>>> Night Boats (Croatia)
Danica certainly isn’t Juliet, and Jakov certainly isn’t Romeo, but everyone is against their love. So they run away. Danica is seventy five and Jakov is eighty.
It would have been unlikely for Jakov and Danica to meet anywhere else, other than in the old people’s home where they reside: she was a devoted family woman; he was an eternal wanderer and a jazz player on the big ocean liners. They used to be totally different, but now they are the same – two lonely people.
Their clandestine love blossoms. After they exchange words and memories, life is suddenly less bleak for them. They meet up secretly in the old people’s home, until one day Jakov is found in Danica’s bed and they are discovered and a huge scandal erupts. Danica’s son is beside himself. He immediately insists on moving Danica to another home, somewhere where she will be looked after properly.
And then one night Jakov and Danica run away. They set off towards the coast. Having spent his whole life on ships, the sea is the only place for Jakov. They are in search of Jakov’s son, who he has not seen for thirty years. Danica wants them to meet so Jakov can be at peace, and Jakov wants to escape from the old people’s home and his monotonous life. On their journey, they hide from the Police, steal a motorbike and serenade each other through a minefield, they enjoy a short-lived fairytale. Life is good, the weather is beautiful, the colours are clear and vivid, melancholic tunes are everywhere and they soak up all that life has to offer – but in the end reality has to be faced. Jakov’s health is getting worse, he is tired and lost. Danica has to make a choice: either to continue to live in this fairytale dream with Jakov, or betray him and take him back to the safety of the old people’s home. Should she take away his precious freedom, betray their romance…. but save his life?
It could have happened anywhere, but this bittersweet story is set in Croatia – in a place where it is felt that when people get old, life is over. Not for this couple though….
Elvis Bosnjak
Born in Split, 1971, where he was studying acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. After the Academy, 1993 he becomes a member of Croatian national Theater in Rijeka. With a group of actors he founds a new theater in Rijeka- HKD which becomes one of the most influential independent theaters in Croatia. In 1995 he returns to live and work in Split and joins Croatian National Theater- Split where he works as an actor up to the present day. As an actor he works on movies and television too. By the end of the nineties he starts to write for the theater. His first play- Father, was produced by CNT-Split by the end of 2000, and was followed by The River Takes Us in 2002, and Let's Go Jumping on Those Clouds in 2004. All his texts were directed by Nenni Delmestre and these productions received fifteen awards. For his text The River Takes us, he received the most important annual award "Vladimir Nazor" which was given to him by Ministry of Culture of Croatia, and the award for best drama in festival of national drama 13th. Days of Marulic. A year before, at the same festival, he also won the best drama award for his text Father. According to this drama Elvis Bosnjak wrote a screenplay for Stanislav Tomic movie. His play Let's Go Jumping on Those Clouds has been received with acclamation by the critics as well as the audience. Elvis Bošnjak has been regarded by Croatian critics and theoreticians, as one of the most important contemporary writers who fascinates with his volcanic writing and universal story telling which puts no boundaries for interpretational possibilities. This year he received "Marin Držić" award for his newest play "Wires and Razors"..
Igor Mirkovic
tv-journalist and film-maker, lives in Zagreb, Croatia.
He has been directing documentary films since 1998. Two of them were theatrically released and were significant box-office successes:
"Novo, novo vrijeme/Who Wants to Be a President?" (in cooperation with Rajko Grlić) - a documentary movie about the elections after the death of president Tuđman "Sretno dijete/Lucky Kid" musical documentary about punk-rock movement in communist Yugoslavia.
"Waste" is his first short feature.
In last fifteen years he has been produced numerous tv-magazines, he worked in newspapers and radio as well.
