06/11/2018 - The Slovenian director's new film about two estranged half-sisters forced to live together is being supported by RE-ACT and Creative Europe

Actresses Urša Menart and Liza Marija Grašič during the shoot for Half-Sister

One of Slovenia's most highly acclaimed filmmakers, Damjan Kozole (Nightlife [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Damjan Kozole
film profile]), started shooting his new movie, Half-Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Damjan Kozole
film profile], in Ljubljana last week.

The screenplay, penned by Kozole, Urša Menart and Kozole's regular writer, Croatia's Ognjen Sviličić, focuses on two estranged half-sisters from the small coastal town of Izola, whom circumstances force to live together in a small apartment in Ljubljana. About one-third of the planned 32 shooting days will take place in Izola.

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The film stars Menart and Liza Marija Grašič, as well as Peter Musevski, Jurij Drevenšek, Damjana Černe, Anja Novak and Macedonian star Labina Mitevska, while the crew consists of Kozole's regular collaborators: Serbian DoP Miladin Čolaković, production designer Neža Zinajić, costume designer Katja Hrobat, make-up designer Mojca Gorogranc Petrushevska, AD Irena Gatej and editor Jurij Moškon.

During development and financing, the project received the RE-ACT Award (see the news) and the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award at Sarajevo's CineLink (read our interview with Kozole). The film was also supported by the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe. 

"This is a film about people who do not know how to communicate," says Kozole. "It is a critical but simultaneously an understanding outlook on life, characterised by family patterns, uncertain feelings, chauvinism, feelings of existential loss, lack of adherence and, last but not least, feelings of guilt because of actions that we have not committed ourselves. I see Half-Sister as a film of emotional tension on one hand, while on the other hand, it is full of dramatic spontaneity and moments of human folly, humour and fortune. We live in dangerous times in which lunatics and psychopaths prosper – and therefore all that we have left is compassion. That and humour." 

Half-Sister is a co-production by Slovenia's Vertigo and national broadcaster RTV Slovenija, Macedonia's Sisters and Brother Mitevski, Serbia's Baš Čelik and Croatia's Propeler Film. The movie was co-financed by the Slovenian Film Centre, Film Center Serbia and the Macedonian Film Agency, while Viba Film Studio is partaking in the production as well.