World premiere of the debut feature film "Our Father" by the screenwriter and director Goran Stankovic, minority Montenegrin co-productions by female producers Marije Perovic, was held at the 50th anniversary Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as part of the "Discovery" program.
The film "Our Father" tells the story of Dejan (played by Montenegrin actor Vucic Perovic), a drug addict who finds refuge in a monastery commune in a remote part of Serbia. There, he is taken in by the charismatic and strict priest Branko (Boris Isaković), whose "healing" methods are becoming increasingly extreme. In addition to Perović and Isaković, the cast also includes Goran Markovic, Nut Cosic, Lazar Tasic, Bright Zalica, Tony Mihajlovski, Nenad Heraković and others.
Goran Stanković, the film's director, said after the world premiere: "The biggest impression of the screening was the silence after the film ended, a sign that the audience had strongly connected with the story. I am especially proud that "Variety" immediately afterwards, among more than 300 screened titles, included "Our Father" among the 20 best international films of the festival."
Actor Vucic Perovic said about his role in the film: "I prepared for the role in close consultation with the director, I watched numerous films and documentaries on a similar topic, I researched reports about the location and, what was especially important to me, I spoke with addiction experts. All of this helped me to experience the character from the inside and portray him as truthfully as possible."
TIFF is one of the most influential festivals of contemporary film, and through its "Discovery" selection, it has discovered many authors who have become leading names in world cinema, including Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Nolan, Maren Ade, Yorgos Lanthimos.
Variety magazine described the film as "a powerful drama about how faith and discipline can turn into control," highlighting its visual style, moral complexity, and compelling performances.
The script for the film "Our Father" is written by Goran Stankovic, Dejan Prcic, Ognjen Svilicic i Maja Pelevic. He is the producer of the film Snezana van Hauvelingen, and the production companies that made the film are This and That Productions from Serbia, co-produced with Nightswim from Italy, PomPom Movie from Croatia, KINO from Montenegro, Dream office from North Macedonia, Novifilm from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cineplanet from Serbia.
The film was supported by the Film Center of Serbia and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, as well as MIC - the Ministry of Culture of Italy, HAVC - the Croatian Audiovisual Center, Film Center of Montenegro, Film Agency of North Macedonia, Sarajevo Film Fund, MEDIA Program of Creative Europe and RE-ACT Fund. It was developed through the First Films First and MFI Script2Film Workshop programs.
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