taken from berlinale.org site
Armin
Director: Ognjen Sviličić
Country: Croatia, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegowina 2007.
Production: Maxima Film, Zagreb; Busse & Halberschmidt, Düsseldorf; Refresh Production, Sarajevo. Buch,
Camera: Stanko Herceg.
Production Design: Mladen Ožbolt.
Ton: Peter Schumacher.
Musik: Michael Bauer (Werkstatt Raben), Georg Karger, Peter Holzapfel. Schnitt: Vjeran Pavlinić.
Producer: Damir Terešak, Marcelo Busse, Markus Halberschmidt, Ademir
Kenović.
Cast: Emir Hadžihafisbegović (Ibro), Armin Omerović-Muhedin (Armin), Jens Münchow (Ulrich), Marie Bäumer (Gudrun), Barbara Prpić (Martina), Orhan Güner (Arpad), Borko Perić (Zoki), Boris Svrtan (Perić), Bojan Navojec (Zlajo), Daria Lorenci (Aida), Ivana Bolanča (Nana) u. v. a.
Format: 35mm, 1:1.85, Farbe.
Run-time: 82 Minuten, 24 img/sec.
FORUM SCREENINGS:
09.02. 17:45 CinemaxX5 (press screening)
10.02. 19:00 Delphi Filmpalast
11.02. 22:15 Cubix 9
12.02. 18:00 Arsenal
16.02. 14:30 Zoopalast 4 Cross Section
18.02. 15:00 CineStar 8
Synopsis
It‘s a very important trip for 45-year-old Ibro and his only son, 14-year-old Armin: from a small town in Bosnia, they’re on their way to Zagreb, where the boy is to audition for a German film about the Bosnian war. Ibro wants to offer him a chance to fulfill his dream. Armin‘s goal of a career in movies seems close – but then the old bus they’re traveling in breaks down. They arrive too late for the audition, but Ibro convinces the producers to give Armin a second chance. However, the director is not especially interested in Armin‘s talents, and anyway, Armin is too old for the role.
Armin becomes more and more disappointed, and withdraws into himself, while his father fights energetically for his son’s career. Finally they get their chance, but due to the pressure, Armin has an epileptic fit. Feeling guilty, Ibro desperately tries to prove that his son is no loser, but nobody will to listen to him. Armin is upset, his dream is destroyed. Just as they are leaving, there is an unexpected offer from the film crew. When Ibro refuses it, Armin finally realizes how much his father loves him. Fighting for respect
Director’s statement
This film is my way of telling a story about the war; what that situation brings and how one can deal with it. Father and son are fighting for respect. Their only problem is that they are from Bosnia, and we all know what that means. They want to escape their poverty and the only thing they have to lose is their pride. That‘s all they have. For the rest of the world, they are simply two poor people from a devasted country. This is why they have to fight.
But most of all, they have to deal with their relationship, because it‘s the only thing they can rely on. The love betwen a parent and a child is enduring. This love gives these two the strength to move forward and overcome their misery.
This is a quiet film, and at the same time – due to the characters’ feelings – a very intense one. The environment shown in this movie is much colder than the characters’ hearts. Somehow father and son feel lost in it. They are looking for a better future, but in the end, they find each other, and that‘s the most important thing for me.
Ognjen Sviličić
(taken from http://www.berlinale.org/en/programm/berlinale_programm/datenblatt.php?film_id=20070130 )
Biofilmography
Ognjen Sviličić was born on April 21, 1971 in Split. He studied directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Zagreb. Since 1991, he has directed three feature-length films as well as several shorts and television films. Since 1998, Sviličić has also worked as a screenwriter, including on TV series such as Bumerang and for directors such as Tomislav Radić, for whom he wrote the script to What Iva Recorded on October 21st, 2003 / Što je Iva snimila 21. listopada 2003 (2005), and Branko Schmidt (Melon Road / Put lubenica, 2006). Sviličić lives and works in Zagreb.
Films
1991: Jehovini Svjedoci (short film). 1996: Domina (short film). 1998: Puna Kuća / Full House. 1999: Da mi je biti morski pas / Wish I Were a Shark. 2001: Ante se vraća kući / Ante is Coming Home. 2004: Oprosti za Kung Fu / Sorry for Kung Fu (Forum 2005). 2007: ARMIN. |
