The cult director Želimir Žilnik, one of the most appreciated Serbian filmmakers, will be the special guest of the sixth edition of Ceau, Cinema! Festival from Timişoara and Gottlob, where he will be paid honor through a review in collaboration with Art Encounters Biennale 2019.
The review will include three films, from different periods of Želimir Žilnik’s career: ”Early Works” (1969), winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin and which had its premiere 50 years ago, and the documentaries ”Kenedi Goes Back Home” (2004) and ”Logbook_Serbistan” (2015).
Iconic for the so-called Yugoslav Black Wave of the 60s-70s, ”Early Works” (1969) offers a critical perspective over the Marxist ideology and its place in the ”revolutionary society” and reflects the questions and doubts in the socialist world after the crush of the Prague Spring and after the several international student upheavals. The films focuses on four youngsters – three boys and a girl – who try to arise, without success, the workers’ and countrymen’s consciousness.
In ”Kenedi Goes Back Home” (2004), Želimir Žilnik tells the story of a few persons who left ex-Yugoslavia during the 90s because of the war and who spent over ten years in Western Europe as refugees or asylees, and now are trying to reintegrate in Serbia.
Made during the peak of the recent refugee crisis from Europe, ”Logbook_Serbistan” (2015) follows the life of the illegal immigrants and asylees accomodated in special centres from Serbia after they had dramatically escaped their native coutries, overcome by war and poverty.
Born in 1942, Želimir Žilnik lives and works in Novi Sad. He will attend Ceau, Cinema! together with his producer Sarita Matijevic (Playground Produkcija). Their presence in the festival is part of the collaboration with Art Ecounters Biennale 2019.
On October 4th, Želimir Žilnik will hold a masterclass in Timișoara, which will be preceeded by another series of screenings from his previous works.
During his extremely prolific career, Želimir Žilnik made more than 50 feature films and shorts, which were screened at some of the greatest festivals in the world, like those from Berlin, Toronto, Rotterdam, Moscow or Oberhausen. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of the genre called ”docudrama”.
In the late 60s, his socially militating films brought him praise in the former Yugoslavia, but during the 70s and 90s they draw the censorship, as a result of their strong criticism towards the political system. The ability to observe and find fascinating stories in the lives of simple people is the common feature of his fimography.
Art Encounters Biennale 2019 is curated by Maria Lind and Anca Rujoiu and consists in a program extended over the entire year, also including a series of components like Film Screenings, made in collaboration with Ceau, Cinema! and the National Theatre ”Mihai Eminescu” Timișoara. The Biennale exhibition will open on September 20th, 2019.
The sixth edition of Ceau, Cinema! will take place during July 18th-21st, in Timişoara and Gottlob, the first village in Romania with a renovated cinema.
The festival passes, which give access to all the screenings in the festival, are already available online, on iaBilet.ro. A general pass is 60 lei, and a special pass, which includes a Ceau, Cinema! T-shirt or bag and a set of stickers drawn by the festival parter artists, is 100 lei.
Ceau, Cinema! Festival is dedicated to the European cinema and is organized by the Association Marele Ecran and the Association Pelicula Culturală.
The project is possible with the support of the Romanian Film Centre.
Main cultural partners: Art Encounters Foundation and the National Theatre ”Mihai Eminescu” from Timişoara.
The event is entirely made by volunteers, with the support of: TNT Romania, Vitas Romania, Groupama Insurance, Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim, ISHO, the German Consulate from Timișoara, the French Institute from Timișoara, the German Cultural Centre from Timișoara, Goethe Institute, Balassi Institute – the Hungarian Cultural Institute from Bucharest, Porsche Timișoara, Vinto Gastro Wine Pub, Hotel Timișoara, Pulcinella, the „Csiky Gergely” Hungarian State Theatre from Timișoara, the Direction for Culture Timiş, Auăleu Theatre, Anim’est, Ovride Specialty Cofeee, AMBASADA, iaBilet.ro, Gottlob City Hall.
Media partners: Kiss FM, Ziarul Metropolis, Radio România Cultural, All about Romanian Cinema (AaRC).