Archive Cinema City 2008.

Zivi i mrtvi

The Living and the Dead

Genre: War
Country: Croatia
Year: 2007.
Duration: 87 min

Director: Kristijan Milic
Scenario: Josip Mlakic (book), Ivan Pavlicic

Cast: Filip Sovagovic, Velibor Topic, Slaven Knezovic, Marinko Prga, Borko Peric, Miro Barnjak, Bozidar Oreskovic, Enes Vejzovic, Izudin Bajrovic, Ljubomir Jurkovic, Robert Roklicer, Zvonko Zecevic, Dragan Suvak, Nino Soric, Nermin Omic

Programme selection: Balkan Buster

Synopsis:
First time feature filmmaker Kristijan Milic teams with writer Josip Mlakic for this screen adaptation of Mlakic's popular novel following two tales of 20th Century bloodshed in Bosnia. Alternating between warfare in 1943 and 1993, Milic and Mlakic's dark war drama highlights the haunting sameness of both battles by following a squadron of HVO (Bosnian Croat soldiers as the walk the same path and face the same treachery that their Domobran (defenders of the Croat Independent State) forefathers did just fifty years prior. Chief among the HVO team is sympathetic soldier Tomo - whose grandfather was the last surviving Domobran Martin. By the time soldiers in both eras make their way to the haunted cemetery, the stories converge to highlight the hopeless cycle of strife that seems poised to repeat itself ad infinitum.

Trailer

Nominations:
Grand Prize, 2007 Cottbus Film Festival of Young East European Cinema

Awards:
Golden Camera 300, 2007 Brothers Manaki International Film Festival
Audience Award, 2008 Lecce Festival of European Cinema
Big Golden Arena,  Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Borko Perić), Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Original Music, Best Sound, Best Special Effects, 2007 Pula Film Festival


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