serbia to find their children lost in a war, by digging the graves of their dead presidents.

The film crew consists of actors such as Goran Bogdan, Niksa Butijer, Lazar Ristovski, Sebastian Cavazza, Branko Cvejić, Iva Mihalić, Krešimir Mikić and many others. The film was directed by Vinko Brešan, written by Mate Matišić, producer Ivan Maloča, co-producers Lazar Ristovski, Radoslawa Bardes, Slaven Knezovic, Jacek Kulczycki, Magdalena Zimecka, music by Maciej Zielinski, editing by Sandra Botica, director of photography Branko Linta.

The jury of this year’s festival “Mojkovac Film Autumn” awarded the acting ensemble of the film “What a country!”, directed by Vinko Brešan, a Plaque for exceptional collective acting. At the closing ceremony held at the “Nenad Rakočević” Cultural Center, on behalf of the ensemble, Lazar Ristovski addressed with a video message, saying: “Thank you all for this collective acting award, for this great film. I wish you all good health in this evil time. “

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