News

Back to...

2nd day of 32nd European Film Festival Palic

19.07.2025.

Screenings of “Two Prosecutors” by Sergei Loznitsa, “Growing Down” by Bálint Dániel Sós, and “Reflection in a Dead Diamond” by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani on the second day of the European Film Festival Palić

On the second day of the festival, Sunday, July 20, the Summer Stage in Palić will feature films from the Official Selection program, starting at 9 p.m. with "Two Prosecutors" by Ukrainian director and screenwriter Sergei Loznitsa, this year's recipient of the Aleksandar Lifka Award in the category of foreign creators. The evening will continue with "Growing Down" by Bálint Dániel Sós at 11 p.m., and “Reflection in a Dead Diamond” by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani at 12:30 a.m.

Before the screenings, the Aleksandar Lifka Award for domestic creators will be presented to the renowned Serbian actor Svetozar Cvetković on the Summer Stage.

The film “Two Prosecutors” by Sergei Loznitsa is set in the Soviet Union in 1937. Thousands of letters from detainees falsely accused by the regime are burned in a prison cell. Against all odds, one of them reaches its destination, the desk of the newly appointed local prosecutor, Alexander Kornyev. Kornyev does his utmost to meet the prisoner, a victim of agents of the secret police, the NKVD. A dedicated Bolshevik of integrity, the young prosecutor suspects foul play. His quest for justice will take him all the way to the office of the Attorney General in Moscow. In the age of the great Stalinist purges, this is the plunge of a man into the corridors of a totalitarian regime that does not bear said name.

"Growing Down" by Bálint Dániel Sós follows Sándor, a widowed father of two, who is tested by fate when he becomes the only witness of a serious accident involving his stepdaughter caused by his youngest son. He has to decide between accepting the consequences of speaking the truth or lying to keep his boy out of juvenile detention.

In “Reflection in a Dead Diamond” John D, a septuagenarian living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur, is intrigued by his next-door neighbor who reminds him of his wildest years on the Riviera during the 1960s. At that time, he was a spy in a rapidly developing world full of promise. One day, this neighbor mysteriously disappears... bringing John face to face with his demons: are his former adversaries back to wreak havoc on his idyllic world?

Meanwhile, at the Abazija Cinema in Palić, the Parallels and Encounters program will present “Toxic” by Saulė Bliuvaitė at 6 p.m., followed by “Sandbag Dam” by Čejen Černić Čanak at 8 p.m.

The film “Toxic” follows 13-year-old Maria, who, abandoned by her mother, is forced to live with her grandmother in a bleak industrial town. During a violent clash on the street, Maria meets Kristina, a girl of the same age who is striving to become a fashion model. Trying to get closer to her, Maria enrolls in a mysterious modeling school, where the girls are preparing for the biggest casting event in the region. Her ambiguous relationship with Kristina and the intense, cult-like environment of the modeling school force Maria on a quest to discover her own identity.

“Sandbag Dam” shows high school senior Marko’s seemingly stable life, which is disrupted by the return of Slaven, his former childhood friend and forbidden first love. Marko lives with his parents and younger brother Fićo, a boy with Down syndrome to whom he is deeply devoted. A gifted athlete, Marko is also preparing to follow his father’s plan for him to become a mechanic. From the moment Slaven unexpectedly returns for his father’s funeral, Marko struggles to stay focused on his girlfriend Petra and the upcoming qualifying tournament. But as the looming flood draws closer, so does the emotional turmoil within him. While the villagers work tirelessly to build sandbag walls around their homes, Marko is building a wall of his own – one meant to keep his emotions at bay. Yet, like water, feelings have a way of breaking through.

Also on the second day, the festival will feature the Underground Spirit Award Laureate Homage dedicated to Austrian director Peter Tscherkassky. His short films “Outer Space”, “Dream Work”, “Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine”, “L´Arrivée”, and “Train Again” will be screened at the Abazija Cinema in Palić, starting at 10 p.m. This screening block will also include a conversation with Peter Tscherkassky, moderated by Miroslav Mogorović, Program Director of the European Film Festival Palić.

In the New Hungarian Film section, “The Rebound” by Csaba Vékes will be shown at the Eurocinema in Subotica at 7 p.m. A button-soccer team suddenly receives a large amount of money by error, but they are not willing to give it back. They are going for the European cup instead. An irresponsible father and his hard working but looser son try to reconcile with each other, while the stakes rise due to their successful participation in the European button-soccer tournament.

In the Eco Dox program, “The Gardener, the Buddhist & the Spy” by Håvard Bustnes will be screened at 5 p.m. at the Lifka Art Cinema in Subotica. Rob Moore, a former candid camera TV producer, is exposed as a cynical corporate spy. He claims to be a whistleblower uncovering corruption and invites two journalists to investigate his allegations. It soon becomes a battle of who is deceiving whom. “The Gardener, the Buddhist & the Spy” is a gripping story about power struggle, failure, and the delicate balance between good and bad.

In the New European Documentary Film program, “An American Pastoral” by Auberi Edler will be screened at 7 p.m. at the Lifka Art Cinema in Subotica. Set in the heart of Lancaster County, the film explores the escalating tensions in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, where a once-quiet school board becomes the battleground for a far-right Christian movement seeking control.

The MIOB in Shorts program at the Eurocinema will begin at 5 p.m. with screenings of "The Ghosts You Draw on My Back" by Nikola Stojanović, "The Family Portrait" by Lea Vidaković, "Between the Edges of the Day" by Andreea Lăcătuș, "Plica Polonica" by Agata Tracevič, "Maurice’s Bar" by Tom Prezman and Tzor Edery, and “The Robbers” by Isa Schieche. After the screenings, the audience will have the opportunity to vote for the best film in this section.

As part of the joint FAFA project selection, “KIX” by Dávid Mikulán and Bálint Révész will be screened at 5 p.m. at the Abazija Cinema, followed at 7 p.m. by “Sun Never Again” by David Jovanović, with a post-screening discussion featuring the director.

Special screenings at the "Mira Banjac" Hall of the Abazija Cinema will include the documentary “Behind the Smile” dedicated to Vlada Divljan and directed by Marko Đorđević, starting at 9 p.m.

As part of the accompanying program, the exhibition “The Power of Love: Vlastimir Gavrik” will open at 4 p.m. at the Open University of Subotica gallery. Dedicated to the renowned film and television production designer, the exhibition is curated by Aleksandra Gavrik. A short film of the same title will be screened at 4:30 p.m. at the Eurocinema.

At 5 p.m., the Abazija Cinema will also host the “Seven Caricatures for the Seventh Art” exhibition, presented by the Milenko Kosanović Gallery of Contemporary Caricature.

Tickets for the Official Selection program are priced at 300 dinars for a one-day pass covering two films. They can be purchased at the Summer Stage box office starting at 8:00 p.m. In case of bad weather, films from the competition program will be shown at the Eurocinema (Open University of Subotica, 15 Tzar Jovan Nenad Square) at the scheduled times.

Tickets for the Parallels and Encounters program are 200 dinars for two films and can be purchased at the Abazija Cinema box office in Palić half an hour before the screening starts.

Admission to all other festival screenings is free!

The European Film Festival Palić has been supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, the City of Subotica, the European Union through the Creative Europe MEDIA program, as well as numerous friends and media partners.

For 29 years, Gorki List has proudly stood alongside the European Film Festival Palić as a long-term partner and supporter of film art that inspires and connects. Believing in the power of authentic expression and meaningful dialogue with audiences, Gorki List will once again, in keeping with tradition, present the Audience Award for Best Film. By listening to the voices of the viewers, Gorki List affirms their role as essential allies of art, which lives on through those who truly appreciate and understand it.

Back to...