24th BUSAN International Film Festival 

World Cinema 

THE VOICE 

Glas 

World Premiere:  Sat, 5 Oct – 2:00 PM, CGV Centum City 4 

Screenings: Sun, 6 Oct – 2:00 PM, LOTTE CINEMA Daeyoung 1

Tue, 8 Oct – 1:00 PM, MEGABOX Jangsan Haeundae 6 

80 Min. / 1:2.39 / Surround 5.1 / Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia 2019 / Color 

Teaser: https://vimeo.com/360637567


Director Ognjen Sviličić is available for interviews. 

October 2, 2019 – After showing his critically-acclaimed feature film “These are the Rules” in 2014, Croatian writer-director Ognjen Sviličić returns to Busan International Film Festival with THE VOICE (Glas). The film will celebrate its world premiere in the World Cinema section. 

THE VOICE is a film about the 17-year old Goran confronted with the unquestioned religious practices at a Catholic boarding school. In this community where everyone hears God, Goran is the only one who can't. 

When Goran arrives at the new school, he immediately feels suffocated by the religious believes and rituals imposed on him. He is convinced that you should not believe in something that is forced upon you. Even after everyone turns against him, he stands firm and won't convert. Until he finds out that even if you don't believe in God, He can help you in times of need. 

Writer-Director Ognjen Sviličić’s credits include the celebrated film “Armin” (2007). After its world premiere in Berlinale Forum the film screened at more than 100 international film festivals and won more than twenty awards, amongst them the East of the West Award at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Award for Best Foreign Film at Palm Springs. “These are the Rules” (2014) was nominated for the Orizzonti Award at Venice International Film Festival where his main actor Emir Hadzihafizbegović won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor. At Warsaw International Film Festival 2005, Sviličić won the Grand Prix for his comic drama “Sorry for Kung Fu” (2004). As a scriptwriter he worked with Slovenian director Damjan Kozole for the acclaimed films “Slovenian girl” (2009) and “Nightlife” (2016). Furthermore, he wrote regional box office hits like “We will be the World Champions” by Darko Bajić (2015) and has created popular Croatian TV series. The director is also teaching screenwriting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. 

After successfully working together for films like “Armin” and “These are the Rules”, Sviličić again teamed-up with Damir Terešak. The Croatian producer’s slate contains the well-received “When day breaks” (2012) by Goran Paskaljević which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2012 as part of its Masters program, “The Eighth Commissioner” (2018) by Ivan Salaj and “The Enemy” (2011) by Dejan Zečević. Co-producers of THE VOICE are Tomi Salkovski and Nikolina Vučetić Zečević. The script was co-written by Marijana Verhoef. 

For the lead role in THE VOICE Ognjen Sviličić chose newcomers Franko Jakovčević and Belma Salkunić. The film also features the regional star Goran Bogdan “Agape” (2017), also known for his performance in the TV drama “Fargo” (2017) and Igor Kovač whose track record includes Tomislav Radić’s “Kotlovina” (2011) – a big winner at the 2011 Pula Film Festival – and “Kosac” (2014) by Zvonimir Jurić (Best Supporting Actor, Pula Film Festival 2014). 

THE VOICE is produced by MaXima Film, Skopje Film Studio, Biberche Productions with financial support by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, North Macedonia Film Agency, Film Centre Serbia, Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, and Croatian Radiotelevision. 

After announcing the call for its 10th Co-Production Forum, WEMW now opens the calls for all its side events. The full programme of the 2020 edition includes a great mix of initiatives targeting projects in different phases of production as well as different formats: from the Work-in-Progress for feature fiction films to the Fine-Cut-Session for creative documentaries, from a lab for films in editing phase to a brand new programme for producers aspiring to shift to TV series content.

Have a look at our events and find the one that suits you best!

MIDPOINT Cold Open

TV Series Lab

Deadline: November 30, 2019

MIDPOINT Cold Open will select 6 producers, with a background in feature films, who aspire to shift to TV series content. The programme includes lectures, group sessions and individual consultations and aims to supply hands-on skills of production planning and financing of serialized drama content. Cold Open is participant-based, with each producer required to bring a series idea to serve as a starting point for the training programme. 

Last Stop Trieste 

Documentary Fine-Cut-Session

Deadline: November 30, 2019

LST will invite 5 documentaries at a fine cut stage already presented at one of our partner events:  Ex-Oriente Film, Balkan Discoveries at the Balkan Documentary Centre, Docu Rough Cut Boutique at Sarajevo Film Festival/Sofia, When East Meets West, ZagrebDox PRO and Baltic Sea Forum. Selected documentary fine cuts will be presented to an exclusive panel of decision makers and an international jury will deliver the Film Center Serbia LST Award, the HBO EUROPE award and the FLOW Digital Cinema Award.

This is IT

Fiction Film Work-in-Progress Session

Deadline: November 30, 2019

Section exclusively dedicated to long feature fiction films and hybrid works with a strong visual and artistic approach produced or co-produced by Italian producers. Selected teams will have the chance to screen 10' of their films to an exclusive panel of more than 40 international decision makers and an international jury that will give out the LASER FILM Award.

First Cut Lab | Trieste

Workshop for Films in Editing Phase

Deadline: November 30, 2019

First Cut Lab Trieste is a consultancy programme designed for feature fiction films in editing phase from Italy or from one of the WEMW 2020 East & West spotlight countries. Selected teams screen their full rough cut in a private session to receive feedback from three top industry advisers and a consultant editor. The main goal is to foster the artistic potential of selected rough cuts and, at the same time, increase the sales, festival and circulation potential of completed films.

The WEMW 2020 edition will also see the launch of two new initiatives: First Cut +, an extension of First Cut Lab with a programme of tailor-made modules for enhancing the promotion & audience engagement strategies of a carefully curated portfolio of feature fiction films, concluding in a Work-in-Progress presentation, and MIDPOINT Shorts, an initiative dedicated to short films that includes an intensive script and project development workshop concluding in a project showcase in Trieste.

We are also pleased to remind you that you can submit your project to the 10th WEMW Co-Production Forum until October 31, 2019. WEMW will have a new East & West focus, bringing together over 500 film professionals from all over Europe and, in particular, from our 2020 spotlight territories: Hungary, Moldova, Romania & Austria, Germany, Switzerland.  

We look forward to seeing you in Trieste next January!

More information are available at www.wemw.it  

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WEMW is organized once again by the FVG Audiovisual Fund in collaboration with the Trieste Film Festival, EAVE, Creative Europe Desk Italy and thanks to the precious and constant support of Creative Europe/MEDIA Programme, MIBAC -Direzione Generale per il Cinema, CEI – Central European Initiative, Film Center Serbia and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Preview of the industry programme

In three weeks, a rich variety of industry events will unfold as part of the 23rd Ji.hlava IDFF:

Emerging Producers 2020 – presentation of 17 up-and-coming documentary film producers from Europe and one from the guest country – Taiwan

Inspiration Forum – platform initiating new topics in documentary film and a source of inspiration for filmmakers

Festival Hub – unique showcase of world film festivals and other film events

Visegrad Accelerator – meeting of key personalities from the Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak film environments

Discussions and focused presentations for film professionals (Creative Europe – MEDIA programme, East-West Index, pitchings of new Czech documentaries, etc.)

Matchmaking Accelerator – a service that will connect you with other film professionals visiting Ji.hlava

Conference Fascinations – a conference on distribution of experimental documentary film, accompanied by a special retrospective of Ukrainian experimental cinema

Open programme of Ex Oriente workshop organised by the Institute of Documentary Film (IDF)

East Silver Market video library with hundreds of documentary titles from Central and Eastern Europe (IDF)

Masterclasses, panel discussions, presentations, industry drinks, and much more. Join over 1,100 film professionals expected to attend the 23rd edition of Ji.hlava IDFF between October 24–29, 2019.

Are you a film student? Then note that you can acquire a substantially discounted Early Bird industry accreditation until this Sunday!

First films revealed

Ji.hlava will see a special screening of documentary essay Communism by Karel Vachek, the classic of Czech cinema. The author’s ninth film that takes many hours and has four parts, maps out the contemporary Czech political scene, philosophy, religion and art. Other sections will offer the story of human relentlessness made by the Macedonian duo Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, Honeyland, one of the winners of this year’s Sundance festival. The Canadian director team composed of Jennifer Baichwal, Nick de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky from Canada will bring to the audience Anthropocene: The Human Epoch in which the authors follow the effects of human activity on the planet’s ecosystem. The Brink by American director Alison Clayman shows the mentality of Steve Bannon, the right-wing populist and former strategist of president Trump. The full selection of the 23rd  Ji.hlava IDFF will be published at a press conference on October 8.

Tribute to Man Ray

As late as in the 1980s, Man Ray – American avant-gardist, a renowned photographer, painter and experimenter close to surrealism – was considered the author of only four films. This year, as part of his retrospective at Ji.hlava, you will have a chance to watch additional footage discovered in the estate of his partner, Ada Fidelin, that open the doors to Man Ray's private world. The exclusive screenings will include the dispute between Pablo Picasso and Paul Eluard during a palm-reading session and many other gems!

Erotica in experimental film

This year’s thematic section of the Conference Fascinations will focus on Erotica. Along with Man Ray, we will recall other classical authors such as Kenneth Anger, Carolee Schneeman and Peter Tscherkassky, as well as less-known authors whose works will for the first time ever be shown on the screen. The retrospective will show a range from pure visual joy inspired by the naked body to radical political manifestos.

Czech films look beyond the borders

The Czech Joy competition section will feature a diverse selection of documentaries. Barbora Berezňáková will present her debut Never Happened, which follows the leads in one large political and criminal case of the 1990s in Slovakia. Kiruna – A Brand New World by Czech-Swedish director Greta Stocklassa is a portrait of a town, which is to be moved away. The Sound Is Innocent by Johana Ožvold pays tribute to world’s electronic music and its development since 1950s until today.  Solo by the Czech-based French director and producer, Artemio Benki, follows the destiny of talented Argentinian piano player, Martín Perin, whose promising career was influenced by his long-term stay at a psychiatric clinic in Buenos Aires. The full selection of the 23 Ji.hlava IDFF will be published at a press conference on October 8.

Inspiration Forum will search for new topics for documentary films

The Ji.hlava’s Inspiration Forum, which annually offers space for discussion will host over 100 prominent guests from outside the film world. You can look forward to full six days dedicated to six particular topics, entitled God & co., The Changing Woman, Re:Democracy, How Not To Be Afraid,  Climageddon, and Made in China. This year's speakers include Dagestan-born novelist Alisa Ganieva, Croatian philosopher and political activist Srećko Horvat, writer and former US border patrol agent Fransisco Cantú, renowned environmentalist Bill McKibben, a former leading figure of German Neo-Nazi scene Christian Weissgerber, and Afghani writer and parliamentarian Fawzia Koofi. The full programme and list of guests will be announced on October 8.

Ex Oriente Film workshop with Niels Pagh Andersen and Audrius Stonys

Masterclasses and lectures by acclaimed documentary filmmakers will be open to the public at the Ex Oriente Film workshop in Jihlava (October 23-28). Editor Niels Pagh Andersen received numerous awards, and his editing credits include Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence and The Act of Killing, as well as Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow. Among other guests are director and cinematographer Erick Stoll, known for his award-winning América, and director and producer Audrius Stonys, whose Earth of the Blind got European Film Award.

The call launched in June for the fourth edition of Film +, the tailored support programme for low budget filmmaking, has closed with 73 entries from which 16 projects made the final line-up,  from four countries: 7 feature films, 5 short films and 4 documentaries.

European Parliament

17/09: Parliamentary leadership for the Digital Age – Parliament Magazine

MEPs will have to become more digitally literate than ever before if the EU is to maintain its digital leadership, writes Pilar del Castillo.

Digital Services Act

18/09: A Digital Roadmap for the next five years – Parliament Magazine

Europe’s policymakers should focus on encouraging tech firms and start-ups to be based here rather than seek confrontation, writes former ECR MEP Daniel Dalton

EU Terrorist Content Regulation

25/09: MEPs want internet firms to remove content promoting terrorism within an hour – European Parliament

On 24 September, Parliament's civil liberties committee backed the position agreed by the Parliament before May's European elections on new EU rules to tackle the dissemination of online content promoting terrorism and approved the mandate to begin discussions with EU ministers.

European Commission

10/09: How Parliament votes the European Commission into office (infographic) – European Parliament

MEPs will assess whether commissioner candidates can deliver on the challenges facing the EU in a series of public hearings.

27/09: Answers from Commissioners-designate to Parliament’s written questions – European Parliament

The Commissioners-designates’ answers to the written questions, posed by the Parliament’s committees, were received by Parliament.

27/09: Monday's commissioner hearings: Šefčovič, Hogan, Gabriel - European Parliament

Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia), Phil Hogan (Ireland) and Mariya Gabriel (Bulgaria) are the first candidate commissioners who appeared in hearings at the Parliament on Monday 30 September.

Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU

26/09: High-level conference on gender equality: Finland wants to integrate gender equality more closely with The EU’s economic policy – eu2019.fi

Finland organised a high-level gender equality conference in Helsinki from 30 September to 1 October 2019 in the context of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The aim of the conference was to increase the dialogue between gender equality policy and economic policy and to strengthen gender equality in the EU’s decision-making.

Sustainability

20/09: Circular Plastics Alliance: 100+ signatories commit to use 10 million tons of recycled plastic in new products by 2025 - European Commission  

The declaration lays out how the alliance will reach the target of 10 million tons of recycled plastic used to make new products every year in Europe, by 2025. This target was set by the European Commission in its 2018 Plastics Strategy, as part of its efforts to boost plastics recycling in Europe.

Federation of European Film and TV Directors (FERA)

Members of the Federation of European Film and TV Directors (FERA) from 27 countries gathered in Bucharest, Romania on September 20 to 22nd for its annual General Assembly.

Events

8 October: Commissioner-designate Margrethe Vestager hearing (ITRE/IMCO/ECON), Brussels
30 September: Trilogue, Creative Europe Programme
30 September: Extraordinary JURI Committee meeting, Brussels
1 October: CULT Committee meeting, Brussels
8 October: IMCO Committee meeting, Brussels
15 October: First copyright stakeholder meeting
16 October: CICI lunch w/ Sabine Verheyen & EPP MEPs, Brussels
17 October: ITRE Committee meeting, Brussels
1 November: European Commission comes into office
4 November: UNIC/Europa Distribution/FERA/FIAD Screening, Brussels
5-6 November: Voices of Culture Structured Dialogue on Gender Balance in the Cultural & Creative Sectors Dialogue Meeting with the European Commission, Brussels