Fiume o morte!

By using various registers of style – from surrealism and irony to humour and ingenuity, skilfully linking fiction and documentary with directing that controls the wealth of material from the first moment to the end and accurately shapes the rhythm and tone of the film, Igor Bezinović has made a playful film that entertains, questions, and eludes expectations all at once.

Izrazno izviren, zgodovinsko zanimiv in politično aktualen film Fiume o Morte! Igorja Bezinovića predstavlja svež in izjemno avtentičen ustvarjalni vzlet dokumentarnega filma v širši regiji.

We were impressed by the film’s playful use of archival footage and reenactment to shed light on a too-little-known episode of European history. Whilst full of dry, self-reflexive humour, the film manages to use its creative exploration of history to provide in-depth commentary on worrying contemporary political developments, specifically the rise of the global far-right. We applaud the film’s effortless combination of experimentation and accessibility – not least due to its excellent editing – which serves to convey a timely warning against the formation of authoritarianism.

Montenegrin: Živimo u vremenu koje nas svakodnevno podsjeća na opasnosti prošlosti. Ideologije za koje smo vjerovali da su poražene – poput fašizma – vraćaju se, perfidnije i maskirane savremenim jezikom, ali i dalje razorne. U trenutku kada gledamo rat u Ukrajini, genocid u Gazi i nove sukobe širom svijeta, film Fiume o Morte dolazi kao snažno upozorenje. Kroz priču o fašističkoj vladavini Gabrijela D’Anuncija u Rijeci, reditelj Igor Bezinović nas vraća u period između dva rata i pokazuje kako moć, kada nije obuzdana zakonom ni moralom, ostavlja duboke ožiljke na društvu. Ovo nije samo film o prošlosti. Fiume o Morte je hrabar autorski komentar, pun ironije, zasnovan na manje poznatoj arhivi i preciznom uvidu u današnji trenutak. Bezinović ne izbjegava teške teme – on razotkriva mitove i suočava se s revizionizmom u savremenoj Hrvatskoj.

This is a film where people and public spaces are used as co-conspirators in exploring the past through the prism of contemporary Europe. At times of the rise of ultra-nationalism within a contemporary European context, the film playfully grapples with the past not as a closed chapter, but as a living reality. Unless we engage the past as a living present it will insist in ways that are not only a warning for the future, but threaten the very possibility of equitable co-existence and a life livable for not only those that have recourse to assert power. The film’s clash of staged reconstruction with real life refreshingly sheds light on the way history is continually present rather than preserved in aspic. While it is a playful and mischievous film, it presents a mirror to our present day.

Recourse to ultra nationalism, and even fascism, resides in the core of national identity, it is already inside of us as a form of knowledge we should be afraid to forget, and continuously need to process in order to forgo its grip. It is a reality we remember from movies, literature, billboards and books. These are memories that travel as far as the history of a nation. So we need to make history anew, again and again, to not only unforget, but beget the world we wish there was, for all of us.

With the invaluable help of the Slovenian director of photography Gregor Božič, Croatian filmmaker Igor Bezinović made an utterly unique film about a brutal, bizarre event from the post-WWI era. An astounding combination of archive material and recreations, this is a living, breathing film that brings history to life in a way very few films have managed.

The director of photography, Gregor Božič, evocatively and flawlessly intertwines the light and shadow of the past and present, two periods separated by more than a century. His cinematography in the present revives feelings of past events and political traumas.

By bringing together the past and the present and placing historical elements in contemporary spaces, the production design in Fiume o morte! creates a humorous and absurd contrast that makes the film richer in therms of visuals and meaning.

By turning the citizens of Rijeka into historic figures, the make-up in the film Fiume o morte! simultaneously evokes the historic episode and serves as an instrument of irony, becoming one of the key elements creating the original world of this hybrid documentary film.

The dedication of the production of Fiume o morte! supported the demanding directorial concept and carried the huge endeavour of merging the past and the present, massive scenes, non-professional actors, and costumed action, allowing for a unique cinematic achievement.

The costumes in the film Fiume o morte! paint the historical period on the one hand, and on the other hand, give the film a layer of irony, as well as critical commentary with their occasional deliberate and humorous awkwardness.

The casting for Fiume o morte! brilliantly brings together fiction and reality, turning the casting process itself into the key dramatic element of the film. By including the citizens of Rijeka and employing an autoironic approach, the cast becomes the extension of the directorial idea, providing the film with complexity and wit.

When East Meets West and Trieste Film Festival are proud to present the second edition of This is IT, a competition exclusively dedicated to long feature fiction films hybrid works with a strong visual and artistic approach produced or co-produced by Italian producers. Selected teams will have the chance to present their works and screen 10′ of their films to an exclusive panel of more than 30 international sales agents, festival programmers and buyers. This is IT will select up to 5 long feature fiction films and an international jury will deliver the LASER FILM Award, a special in kind prize consisting in the colour grading of one film (40 hours of work, technician included) of the value of approximately 10.000 EUR

“Fiume o morte” – 6.000 EUR Festival