SLOVENIA, NORTH MACEDONIA, SERBIA

2019 – DCP – color – 105’

Direction: Damjan Kozole
Screenplay: Damjan Kozole, Urša Menart, Ognjen Svilicic
Cinematography: Miladin Colakovic
Editing: Jurij Moškon, Atanas Georgiev
Set design: Neža Zinajic
Costumes: Katja Hrobat
Cast: Urša Menart, Liza Marijina, Jurij Drevenšek, Peter Musevski, Anja Novak, Damjana Cerne, Labina Mitevska, Urška Hlebec
Producers: Danijel Hocevar, Labina Mitevska, Jelena Mitrovic
Production: Vertigo, Sisters and Brother Mitevski, Film House Baš Celik, RTV Slovenia in collaborazione con FS Viba lm

SYNOPSIS
Half-Sister is a story of two estranged half-sisters from costal town Izola who are, after many years of barely seeing each other, forced by circumstances to share a small apartment in Ljubljana.

DAMJAN KOZOLE

THE DIRECTOR:
Damjan Kozole (1964), who already participated in competition at Lecce in 2001 with Porno Film, is a Slovenian filmmaker whose directing credits include, among others, the critically-acclaimed Spare Parts (2003), worldwide released Slovenian Girl (2009) and Nightlife (2016), winner of Best Director Award at the 51st Karlovy Vary IFF. Spare Parts was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 53th Berlin IFF 2003 and in Sight & Sound ranked it in 2008 among Ten most important films of the New Europe. Kozole is also the respected author of many documentary films.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
“This film talks about people who are incapable of showing affection. The way we communicate with others always expresses our desires, fears and frustrations. When we do this in an arrogant, aggressive way, we are often concealing our own vulnerability. This is a film about two women who want nothing to do with each other and deny any similarity between them. At the end, though, they uncover what they are both refusing to understand.
A few years ago, I found myself in an unexpected situation, I had to confront with the possibility that there could be somebody who shares my blood of whom I wasn’t aware of. This confused and strange feeling sparked the story about two grumpy and stubborn, but good and vulnerable women, who barely know each other. They hate each other but, in reality, have no idea why.
I have always been fascinated by people who, because of their feelings or beliefs, are ready to let go of everything and start a new life from scratch. Sometimes things don’t always work out the way we had hoped or wanted.”

FILMOGRAPHY
1986 Usodni telefon
1988 Remington
1997 Stereotip
2000 Porno Film
2003 Rezervni deli (Spare Parts)
2004 Delo osvobaja (Labour Equals Freedom)
2008 Za vedno (Forever)
2009 Slovenka (Slovenian Girl)
2013 Ulay (Project Cancer, doc.)
2016 Borders (short doc.)
2016 Nocno zivljenje (Nightlife)
2019 Half-Sister

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
2019 Karlovy Vary IFF – Concorso Internazionale International Competition
2019 Jameson CineFest, Miskolc IFF – Lungometraggi Feature Films
2019 Slovenian FF: Miglior Attrice Protagonista a Best Actress in a Leading Role to Liza Marijina