For the nineteenth time in Zagreb, and little less in Dubrovnik, the Zagreb Film Festival brings a selection of the best movies from world film festivals. “ZFF travels” is a selection of programs that Dubrovnik Cinemas have been bringing to the Dubrovnik audience for years in collaboration with the Zagreb Film Festival. This year, from November 18 to November 22, you will be able to watch four top movies in the Visia Hall.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” by Kaouther Ben Hania, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It premiered in Venice, where Yahya Mahayni won the Best Actor award for his role as Sam. This romantic melodrama is also a sharp satire of Western society and the art world, inspired by the work of Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. Young and impulsive Syrian Sam Ali flees to Lebanon to escape the war. His plan is to get to Europe and start a new life with his fiancée Abeer. In a desperate search for money and papers that will allow him to travel to Europe and save Abeer from a forced marriage, Sam accepts an offer from controversial artist Jeffrey who wants to tattoo a Schengen visa on his back and turn Sam’s body into a work of art. Sam quickly discovers that with that decision he got everything but freedom.
“Just a Little More” by Hamy Ramezan, screened at the Berlinale in the KPlus Generation program, is an emotional and warm story about the struggle for happiness and survival in the midst of an uncertain future and the importance of empathy and simple pleasures. Thirteen-year-old Iranian Ramin lives with his family in a refugee centre in Finland. Just as he begins to enjoy the school holidays, his family gets the shocking news that they have been denied asylum. Ramin’s parents file a final complaint and continue with their daily lives, trying to maintain a positive attitude despite the threat of deportation. Meanwhile, Ramin heads to school, where each new moment and friendship becomes more precious than ever.
“Restless“ by Joachim Lafosse, premiered in the official competition of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is the ninth achievement of the esteemed Belgian director Joachim Lafosse. Restorer Leila and painter Damien are very much in love. Their young son adores his fun and spontaneous father, but Damien suffers from bipolar disorder and his moments of destructive behaviour are an increasing burden for the exhausted Leila. The film is an intimate, exciting and authentic drama about the complex dynamics of a family, inspired by the director’s own father.
“Oasis” by Ivan Ikić, is the winner of last year’s edition of the Zagreb Film Festival and this year’s Serbian Oscar nominee. The film premiered in Venice, where it won the prestigious Europa Cinemas Label. Teenager Marija comes to a home for young people with special needs. There she quickly befriends the temperamental Dragana. But when both girls fall in love with the withdrawn Robert, a dangerous game of competition begins between the two of them. Doomed to isolation from society and a life constrained by a network of rigid rules, the three teenagers long for freedom and connection. Under a strong surge of new emotions, the girls will use their impulsive actions to bring disorder into the fragile peace of the home, and their violent conflict will turn into a desperate search for a way out. Deprived of excessive melodrama, this unusual love story owes its authenticity to the fact that the roles of the main characters are played by real protégés of a youth home.
