Presskit - Filmförderpreis der Robert Bosch Stiftung für

Amor Fati
Short film 35mm 15.50min
press information
L og lin e
After the tragic death of his young bride, Nenad travels to Montenegro with his father-in-law
to her funeral and faces a different approach to life, where fate weighs more than guilt.
Dire c to r’s s ta te me nt
Amor Fati is a parable about a culture-clash, about the harsh contrast between “the Balkans“’
way of surrendering to fate and living in the moment and the western sense of personal
responsibility and its tendency to asign guilt. A conflict I grew up with and couldn´t come up
with easy solutions for. However, telling a story about it seemed to be a step into the right
direction.
S yn op s is
"What happened happened. You can’t change destiny. “
What did Branko just say there? Those are the first words Nenad hears from him since the
night of the tragic car accident. The accident that cost his bride’s life, the accident caused by
Branko, the bride’s father.
Branko is a Montenegrin, who came to Germany years ago to work. A loud and proud man of
traditional Balkan backgrounds. Nenad himself is also from Montenegro by origin, but he is the
son of a foreign worker, as a member of the so-called second generation of foreigners he was
born and grew up in Germany. At first he sees Branko as the Representation of the rough but
lively, emotional Balkans. Brankos daughter Sanja therefore is not only Nenads big love, she
also means identity to him.
With Sanja’s sudden death however, Nenad finds himself confronted with a side of the Balkans
he can’t identify himself with. Branko claims destiny to be the cause of his daughter’s death. At
the funeral in the Montenegrin mountains Nenad is faced with the whole family accusing fate
rather than Branko.
To Nenad’s eyes the funeral ceremony appears to be an unbearable theatrical farce. The loud
shouts of grief, the monotone songs of sorrow; but above all the guilty one himself giving this
boastingly grieving performance of wanting to jump into his daughter’s grave out of sorrow
and despair for his lost and only one. In Nenad’s understanding of sorrow, guilt and
responsibility this behavior is not tolerable. In a sudden reaction of anger he challenges
Branko to go on and jump then! With this he interrupts the ceremony for a split second, but
Branko truly jumps.
On their way back to Germany there is nothing but cold silence between them. Claiming to be
taking the short cut Branko navigates the two with their little car onto snowier and snowier
serpentine roads, until eventually the path becomes impassable. The car starts skidding,
dangerously getting closer and closer to the deep abyss in the Montenegrin mountains. They
have to repeatedly push the car back onto the safe middle of the road.
Branko finally gets himself into an inescapable situation and Nenad suddenly seems to have
Branko’s life on the palm of his hand. He challenges destiny to force him a confession of his
guilt.
De nn is Tod o rov ic – F ilm og raph y
2009
Saša / Sasha (working title), feature film in preproduction – writer and director
Berlinale Script Station 2008
special mention at „KölnFilm2007“ script competition
literature scholarship by art foundation Kunststiftung Baden Württemberg 2008
preproduction and production supported by filmstiftung NRW
production support by the ministry of Culture and Media (BKM)
production support by foundation Stiftung Kuratorium junger deutscher Film
2008
with producer Ewa Borowski, founder of production company
eastart pictures Ewa Borowski & Dennis Todorovic GbR
www.eastart.de
2008
Nefes al Alma, nefes al! / Breathe Alma breathe!
short film 15 min, treatment and director
a film about child marriage for Flying Broom Ankara and
Internationales Frauenfilmfestival Dortmund / Köln
Financed by the EU Commission delegation to Turkey
Premiered in Ankara October 2008
since 2006 Amselfeld, Field of Blackbirds, feature film in development - director,
Berlinale Talent Highlight Award 2008
IFP NoBorders Market New York 2008
participated at EKRAN, Andrzej Wajda Master School
script funding by Filmstiftung NRW
Warsaw 2007
since 2005 Ludmila, Documentary in production, writer, director and producer
2006
Kick it like Zombies, 13min, director
based on the winning screenplay of a children’s script competition
by KameraKinderKöln gGmbH and the city of Cologne, TV-broadcaster WDR 2006
2005
Amor Fati 16 min – director and co-writer
Promotional Prize for Joint Film Productions by Young German and Eastern
and South Eastern European Filmmakers 2005 Robert Bosch Stiftung
official selection Pardi Di Domani Locarno 2006, as well as more than 30
festivals worldwide, i.e. Tel Aviv, Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Kerala, Oldenburg, Lodz,
Montpellier, Geneve, Munich, Rome
First Steps Awards nomination 2006 Berlin best short film
audience award, national competition Filmfest Dresden 2007
TV-broadcasters 2006 PBS USA and 2007 arte
2002-05
Zweiter Frühling (director) 16 min
Kiste! (Box!) 3 min, writer and co-director Tutor: Barbara Albert
Jenny und Klaus (director) 7 min
M a in Ca s t
Pedja Bjelac as Branko
Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
dir. Andrew Adamson
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
dir. Mike Newell
Children Of Dune (2003) (TV)
dir. Greg Yaitanes
Warriors (1999) (TV)
dir. Peter Kosminsky
Branko Tomovic as Nenad
It’s a free world (2007)
dir. Ken Loach
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
dir. Paul Greengrass
Remote Control (2001)
dir. Ivan Zivkovic
Sandra Kouba as Sanja
"puck 2005"
young actor´s award, chosen by the theatre
association Cologne (Theatergemeinde Köln)
Crewlist
Written by
Dennis Todorovic
Melanie Andernach
Driected by
Dennis Todorovic
Produced by
Melanie Andernach
Director of
Photography
Andreas Köhler
Editor
Martina Pille
Sound Designer
Peter Aufderhaar
Production Design
Daniel Chour
Costume Design
Diana Güven
Ramona Petersen
Make-up
Visnja Karaulic
Sarah Wirtz
Gabriela Haydn
Music
Schäl Sick Brass Band
(Raimund Kroboth)
and Ivanka Ivanova
Production managers
Olivera Ljubinkovic
Elmar Harting
Festivals, Awards and Nominations
The project “Amor Fati” is the winner of the 2004 Promotional Prize for Joint Film Productions by
young German and Eastern / South Eastern European filmmakers in the category short film –
funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, in cooperation with filmbüro Baden-Württemberg in
Stuttgart, Germany.
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Festival Internazionale del Film Locarno Pardi di Domani
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Filmfest Dresden, Germany 2006 audience award
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FirstSteps Awards Berlin 2006 nomination best shortfilm
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GoEast, Wiesbaden, Germany 2006 opening film
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Studentefilmfest Sehsüchte, Potsdam 2005 nomin. best production
§
International Student Film Festival, Tel-Aviv, Israel 2006
§
Camerimage Lodz, Poland 2005
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Festival ARCIPELAGO, Rome, Italy 2006
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Cinemajove festival Valencia, Spain 2006
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Filmets Badelona, Spain 2006
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International Festival of Film Schools, Munich, Germany 2006
§
European Film School Festival Vilnius Film Shorts, Lithuania 2006
§
Kerala Film Festival, India 2006
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Festival du cinema mediteranéen, Montpellier, France 2006
§
Cinema out Ecran, Geneva, Switzerland 2006
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International festival Tirana, Albania 2006
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Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg, Germany 2006
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International student Film Festival Belgrade, Serbia 2006
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International TV Festival Bar, Montenegro 2006
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Grenzland Filmtage, Selb, Germany 2006
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Cologne Conference, Germany 2006
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exGround Festival Wiesbaden, Germany 2006
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Flickerfest Sydney, Australia 2007
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Bamberger Kurzfilmtage, Germany 2007
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Kurzfilmfestival Landshut, Germany 2007
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Europäische Kurzfilmbiennale Ludwigsburg, Germany 2007
§
international family film festival Seoul, South Korea 2007
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Napoli Film festival 2008
§
Licence sales to “The Short List” PB USA, arte ZDF
Production – Data
PRODUCTION AND
CO-PRODUCTIONCOMPANIES
Amor Fati Filmproduktion
ifs internationale filmschule köln
FH Dortmund
(university of applied sciences)
SHOOTING LOCATIONS
Cologne, Germany
Niksic and Povije, Montenegro
YEAR OF PRODUCTION
2005
FORMATE
35mm
SOUND
Dolby Digital 5.1
DURATION
15.50 min
1:1.85