The Art of Movies
(Motovun Film Festival)

By Rada Djurica

For an American, heading to Motovun seems an unlikely prospect. But in the past ten years, this small medieval town has hosted many celebrities. Motovun is located in the Istrian interior, and with its elegant system of hilltop towers, walls and gates, it is a fabulous example of Venetian colonial architecture. According to the mythological and poetical tradition, Motovun was the ancient meeting place of Medea and Orpheus, who in their time, sailed with the Argonauts. These Classic, Romanesque-Gothic structures, this Baroque, Austrian Secession and Italian Novecento architecture makes a perfect setting for viewing contemporary film, with the program taking place on the streets and squares of the beautiful fortified medieval town. Along with viewing small films and independent productions, sightseeing highlights include the Renaissance Municipal Palace, the largest secular building in Istria from that period, which sits on the water cisterns of town in the town square, on pipes that date from the 14th and 15th centuries makes a fantastic experience.

This year, the 10th Motovun Film Festival was celebrated from July 28 to August 1. The 2008 festival was devoted entirely to films originating in smaller studios and to independent and innovative productions. On its tenth birthday, the festival also marked the 100th birthday of Russian filmmaking with a presentation of more than 100 films.

This small festival made a great new friend by giving the first Motovun Maverick Award to Ken Russell, who promised he would be back next year with a finished adaptation of Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders, which is about to begin shooting in Croatian locations. Also, the celebrated Hollywood actor Rade Šerbedžija came to present Jeremy Podeswa's Fugitive Pieces.

This year more than 100 films were shown, with 28 in the main program. A new theater has opened in honor of the jubilee of a great film-making tradition: the 100th anniversary of Russian film.

The prizes for the 10th Motovun were awarded in front of a packed Cinema Square. The selections of five festival juries are:

PROPELLER MOTOVUNA AWARD given to Silent Light (Stellet Licht) by Carlos Reygadas (Mexico, France, Netherlands).

The jury of festival consisted of Milena Zupancic, Pawel Pawlikowski, Pavle Levi. They said of their selection, "The film we picked — the winner of Motovun 2008 — is an outstanding work in every way. Distinguished by an original visual and narrative style, it is a poetic, emotional film which, dealing with the subject of love, also speaks of the spiritual aspect of our lives. The Motovun Propeller for 2008 is awarded to Silent Light by Carlos Reygadas".

OD A DO A given to Revanche by Götz Spielmann (Austria).

The jury of peers, consisting of Teona Mitevska, Labina Mitevska, Nenad Puhovski, and Žarko Puhovski, stated: "Jury from A to A states that the films competing for the prize have shown an impressive thematic diversity and a pluralism of film expression which is becoming typical for the region…"

MOTOVUN ONLINE awarded to Between Walls (Intre Ziduri) by Ana Felicia Scutelnicu (Germany)

The jury of 3 Stefans: Stefan Kitanov, Stefan Uhrik, Stefan Laudyn.

Special mention: Farewell (Rastanak) by Irena Škoric, Hrvatska

FIPRESCI Award given to Blind Loves (Slépe Lásky) by Juraj Lehotský (Slovakia).

The jury of Stefan Ivancic, Gabriele Barrera, Gábor Böszörményi stated the award was given "for its original and human approach to extraordinary everyday life of blind people searching for happiness."

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD presented to Estrellita by Metod Pevec (Slovenia).

The jury of Nataša Senjanovic, Ferdi Haliti, and Dušan Miljuš said, "Estrellita is a modern and universal story intertwining the destinies of members of a traumatized minority in the midst of a geographically close, but culturally remote environment. This forms the basis for further exploration of relations between family members, between sexes, and between different opinions on social values, which adds to the film's depth and quality."

AUDIENCE AWARD went to Behind the Glass by Zrinko Ogresta (Croatia).

The winner was decided by an audience vote using SMS text messages.

MOTOVUN MAVERICK AWARD given to English filmmaker Ken Russell, "For extraordinary achievement in broadening the borders of acceptable and decent in film, for single-mindedness and originality, the love of play and unpredictability, for persistence and above all, a mastery of cinematic art."

50 YEARS AWARD went to Mia Oremovic.

Photos from Motovun