East of the West - Competition 2011 / Marijine / Croatia 2011
This documentary musical comedy with elements of kitchen-sink realist drama captures a private party put together by three girls to honour the memory of their deceased Croatian grandmother. Along with friends and neighbours, guests also include an unknown music band (portrayed in the film by the Czech band Midi Lidi).
Three girls organise a private party to honour the memory of their grandmother Marija Violić, who died six years previously. It’s not a huge gathering of people who come to her flat in the Croatian coastal town of Rijeka, but a colourful cross-section of individuals all the same. Along with various friends and neighbours, the Czech band Midi Lidi are also invited – a bunch of unknowns as far as the other guests are concerned. In such varied company, there’s no chance of the dead woman’s tribute descending into sentimental cliché. Reminiscences are complemented with dancing, singing and even a competition to come up with the best decoration for grandma’s tombstone. Željka Suková’s semi-improvised debut as writer and director hovers on the border between documentary and feature film. The highly personal theme, supported by excerpts from amateur family videos and family albums, here takes the form of some kind of reality show whose aim isn’t to dishonour the deceased but, on the contrary, to seek the most sincere expressions of emotion.
62 min / Color, HD CAM
European premiere
Director Željka Suková
/ Screenplay Željka Suková
/ Dir. of Photography Aleš Suk
/ Music Midi Lidi
/ Editor Aleš Suk
/ Production Udruga UKUS
/ Cast Nina Violić, Željka Suková, Mila Čuljak, Danira Violić
/ Contact Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Željka Suková (b. 1977, Rijeka, Croatia) studied graphic art in Zagreb and new media at Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts. Apart from directing films, she is also involved in production. Marija’s Own is her first feature film, about which she states the following: "The clear outline of the film was familiar only to a few, while other participants spontaneously joined in and followed particular situations. We wanted to avoid scripted roles and come as close as possible to what we have left from the person we once knew. Perhaps we should look at death with a smile, because we don’t know its meaning. Should we really be afraid? Should we mourn the unknown?”
Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Trg J. J. Strossmayera 4, 10000, Zagreb
Croatia
Phone: +385 160 410 80
Fax: +385 146 678 19
E-mail: info@havc.hr
Ivana Ivišić
PR & Marketing
Željka Suková
Film Director
Aleš Suk
Film Director, Producer
Nina Violić
Actress
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