Gregor Božič

The FIPRESCI Film Critic Award 2025 goes to a film that focuses on caring for trees and highlights the intergenerational responsibility for the climate breakdown. Also, on the dramaturgical level the vegetables create a visual bridge between science fiction and documentary. A dystopian view filled with a feeling of loss and melancholia introduces us to a place of refuge where we can hope for repair. Here the documentary elements are put at a distance through the analysis of images. The cinematic immersion, enhanced by impressive photography and elaborate framing, leaves room for a reflection about an urgent “common fear” to which anyone can feel connected, and probably re-connected with nature.

Serbian: Obična kruška” ističe se kao kompleksna dokufikcija, koja se hvata u koštac sa klimatskom krizom. Odluka da se posmatranje naše oslabljene veze sa zemljom predstavi iz perspektive budućnosti ujedno je i upečatljiva i dirljiva, budući da podvlači važnost klimatskog delovanja i vrednost drevnog znanja. Sa svedenim, ali evokativnim vizuelnim rešenjima, izvanrednom fotografijom i scenografijom, ovaj konceptualno složen film poziva gledaoce da se zapitaju o onome šta gubimo kada presečemo vezu sa prirodom. Film Gregora Božiča je poetična i pravovremena refleksija na teme održivosti, nasleđa i povezanosti ljudi i prirode.

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.

A new generation is awakening in an environment where one cannot survive. They use the archive to study the recent past to achieve knowledge from the previous generations. Voices from the past lead us to a poetic exploration of nature threatened by the climate catastrophe. A near-future fiction film about the loss of nature and how to navigate this reality.

In Nebojša Slijepčević’s short film The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, Gregor Božič showed how powerful a means of expression one small camera movement can be and how big a film one can make in a small space.

Utemeljitev nagrade: »Navdušil nas je nadzor Gregorja Božiča nad vsemi vidiki Zgodb iz kostanjevih gozdov; s toplo fotografijo, pa tudi s hipnotičnimi zvočnimi posnetki, ki nas potegnejo v atmosferski, zavajajoči svet filma, na meji med fikcijo in resničnostjo, sanjami in spominom. Duh vsakega lika oživi z uvedbo nadrealističnih elementov. Slovenski režiser kaže redko sposobnost konstruiranja kadrov in narativnih struktur, ki dosledno zapeljujejo občinstvo. Redkokdo ima oko za vsakdanjo, a presenetljivo lepoto preprostih stvari, kot je igra med starci, starodavni gozd, osamljena hiša ali mlade ženske, ki pojejo in plešejo. Vsi smo v pričakovanju, da vidimo, kaj bo ta mladi režiser pokazal v prihodnje.«

International competition.

Feature film competition.

Redki filmi so tako precizni, premišljeni in poglobljeni ter v takšnem soglasju vseh kreativnih elementov, kot so Zgodbe iz kostanjevih gozdov, celovečerni prvenec Gregorja Božiča. S samosvojo poetiko in izvirnimi rešitvami mu uspe, da nas s filmskimi izraznimi sredstvi presenetljive avtorske in obrtne zrelosti popelje na čarobno popotovanje v svet kostanjevih gozdov.

Nagrada IRIDIUM v vrednosti 5.000 EUR za postprodukcijske storitve se podeli avtorju prvenca.

Gregor Božič je v kreativnem montažnem procesu s Beppejem Leonettijem in Benjaminom Mirguetom našel sozvočje vseh elementov filmskega jezika in jih preko preskokov v času ter nevidnih prehajanj med resničnim in nadnaravnim svetom, prepletanjem spominov in sanj povezal v čarobno filmsko pravljico.

Osupljiva filmska stvaritev z izjemno vizualno komponento in zaokroženostjo, ki v svojih številnih kvalitetah močno presega običajni okvir nacionalne kinematografije. Vsi elementi filmskega jezika v tej dodelani mojstrovini so uporabljeni premišljeno in subtilno, kar gledalcu omogoči izjemno emotivno in estetsko doživetje. Prepričani smo, da je ta film znanilec pomembne prelomnice za slovensko kinematografijo.

When East Meets West and Trieste Film Festival are proud to present This is IT, a competition exclusively dedicated to long feature fiction films and hybrid works with a strong visual and artistic approach produced or co-produced by Italian producers.

The main purpose is to create a unique showcase of high quality Italian independent cinema where selected teams have the chance to present their works and screen their films to an exclusive panel of more than 30 international sales agents, festival programmers and buyers.

An international jury delivers a special in kind prize of the value of approximately 10.000 EUR.
Thanks to the partnership with Milano Film Network (MFN), all films submitted to “L’Atelier MFN” and to “This is IT” will be shared and considered by both selection committees. The main goal is to offer a dual opportunity to all Italian producers, fostering their chances to attract distribution partners on a national and international level.

ŠUOLNI IZ TRSTA je skrbno premišljena in domišljena miniatura, ki temelji po eni strani na etnologiji in po drugi strani na skrbno izrisanem socialnem okolju, v katerem so vsi liki prepričljivi in del tako socialnega kot naravnega okolja. Čeprav je film nastal (deloma) kot študentski, je v njem prikazanega ogromno profesionalnega vedenja in tehtnih ustvarjalnih premislekov.

Italian: Con uno stile in perfetto equilibrio tra documentario e finzione, da un semplice spaccato di vita quotidiana che mette a confronto due generazioni racconta dal punto di vista del protagonista le conseguenze di una trasformazione repentina che ha portato un paese a cancellare la propria identità e la propria memoria per proiettarsi verso una modernità priva di valori.

Award for the best depiction of national reality.

For the way it synthesizes the shock between two Slovenian generations.

Iris 2019 V celovečernem filmu.