'If Pigeons Turned To Gold'

Source: CLAW Films

‘If Pigeons Turned To Gold’

EXCLUSIVE: Croatia-based sales firm Split Screen has acquired international rights to Pepa Lubojacki’s If Pigeons Turned To Gold, which had its world premiere in Berlin Film Festival’s Forum section this afternoon (Friday, February 13).

Shot on an iPhone, the documentary explores addiction and intergenerational trauma, as Lubojacki tries to understand why their older brother and cousins live unhoused and experience substance abuse.

It is produced by Klara Mamojkova and Wanda Kapralova for Czech Republic’s Claw Films, in co-production with Matej Sotnik’s Guca films from Slovakia, Czech Television and the Czech Republic’s FAMU Film School.

“We first met the team at [Czech Republic’s] East Doc Platform, where the raw strength of the material and Pepa Lubojacki’s almost playful concept immediately captivated us,” said a statement from Marcella Jelic and Lorena Morin of Split Screen.

“Although it may sound paradoxical, the film struck us with its profoundly emotional approach and the director’s gentle gaze, mixed with an original playful style. We see strong educational potential in the film and look forward to accompanying its journey to other festivals.”

“I’ve experienced more times than I ever wanted to know how the world sees and treats addicted people and those who live unhoused,” said Lubojacki. “And so I decided to tell our story—through brutal honesty. It was the only way for me to tell it authentically. I talk about what it means to be a child of an addict, a sibling. What it does to a family.”

The film is nominated for the Berlinale Documentary Award through its inclusion in the festival.

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