This week in our Four River Friday section, we bring you an interview with Dorian Vicić. Dorian’s film A Farewell Party won the award for best documentary at last year’s Youth Film Festival.
A Farewell Party is about a high school senior called Dorian, who is forced to stay in his apartment for at least two weeks because of the coronavirus epidemic. Due to various circumstances, measures against the epidemiological crisis are extended indefinitely, and this year’s graduates become a very special group. Dorian, who will soon become a university student, as well as his closest friends, realizes this. At least he hopes to become a student.
The author studies acting and puppetry at the Academy of Arts in Osijek, where, as he says, fun and creative work never end. Check out his opinion on last year’s Youth Film Festival, what he’s preparing for us this year, and find out how to make a film about pants!
Follow the conversations with other young filmmakers every Friday in our Four River Friday section.
1. How did your love of film start?
I can’t pinpoint the exact time of falling in love with film. I think it’s closely related to my original high school ambition for acting. When you enter that world, doors open on their own and every day you encounter new things that start to interest you. I dare say that I am a creative person, so I decided to try and film something. I was probably frustrated and angry with the potentially good films that turned out badly, so I ambitiously thought I knew better and started filming.
2. What was it like for you to participate in last year’s online Youth Film Festival and how do you manage to organize film shoots during the pandemic?
Participating in last year’s online Festival was especially interesting to me because it was also my first participation in the Festival. Moreover, I got an award in the end, so I can’t say anything negative about my first experience. What definitely spoiled the festival’s effect was the fact that it was online. I would really like to sit down with all these creators and talk, get into unnecessary discussions, exchange ideas and the like. There really are a lot of talented filmmakers in Croatia. As for film shoots, I study acting and puppetry at the Academy of Arts in Osijek, and there are always film shoots in progress there. Fun and creative work never stop at our Academy. No pandemic can stop us.
3. How do you choose ideas for your films?
Ideas for films are always there. I don’t have to look for them. They appear during lunch, in class, in the shower, while I’m sleeping … even if I decide to look for them, it’s enough for me to look around. I take something simple and examine it until it becomes weird, funny, tense, scary, etc. For example, the pants I’m currently wearing have six pockets. Why on earth six? Who carries that many things that they have to fill six pockets? Even if I did that, my pants would fall from the weight. What if every object that has a certain function had to satisfy it at all times? Let’s say, if I want to put these pants back on, I have to fill my pockets first and carry things in them for it to work … And the same goes for all the other things around us. I already see countless funny situations that something can come out of, and I only invested 15 seconds into thinking about pants.
4. How are your films coming along this year? Are you still a member of Blank (a film association located in Zagreb) and do you have any inside info on how many of your applications we can expect at the Youth Film Festival this year?
We are not in contact at the moment because of my university obligations, but I definitely plan on contacting the team and working on future projects until the upcoming Festival. As far as I know, the Blank team works hard and there are more and more of them every day. The situation with online workshops at Blank has really encouraged young people and created the possibility for people all over Croatia to network and make films together, which is, in my opinion, a genius thing for all those who are interested. I don’t want to say anything ahead of time, but I believe there certainly will be applications. Of course, mine among them.
