How the 8th STIFF was built – people, films, program

Less than 14 days and the 8th edition of the Student International Film Festival – STIFF begins. With patience and curiosity our selectors Sendi Bakotić, Marta Ban, and artistic director Maša Drndić have spent the year shaping our program, focusing on the body. Between 743 submitted films they have chosen 38 short and medium-length achievements from all over the world, competing in the categories for best fiction, documentary, and animated film, as well as for the audience choice award. Some of these films will be presented and talked about by the authors themselves throughout different supporting activities during festival days.

Films competing and films out of competition will be screened in Rijeka’s Art-kino cinema from 4th to 7th November in the form of 10 curated program slots: I: THUNDERS, II: AMNESIA, III: GLITCH, IV: SPRINT (children program), V: LITTLE CHANCES, VI: STRETCHING, VII: STROBE LIGHT, VIII: SHIFTING, IX: TRACES and  X: LOOPS.

We will have a chance to see 15 student and debutant films in the fiction category:
Matadoras, Sophia Moccorea (program Stretching, 6.11., 18:00); Thus Began Antoine’s Down-going, Paul Rigoux (program Glitch, 5.11., 20:00); To The Stars, Štefánia Lovasová (program Shifting, 7.11., 17:00); The Best Orchestra In The World, Henning Backhaus (program Little Chances, 6.11., 16:00); In The Woods, Sara Grgurić (program Stretching, 6.11., 18:00); Monday, Bergur Árnason ( Little Chances, 6.11., 16:00); Dogwatch, Albin Wildner (program Shifting, 7.11., 17:00); Things Like, Kálmán Nagy (program Traces, 7.11., 18:30); Days Lost, Jovana Avramovic (Strobelight, 6.11., 20:00); Tropicana, Francesco Romano (Loops, 7.11., 20:00); Dustin, Naïla Guiguet (Strobelight, 6.11., 20:00); Stephanie, Leonardo van Dijl ( Sprint, 6.11., 14:00); Letters, Bojan Radanović ( Amnesia, 5.11., 18:00); Get Tough, Teresa Väli (Sprint, 6.11., 14:00); Then Comes The Evening, Maja Novaković (Thunders, 4.11., 19:00).

In the animation category 12 films will be competing:
My FishDad And I, Yael Gelber (program Shifting, 7.11., 17:00); Pursuit, Jiang, Zhen-Sun (Sprint, 6.11., 14:00); Love Is Just A Death Away, Bára Anna Stejskalová (Loops, 7.11., 20:00); Just A Guy, Shoko Hara ( Glitch, 5.11., 20:00); Saint Android, Lukas von Berg ( Stretching, 6.11., 18:00); Sommerregen, Julia Skala, Oscar Jacobson (Traces, 7.11., 18:30); Mmm..Cat, Yongxin Wang (Traces, 7.11., 18:30); P, Felicitas Knoche, Clarissa Langer, Felix Müller ( Strobelight, 6.11., 20:00); Peel, Samuel Patthey, Silvain Monney (Little Chances, 6.11., 16:00); Arka, Natko Stipaničev. (Glitch, 5.11., 20:00); Cockpera, Kata Gugić (Thunders, 4.11., 19:00); The Tower, Sunčana Brkulj (Amnesia, 5.11., 18:00)

In the documentary competition we will see 11 films:
Now I Am Irena, Jasmina Beširević (program Traces, 7.11., 18:30); Between Summers, Anja Koprivšek (Strobelight, 6.11., 20:00); Cornelian Cherries, Nikola Stojanovic (Loops, 7.11., 20:00); Deepfake Therapy, Roshan Nejal (Glitch, 5.11., 20:00); Home, Smadar Epstein Palgi (Shifting, 7.11., 17:00); Turkish Riviera, Senem Göçmen (Amnesia, 5.11., 18:00); The Disappearance Of Tom R., Paul Sirague (Traces, 7.11., 18:30); No Crying At The Dinner Table, Carol Nguyen (Stretching, 6.11., 18:00); Open Your Mouth, Tamara Mamon (Thunders, 4.11., 19:00), (children’s program Sprint, 6.11., 14:00); Mathilde And The Love Room, Chantal Limoges. (Little Chances, 6.11., 16:00); An Ocean, Paul Scheufler. (Amnesia, 5.11., 18:00).

Members of the STIFF jury will have the demanding task of choosing the best from each category. The jury is divided into three teams consisting of three members: one director whose film was screened at STIFF in previous years, one film professional, and one student. This structure wants to allow for the students to learn from professionals and for regional authors to connect with international filmmakers, encouraging future collaborations. This year’s jury for fiction film is Sanjin Stanić, Tomislav Šoban, and Matija Zanoškar; for documentary film: Goran Dević, Bela Bračko-Milešević, and Sara Huskić; and for animated film:Ivana Pipal, Auden Lincoln-Vogel, and Ana Klepo.

Besides choosing the best of each, the jury can also award a special mention to a film standing out in the field of directing, cinematography, editing, music, or design, and the audience participates by giving out an Audience choice award.

Following our film program is the supporting program STITCHES – discussions with the authors in the cinema foyer opening up different themes and perspectives: Round And Round We Go gathers Croatian animators, Touches focuses on intimate relationships in film, and Between Glances is dedicated to documentary filmmaking and the relationship of directors with their protagonists.

And once again STIFF will proudly present the international exhibition In Transmission curated by Elena Apostolovski that will have an opening on Friday, 5th of November in the Gallery SKC (Palach, Kružna street) at 21:30h.

See you there!