“It is paradise,” Mirsad Purivatra says of Slano, the picturesque Croatian village where Slano Film Days, the founder of the invitation-only event that is taking place this week from June 16-20.
“It’s my contribution to this village that we can bring film here and that filmmakers recognise Slano as a nice quiet place where we can talk about films, watch films and be inspired.”
Slano Film Days brings together 14 emerging filmmakers from the Balkan region with established international professionals, through a programme of talks and screenings. “We offer a new generation of filmmakers from the region the possibility to attend and meet such prestigious filmmakers,” says Purivatra.
Purivatra, the former long-term head of the Sarajevo Film Festival, is clear about what attracts A-list international talents to the event.
“I have found every filmmaker and film professional is looking for a quiet environment where they can meet each other and speak about film,” he says. “They spend years alone with their doubts, challenges and unresolved questions. Slano was created as a place where these people can speak openly about their work, their uncertainties, mistakes, dilemmas. This is precisely why filmmakers who no longer have anything to prove continue to come here.”
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are among the high-profile US guests in Slano this week. “They’re not just Hollywood stars but people with strong opinions and great careers who are really able to show American cinema is offering something different,” Purivatra says.
Two regular European attendees are also returning, taking time out from their own Mediterranean retreats.
“Ruben Ostlund comes from Majorca, Pawel Pawlikowski from Hydra, places where one would expect them simply to enjoy their peace and privacy, and yet they come to Slano. They’re not here to promote a film or walk a red carpet. They come to engage in conversation with fellow filmmakers and emerging talents from the region.”
Pawlikowski will be screening Fatherland, the film for which he won the best director award in Cannes last month. His earlier feature Cold War is also showing, in the presence of its star, Joanna Kulig.
Meanwhile, Swedish two-time Palme d’Or-winning director Ostlund will be screening and discussing his early shorts, Autobiographical Scene Number 6882 (2008) and Incident By A Bank (2009) and likely giving an update on the progress of his anticipated next feature The Entertainment System Is Down
The talks are moderated by fellow filmmakers and friends. Pawlikowski is talking with Kulig while Ostlund is in conversation with Pawlikowski about Fatherland. Renowned cinematographer Michael Seresin will be leading the session with Gyllenhaal, whose latest feature The Bride! is screening, while Slano regular, the Mexican director Michel Franco, will be speaking with Sarsgaard.
Creative connections are often made in Slano. Hungarian director Lili Horvát is screening her nearly completed feature My Notes On Mars, that stars Rupert Friend and Mackenzie Davis, in a closed session. French producer and sales agent Emilie Georges met Horvát in Slano last year, and her company Paradise City is now the co-producer and sales agent on the film.
Furthermore, Pawlikowski has been helping fellow regular attendee Michel Franco with a new project he is developing and which has a Polish dimension.
“Michel spent some time with Pawel in Poland and Pawel opened many doors for him after discussions they had in Slano,” says Purivatra. “We don’t like to force people to go into projects together, but if they meet each other and find mutual interests in a project, that is fantastic. We are always happy to see our guests from previous editions are working together.”
Purivatra says the Sarajevo Film Festival is a natural partner for Slano when it comes to tracking new talent in the region. “It’s a fantastic source for me to follow young talents through all activities,” he says.
The CineLink Workshop in Slano, combining both the Producers’ Lab and the CoProduction Market, is also one way of attracting the best emerging producers to the Film Days.
Slano Film Days runs on a relatively small budget of approximately €200,000, supported by all of the national film centres in the region. “Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia, they recognise the importance of supporting the project and to send their most talented people to take part,” Purivatra notes.
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