Bruno Pavić's documentary 'Early Saturday Morning' arrives before domestic audiences in competition for the Golden Barge award after its international premiere at the Ischia Global Film Festival.
The documentary "Early Saturday Morning" by director Bruno Pavić has been selected for the main program of the jubilee 20th edition of the Vukovar Film Festival. The festival will take place in Vukovar from September 2 to 5, and Pavić's film, supported by the association In the Name of the Family, will compete in the documentary category.
Audiences will be able to watch a total of eleven films from eight countries in this category. This is the first screening of the film before Croatian audiences after its international premiere in June this year at the prestigious Ischia Global Film Festival in Italy.
"Early Saturday Morning" is a feature-length documentary that depicts the public recitation of the rosary on Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb and the protest held simultaneously against it. Pavić captures the event using an observational method, portraying the opposing sides without taking a direct stance, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions.
The director emphasizes that he wanted to approach the subject impartially and without bias, in the way he believes the media should report. Pavić wrote, directed, and produced the film, and this is his second documentary with an observational approach, following "Zero Landscape," which won the Dokumetar award for best Croatian documentary in 2021.
At the Ischia Global Film Festival, Pavić's film was included in the "Docu is Beautiful" category, among only about ten feature-length documentaries out of a total of 185 selected titles from 1,400 submissions. Now it will also be presented to domestic audiences as part of the official documentary competition at the jubilee Vukovar Film Festival.
This year, the festival offers over 50 film titles, and films compete for the Golden Barge award in four categories: feature-length fiction, short fiction, documentary, and animated. Participating directors this year include Paweł Pawlikowski, Ildikó Enyedi, Agnieszka Holland, Sergei Loznitsa, Ruben Östlund, and Andrei Zvyagintsev.
Screenings will take place at four locations: in the park and hall of Eltz Castle, the Croatian Home Vukovar, and the Vukovar Water Tower. In addition to the film program, organizers have prepared additional activities, such as guest appearances from festivals in Sarajevo and Orašje, a children's program, and a concert by Boris Novković.
The festival is led by director Darko Puharić, and the artistic director is Croatian actor Dragan Despot. The City of Vukovar is the main patron and organizer, while co-organizers include the Vukovar City Museum, Croatian Home Vukovar, Vukovar Water Tower, and the Vukovar Tourist Board.
