The 45th Rotterdam IFF (January 27 – February 7, 2016) will feature two Slovak films in their world premieres. The selection of the respected festival contains a mid-length film 5 October by Martin Kollar and a short Gardeners by Mira Fornay.
The mid-length debut of the established cinematographer and photographer Martin Kollar 5 October will be screened in the official selection programme Bright Future: Mid-length with another nine films. The film portrays director´s brother Jan and tells a quiet story about a man facing the possibility of only having a few months to live and embarking on a vagrant journey with only a “deadline” – 5 October. The film has already drawn attention at the 50th Karlovy Vary IFF´s presentation Docu Talents from the East (under its previous title The Sphere).
Martin Kollar made his directorial debut with a short autobiographical picture Autoportrait. As a cinematographer he has worked on a number of films, including Koza (dir. Ivan Ostrochovský), Velvet Terrorists (dir. Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský, Peter Kerekes), Cooking History (dir. Peter Kerekes), 66 seasons (dir. Peter Kerekes) and others.
Gardeners, a film by successful Slovak director and producer Mira Fornay, is part of the festival´s combined programme This Is Where Reconstruction Starts. IFF Rotterdam asked six filmmakers from all corners of the world to make a cinematographic reflection on the theme of “reconstruction” to mark the events surrounding 75 years of the reconstruction of Rotterdam, a city that now has inhabitants from 175 different countries. Mira Fornay has decided to capture a story of Kon whose life is in danger in Tanzania. With unexpected aid he finally manages to find somewhere safe in Europe.
Rotterdam audience is already familiar with Mira Fornay, as her second feature My Dog Killer won the Hivos Tiger Award and in 2010 her debut Foxes was screened within the Bright Future section.
5 October
SK – CZ | 2016 | 50 min. | documentary
director and screenplay: Martin Kollar
cast: Ján Kollar, Barbora Katriňáková, Ján Doboš
production: Punkchart films (SK), HBO Europe (CZ), endorfilm (CZ), 71km (SK)
A quiet story about a man waiting for an important surgery. After he learns he’s facing thepossibility of only having a few months to live, he embarks on a vagrant journey with only a “deadline” – 5 October.
From the notes in his diary and his daily search for a place to spend the night, we discover what he is running away from: fear, discomfort, testing weather conditions, and his deteriorating health. Reality, however, keeps reminding him of what lies ahead – a surgery with possibly fatal consequences.
Screenings:
February 1 | 15.00 | LantarenVenster 3
February 2 | 19.15 | Cinerama 6
February 4 | 15.00 | Cinerama 2 (Press&Industry screening)
February 6 | 12.00 | Cinerama 3
Gardeners
SK – NL | 2016 | 20 min. | fiction
director and screenplay: Mira Fornay
cast: Hamisi Kikololo, Mária Fornayová, Cyprián Šulej, Jozef Hrnčírik, Juliana Johanidesová
production: MIRAFOX (SK), Smart House Films (NL)
Kon’s life is in danger in Tanzania. With unexpected aid he finally manages to find somewhere safe in Europe. Gardeners is a story of compassion for those who left hearth and home in search of a new homeland.
Screenings:
February 1 | 19.30 | de Doelen Willem Burgerzaal
February 2 | 19.30 | Cinerama 2
February 5 | 14.00 | Cinerama 6
More information at: www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com
