MITRIĆ ŠTIFANIĆ: SUCCESSFUL START FOR “PRVI KADAR” FESTIVAL

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, NOVEMBER 4 /SRNA/ – The 20th "Prvi Kadar" Documentary and Short Fiction Film Festival drew audiences in Istočno Sarajevo over three days to its educational program, competition and children's films, the festival's artistic director Aleksandra Mitrić Štifanić said.

She said there was particularly strong interest among high school students in the two-day documentary film workshop, and that competition screenings were well attended, with high schools bringing in organized groups of students.

"This part of the festival, held in Istočno Sarajevo, was a success," Mitrić Štifanić said.

She said the greatest audience interest was in the children's program "Kids Fest", which screened the film "The Diary of Paulina P." yesterday, while several hundred elementary school pupils from Istočno Sarajevo attended today's screenings.

According to her, feedback showed that children loved both the films in the children's program and those in the competition.

"All these years we have tried to nurture the children's film program, because it is especially important in communities that have no regular cinema program and where very few children's films are shown," Mitrić Štifanić said.

She said it was important for children to have the chance to see domestic and regional feature films they could not otherwise see in cinemas or on television, which also supported the development of domestic children's film production.

As part of the festival's "Industry" program, a panel discussion titled "From Production to World Festivals" looked at the journey filmmakers and producers take from an initial idea to presenting their films at international festivals.

The panelists were Banja Luka professor, filmmaker and producer Mladen Đukić, along with filmmakers and producers Stefan Tomić, Milica Vujasin and Jelena Medić.

Mitrić Štifanić said one of the conclusions of the discussion was that the systematic support of the Audiovisual Center of Republika Srpska was of great importance for the development of domestic cinema.

"It's not just support for production that matters, but also for promoting projects and presenting films at world festivals," she said.

She said that as part of the "Talks" program, Miloš Škundrić gave a lecture today titled "The Long Journey to War", describing how his documentary of the same name made its way to Netflix.

"Škundrić talked about the making of the film and the historical events leading up to the Sarajevo assassination, which, as the film shows, were among the triggers of the First World War," Mitrić Štifanić said.

After three days in Istočno Sarajevo, the festival moves to Zvornik tomorrow, where audiences will be able to follow the competition program, children's screenings and educational events.

The program will open with animation workshops as part of the "Young Talents Academy", mentored by Ana Nedjeljković and Nikola Majdak, and a film analysis workshop led by director and producer Vesna Dinić.

At 6 p.m., the Youth Center will host the premiere of "The Second Diary of Paulina P.", directed by Neven Hitrec, as part of the "Kids Fest" program.

Animation workshops and competition screenings are planned for Friday, November 6, and animated films made at the "Prvi Kadar" film school will be shown to mark the festival's 20th anniversary.

The Zvornik part of the festival will close on Saturday, November 7, at 6 p.m. at the Youth Center with "Best of Fest", a screening of the award-winning films.

Over its two decades, "Prvi Kadar" has grown into one of the best-known film festivals in Republika Srpska and the region, becoming an important part of cultural and social life in Istočno Sarajevo and Zvornik and bringing together filmmakers, artists, professionals, young people and audiences from home and abroad.

The festival's general sponsor is the Audiovisual Center of Republika Srpska, with support from the cities of Istočno Sarajevo and Zvornik and the municipalities of Istočno Novo Sarajevo and Istočna Ilidža.

The festival's media sponsor is the Media System of Republika Srpska - SRNA.