Students of undergraduate and graduate studies in Transmedia Dramaturgy, Film, TV and Multimedia Design and Film and Television Directing and Production worked diligently on the films shown.
The award ceremony concluded the "VII. Student Film Review VERN' 2024", which took place in the Zagreb Cinematheque on May 27th and 28th, and featured this year's student production of short feature, documentary and experimental films. Students of undergraduate and graduate studies in Transmedia Dramaturgy , Film, TV and Multimedia Design , and Film and Television Directing and Production worked diligently on the films shown.
The best film according to the audience votes was the short film "Don't u Dare" by director Sara Kaluđerović and producer Frano Radičić . The film takes place in Zagreb and follows a group of four friends on a quest to solve their challenges during one night. Throughout the film, we are introduced to the four main characters, played by Lara Nekić , Josip Ledina , Tin Rožman and Stjepan Gašparić . In a newly designed game during an evening gathering, the characters receive challenges and their paths diverge.
"The filming itself lasted seven nights, the set was very demanding, fast-paced, with a huge number of locations and characters, which presented us with a serious challenge and a fight against time as well as weather conditions, because almost the entire film was shot in the rain. The crew was top-notch and we learned a lot from each other," said director Sara Kaluđerović.
The best film according to the jury, this year's Grand Prix , was won by the experimental film "We Are Now Me" , directed by Luka Buduljak and produced by Jane Janjić . The film tells the story of the universal growing up of a child, presented in a hyperbolic child's perspective. The plot follows Elio, who walks through a series of stylized situations, and the protagonist is Ela Petreković, who is joined by Lucia Luque Akrap , Andro Nekić , Adna Hebib , Emilija Sinjeri , Martin Hengel , David Šesto and Fran Hercog .
"It's a very unreal feeling. I immediately notified the director, who unfortunately couldn't be present. The entire team is very excited because we didn't expect to win, considering that the film is quite unconventional, but we were striving for originality and we believe that the director really put his soul into this film," said Jana Janjić after winning the main award.
When selecting the best, the expert jury explained that "this film breaks the conventionality of student film. Among the majority of classically structured feature films, this work is a bold step into a different cinematic storytelling. Using a diverse and symbolic approach, this director's concept is simultaneously strong in its reflection on cinematic expressiveness and synergy. With a poetic approach, it depicts the complexity and beauty of growing up, and with thoughtful visuals and brilliant set design, an environment is created that supports the narrative. Therefore, we decided to award the jury's award to the film 'We Are Now Me' directed by Luka Boduljak."
See the full photo gallery on VERN's Facebook page .
