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Press Conference July 21st, 2025

21.07.2025.

32nd European Film Festival Palić – Report from the Press Conference on Day 3 of the Festival

Svetozar Cvetković: The Aleksandar Lifka Award is a key recognition for anyone in this line of work

At the press conference held on the third day of the 32nd European Film Festival Palić, on Monday, July 21, the following guests spoke at the Grand Terrace: Svetozar Cvetković, recipient of the Aleksandar Lifka Award in the category of domestic creators; Sergei Loznitsa, director of "Two Prosecutors" and recipient of the Lifka Award in the category of foreign creators; Čejen Černić Čanak, director of "Sandbag Dam"; the crew of the film "Sun Never Again" – director David Jovanović, editor Branislava Stefanović, and costume designer Jana Zaharijević; Aleksandra Gavrik, author of the exhibition and short film "The Power of Love: Vlastimir Gavrik"; and Csilla Nemet, manager of the 2B Project “Be Aware of the Problem – Be Part of the Solution”.

Speaking about the many greats of domestic and European cinema who had received the Aleksandar Lifka Award before him, Svetozar Cvetković said: "The great respect I feel for all those people has turned into a great responsibility. Over all these years since the award has been presented, it has always seemed to me like a key recognition for anyone in this profession – an accolade that is difficult to attain." Cvetković also spoke about his work with renowned directors from the region: "My relationships with Dušan Makavejev, Žika Pavlović, Miša Radivojević, Đorđe Kadijević, and of course the Prague School – where I worked with Goran Marković and Goran Paskaljević – were marked by deep respect. I can only compare that feeling to reverence for a deity in our line of work.”

Having already spoken about the Lifka Award the previous day, Sergei Loznitsa turned his attention to his latest film "Two Prosecutors", which had screened the previous evening in the festival’s Official Selection. Reflecting on the historical events depicted in the film, set in 1937 during Stalin's purges, and today’s events, Loznitsa remarked: " Eighty years have passed, and we still haven’t learned anything. We haven’t drawn any conclusions or reacted properly. This is very strange to me. I previously made a film about the bombings of the Second World War, and we saw the same things happening – now in Ukraine, Syria, Israel. around the world are using the same methods to destroy human life. This has happened before, and we should have found other solutions by now, but that is not the case."

Čejen Černić Čanak, director of "Sandbag Dam", explained the symbolism behind the film’s title: "These are sandbags used as the first line of defense against floods, placed along riverbanks and around houses. Water, and the struggle to contain it, is a strong metaphor in our film – just as water always finds a way, so do feelings." Speaking about the theme of the film, i.e. the discovery of mutual love between two young men, she added: "The theme of coming out has been explored frequently in recent world cinema, but when I started auditions and saw the reactions of young people, it became clear to me that this film is still very much needed."

David Jovanović, director of "Sun Never Again", which was shown the previous day as part of the FAFA project joint selection at the Abazija Cinema, spoke about the film’s origins: "The initial idea was to make it as a second-year student project, inspired by the song Ballad of Hollis Brown by David Lynch, about a cruel world where people battle against dark, unexplained forces. While studying, I shot a short documentary in Bosnia, where my grandmother lived at the time, in a mining village. That's when I realized those dark forces from the song actually exist in the mining village. So, we set the whole story there."

Aleksandra Gavrik presented the exhibition "The Power of Love: Vlastimir Gavrik" and the accompanying short film of the same title, both dedicated to the acclaimed film and television set designer. These were shown at the Open University of Subotica and the Eurocinema as part of the festival's accompanying program. "The film was my superhuman effort to document his work and art, so it would be preserved for younger generations,” Gavrik said. “So that they would know who the man was that shaped Yugoslav cinema, the only winner of an American Oscar, and the founder of the Academy of Film Arts and Sciences."

Finally, Csilla Nemet presented the 2B project “Be Aware of the Problem – Be Part of the Solution”, implemented by the Open University of Subotica with two partners from Hungary, aimed at raising public awareness about the causes and consequences of climate change.

On the fourth day of the festival, Tuesday, July 22, at the Summer Stage in Palić, "Little Trouble Girls" by Urška Đukić will be screened in the Official Selection at 9 p.m., followed by "Quiet Life" by Alexandros Avranas at 11 p.m. The Parallels and Encounters competition program will feature “Honeymoon” by Zhanna Ozirna and “Eighty Plus” by Želimir Žilnik, both screening at the Abazija Cinema.

The European Film Festival Palić has been supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, the City of Subotica, the European Union through the Creative Europe MEDIA program, as well as numerous partners and media sponsors.

For 29 years, Gorki List has proudly stood alongside the European Film Festival Palić as a long-term partner and supporter of film art that inspires and connects. Believing in the power of authentic expression and meaningful dialogue with audiences, Gorki List will once again, in keeping with tradition, present the Audience Award for Best Film. By listening to the voices of the viewers, Gorki List affirms their role as essential allies of art, which lives on through those who truly appreciate and understand it.