The 2024 Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czechia begins in a few weeks and this is one of the films premiering there in the main competition. Celebration is a Croatian drama marking the feature directorial debut of Croatian filmmaker Bruno Anković, telling of a tumultuous time in the history of this small, mountainous country in Southeastern Europe. A young Croatian villager’s innocence is shattered by the harsh realities of war, deprivation, and political turmoil between 1926 and 1945, leading him down a dark path. It’s a chilling look at how people end up seduced by right-wing ideologies. Starring Bernard Tomić, Krešimir Mikić, Klara Fiolić, Lars Štern, Jan Doležal, and Nedim Nezirović. This film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Damir Karakaš features wonderful shots of the landscape, it’s also a testimony of systemic brutality and demonstrates the reasons why innocent people become easy quarry for ideological crusaders. Sounds like a timely film that is will show how much of what happened then mirrors what’s happening now. // Continue Reading ›
