On Tuesday, 26 January 2021, the shooting of the new Slovenian live-action feature Wake Me by the director Marko Šantić began in Jesenice.
Wake Me / Zbudi me
Because of temporary amnesia, the film’s protagonist Rok returns from an idyllic tourist town to the city where he grew up. He does not remember his girlfriend Rina or his problematic past. While striving to protect his younger brother Jure from bad company, he is forced to face his former life yet again.
The director had the following to say about his third live-action feature: “The central topic of the film is memory loss, which serves as a metaphor for the universal repression of a traumatic experience of the broader community. Through the film’s story, the protagonist Rok, portrayed by Jure Henigman, assembles the mosaic of his forgotten past and starts feeling responsible for his past actions. I am happy that we will be able to start shooting despite the pandemic and all of the unfortunate complications in the past year."
Central European Cinema Stand / January 26, 2021
Dear colleagues & friends!
We are pleased to share with you What's Slovak in Clermont-Ferrand? this year.
Animated short film project Tourists by Mária Kralovič will be presented at the co-production Forum Euro Connection. Moreover, an online discussion with the Czech, Slovak, and Slovenian directors, MEET THE CEC TALENTS will take place on February 1, 2021 at 3:00 pm (CET) in virtual room AGORA.
Thanks to co-operation with Czech Film Center and Slovenian Film Centre, Slovak Film Institute will attend the Short Film Market (Feb 1 – 5, 2021) under the umbrella of Central European Cinema.
Meet Slovak representatives:
Lea Pagáčová (Slovak Film Institute): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Alexandra Gabrižová (Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
BUCHAREST: Romania has been seriously affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, which shut down film production and cinemas for several months. The closing of cinemas and the decrease of TV advertisement resulted in a significant decrease of the amount of money for the national Film Fund and, as a consequence, no production grants were allotted for 2020 and most likely won't be allotted for 2021 as well.
At the 43rd Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, the Czech Republic will be represented by three films in the official selection. Washing Machine by Alexandra Májová was selected for the International Competition, Leaf by Aliona Baranova is a part of the Young Audience section, and Plus One by Myroslava Klochko will be screened in the European Short Film Audience Award section. In addition, two Czech projects take part in the Euro Connection programme: About a Cow by Pavla Baštanová and Slovenian-Czech The Tourist by Lun Sevnik.
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival appoints a new Head of Press and Communication
Festivals 25-01-20212021 has brought a major change to the communication and press team of Tallinn Black Nights as Epp Kõuhkna has become the new Head of Press and Communication. The former head, Hannes Aava will continue in a reduced role as a communication consultant.
Epp Kõuhkna is no stranger to the festival, having been responsible for the marketing activities of the Black Nights’ sub-festival Just Film for the past 4 years. She will be taking over the international communication and press organisation, seeking to expand the festival’s international reach and upgrade the press services. Kõuhkna states: ‘I couldn’t be more excited and honored stepping into this new chapter with Black Nights - there is definitely a great amount of work ahead of us and I feel very fortunate to have Hannes’ support along the way.’
Malta experienced a busy year in 2019, with several international shoots on the island and benefiting from its generous 40 per cent cash rebate in expenses. Moreover, strides were made in the production of indigenous film, with several local companies creating original work for the Maltese and foreign markets. Moreover, the Maltese film sector also saw work being distributed abroad, while educational initiatives sought to develop the next generation of local filmmakers. Finally, cinemas and broadcasting channels also experienced buoyancy in terms of audience numbers.
VILNIUS: Producers taking advantage of Lithuania’s eight-year-old Film Tax Incentive received 11.3 m EUR for film production in 2020, according to the Lithuanian Film Centre. International film productions spent almost 27 m EUR in Lithuania during 2020.
FNE asked Milica Božanič how the pandemic has affected foreign and domestic shoots in Serbia and what safety measures have been taken to get production back on course. She also talks about how Serbia is preparing for the challenges the film industry faces in the future.
BUCHAREST: Cinemas in Bucharest are re-opening on 25 January 2021 together with theatres, restaurants and gambling facilities, as the rate of the Coronavirus infections dropped under 3 cases for 1,000 citizens.
TRIESTE: Ivailo Hristov’s feature Fear (Pro Film) will be screened in the main competition of the 32nd Trieste Film Festival, which runs 21 – 30 January 2021 and focuses on films from the CEE, Baltic and Balkan region.
