Zelmir Zilink, Filmmaker | 15.05.2007
"How road to 'safe haven' become 'road to uncertainty'?"
Zelmir Zilink, Filmmaker, Novi Sad
Di., 15.05.07, 19:00 h, M 13a
Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien, Schillerplatz 3, 1010 Wien
Im Rahmen der LV Raumordnung, Heidi Pretterhofer
With disappearance of state socialism, quite unexpectedly, "western free world" also disappeared for many. While former socialism and former capitalism compete - which one will turn back the wheel of restauration in more powerful and stronger manner, "communist capitalism" of China, South America and India became the world's biggest producer of goods.
With excerpts from Zilniks films: "Inventur" 1974, "Fortress Europe"
1989, "Kenedi Goes Back Home" , 2003 "Kenedi, Lost and Found" 2005
Zelimir Zilnik (born 1942, based in Novi Sad, Serbia) From the late 60s, his socially engaged films and documentaries in former Yugoslavia and his unique visual style earned him critical accolade (The Unemployed, 1968, Best Documentary at the Oberhausen festival, 1968; Early Works,1969, Best Film at Berlin Film Festival), but also censorship in the 70s for his unflinching criticism of the government apparatus. Low budget filmmaking and challenging political themes mark Zilnik’s prolific career that includes over 40 feature and documentary films and shorts. Since the 1980s, he has been developing his unique docu-drama language, which he used throughout 1990s to reflect on political tensions, including EU sanctions, the NATO bombings, and Milosevic’s regime. His power to observe and unleash compelling narratives out of the lives of ordinary people is the common thread throughout his documentary and docu-drama work, including 1994’s Tito's Second Time Amongst the Serbs. More recently, his focus has shifted beyond the divided Balkans to question its relationship with the tightening controls of European borders, delving into the heart of issues of refugees and migrants in Fortress Europe (2000), Kenedi Goes back Home (2003), Kenedi, Lost and Found (2005), and more recently, Europe Next Door (2006).