Küstendorf Day 5: Joining Satan and the Fold of Cowards
The fifth day of the Küstendorf Film Festival began with Taking Off by Miloš Forman featured in the Retrospective of Greatness section. The great Czech-American filmmaker and professor who passed away in April 2018, made his US debut with this comedy about 1960s-style parenting.
Game Girls by Alina Skrzeszewska presented in the Kustendorf Presents New Authors, follows Teri and her girlfriend Tiahna as they navigate their relationship through the chaotic world of Los Angeles Skid Row.
The section Contemporary Trends featured Pope Francis: A Man of His World by Wim Wenders. This documentary gathers footage of Pope Francis traveling the world speaking to those in need and delivering a message of hope. The screening was followed by a workshop with the producer of the film Andrea Gambetta [pictured above]— who had also worked on the Emir Kusturica’s musicmentary about the Serbian filmmaker’s No Smoking Orchestra. He shared with audiences his collaboration with Wim Wenders in bringing to life the documentary about Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Gambetta is also one of the people who have contributed to shaping the Kustendorf Film Festival from the very first edition, along with Kusturica’s longtime friend, Austrian author Peter Handke, who recommended the name of the village because it also means ‘City of the Arts.’.
The Competition Programme short films kicked off with Kapital by Ivan Perekatov about a delusional tramp-marxist man named Capital, roaming about the streets of Moscow dreaming about finding a place on Earth settled by the indisputable dogmatists of communism. Mitsosis by Halit Ruhat Yildiz about a woman who has been living in Turkey for three years and has no contact with her family living in Germany, and upon learning about the death of her father travels to Cologne to visit his grave, and confronts a conflictual circumstance. Five Minutes To Sea by Natalia Mirzoyan is a humorous tale about a little girl who has to deal with her mother’s rule of tacking a five minute break before bathing at sea. Satan by Carlos Tapia Gonzalez follows Tiago’s routine, who goes into his garden o a daily basis, to feed the crocodile that killed his brother. The Fold Of The Cowards by Xavier Alconero portrays the story of Jose who aspired to be a pilot, but ended up doing something very different and regrets it as he ponders about his life at 86 years old.
Bilja Krstic, nicknamed Bilja
The fifth Day of 2019’s Küstendorf Film and Music Festival came to a close with a jubilation of sounds produced by the Bilja Krstic & Bistrik Orchestra. Biljana, nicknamed Bilja, has been a part of the Serbian pop scene for a number of years. She was a member of the choirs Collegium musicum and Youth Choir Vojislav Vučković from Niš. Biljana and the Bistrik orchestra have worked together for 18 years and still counting — to promote the ethnomusicological heritage of Serbia and the Balkans in the best possible way, linking traditional music and contemporary trends.
