East of the West - Competition 2016 / Houston, imamo problem! / Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic, Qatar 2016
Tito, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, and Clinton in a narrative docu-fiction about Yugoslavia’s hitherto secret space program, which aimed to put American astronauts on the Moon and thereby win the Cold War. Can eyewitnesses unravel the web of lies, dirty political games, and conspiracy theories?
The unbelievable story of the top secret Yugoslav space program that Tito sold to the United States in the 1960s for several billion dollars; the price included the 26 aerospace engineers who were working on it at the time. One of them, Ivan Pavić, returns home after the project is finally declassified in order to see the daughter he’s never met; the secret police faked his death and she thought he was dead the entire time. With his help and drawing on statements made by the retired officer who was in charge of the secret operation, General Franc, American historian Roger McMillan reconstructs this previously unknown episode of world history. Who was really responsible for America’s mission to the Moon? And why was Kennedy shot shortly after Tito’s diplomatic visit to the USA? The docu-fiction, packed in like measure with archive footage and contemporary shots of declassified materials, uncovers one of the biggest conspiracies in human history. Or does it? Where does history end and skilled storytelling begin? Is it possible to distinguish a cleverly constructed lie from reality? And what does Slavoj Žižek think about it all?
Nikola Paggio
88 min / Color, DCP
European premiere
Director Žiga Virc
/ Screenplay Žiga Virc, Boštjan Virc
/ Dir. of Photography Andrej Virc
/ Editor Vladimir Gojun
/ Producer Boštjan Virc
/ Production Studio Virc
/ Coproduction Nukleus Film, Sutor Kolonko
/ Sales CAT&Docs
Žiga Virc (b. 1987, Novo mesto, Slovenia), film and television director, graduated from Ljubljana’s Academy of Theater, Radio, Film, and Television (AGRFT). While still a student he shot the short film Trieste Is Ours!, which caused a minor political scandal in Italy and ended up as a student Oscar finalist. In 2012 he shot documentaries for RTV Slovenja state-owned television: Call from the Mountains celebrates the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Slovenia’s mountain rescue service, and War Games follows the Triglav group as they stage World War II battles. He is a director of acclaimed commercials, documentaries, and short fiction films; because he enjoys a cross-platform approach, some of his work has gone viral internationally. Houston, We Have a Problem! plays masterfully with the interpretation of historical events, forcing the viewer to doubt the media’s construction of contemporary reality.
CAT&Docs
18, rue Quincampoix, 75004, Paris
France
Phone: +33 144 617 748
E-mail: [email protected]
Žiga Virc
Film Director
Boštjan Virc
Producer
Siniša Juričić
Producer, Tutor / Trainer
Andrej Virc
Director of Photography
Nerina Kocjancić
Film Institution Rep.
Pavla Brožková
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