“For a synthesis of a word and a film into a thoughtfully told story about the journey into the past and successful return to the future,” the jury presented their argument concerning the best screenplay award of the 16th Festival of Slovenian Film. Foto: Kinodvor
“For a synthesis of a word and a film into a thoughtfully told story about the journey into the past and successful return to the future,” the jury presented their argument concerning the best screenplay award of the 16th Festival of Slovenian Film. Foto: Kinodvor
Every year, the Tribeca Film Festival attracts around three million people (including several celebrities) and generates an annual profit of about 600 million. Foto: EPA
At the 64th Berlinale, the film entitled Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice), which was directed by Diao Yinan, won Golden Bear for best film. At the Tribeca Festival, the film will be showed in the same section as Karpopotnik.

New York’s Tribeca Film Festival, which this year will take place from 16th to 27th April, was first organized in 2002 (one of the founders of the festival was Robert De Niro) in order to bring Manhattan to new life and encourage local economy after the tragic September 11th.

Now in its fourth year, the non-competitive Viewpoints section focuses on the promotion of "fresh and distinctive voices that push cinematic boundaries". Among the 22 films in this section is also Ivanišin’s stylized ‘road film’, which retraces the creative journey of Ivanišin’s professional colleague Karpo Godina from several decades ago.

Film portrayal without a portrait sitter
In Karpopotnik, Matjaž Ivanišin retraces the young Karpo Godina’s journey across the Serbian region of Vojvodina, where an unusual road film was made entitled Imam jednu kuću (I have one house), of which only fragments have been preserved. First, an idea emerged for a film portrayal of Karpo Godina, but Godina wanted Ivanišin to obey one single rule: he must not appear in the film.

"Finally, a film about the young film-maker K. G. was made, my film dedicated to this inspiring author. There were miles travelled, villages seen, doors knocked on, faces seen and various languages heard. After the film was made, I read by coincidence a work by the Serbian author Danilo Kiš. One of his stories opens as follows: ‘The only unhappiness (some call it happiness) of the story which follows, the story which is being created in doubt and uncertainty, is that it is real: it was written by hands of honourable people and credible witnesses. But, to make it as real as its author is dreaming of, it should be told in Romanian, Hungarian, Ukrainian or Yiddish, or rather in a mixture of all these languages.’ Karpopotnik is somewhat similar to this story," Ivanišin comments on his film.

In the same section as the Berlinale’s winner
The Viewpoints section is this year – according to the press statement issued by the organizers of the festival – "filled with uncommon originality and exuberance that will assure a bright and vibrant future for indie storytelling". The honourable task of opening the section was given to the American vampire comedy Summer of Blood, which was directed by Onur Tukel. The section also includes the prison drama Starred Up (David Mackenzie), Love and Engineering by Tonislav Hristov (the Finnish-German-Bulgarian co-production about three swots who are in search of dating tricks), Bad Hair by Mariana Rondon (a story about a nine-year-old boy from Caracas who dreams of smooth and straight hair), and the Chinese thriller Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan (about a retired policeman who investigates a series of murders), which was awarded at the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale).

A. J., translated by D. M.