Meet the Author: Nenad Puhovski and a Screening of Generation '68 at Docucinema KIC

What is it that inspires a documentary filmmaker to make films? How do they pick the stories to transform into a film? How true are these stories? And most importantly – who is, in fact, Nenad Puhovski?

All these and other interested questions will be answered on 27 April at 7pm, at Docucinema KIC, launching an event under the title 'Meet the Author', aiming to present prominent Croatian and regional directors through their most significant films, personal stories and rich experience. The first guest to be introduced by the programme moderator and film critic Vladan Petković will be Nenad Puhovski, a producer, university professor, ZagrebDox managing director and film director. A screening of his latest film Generation '68 will follow immediately afterwards; in this film the author pays an homage to the generation with which he shared his youthful enthusiasm and the idea of a revolution that would change the world.

'Meet the Author' features the stories that the camera couldn't capture, introduces us with the characters and moments that 'escaped' the shot and wit the ideas that should have but never saw 'the projector light'. In a relaxed atmosphere with the author we will hear the anecdotes during and after the filming, stories about moments less and more pleasant, most interesting characters and personalities, as well as situations that changed him as a person and helped him mature as an author.

In a casual atmosphere, with clips from films, the documentary filmmakers will be interviewed by the author of this concept Vladan Petković – journalist, festival programmer and film critic whose reviews are published in some of the most relevant European film magazines and websites like Screen Daily and Cineuropa.

"The event 'Meet the Author' will tell us all about the importance of that moment a director decides about a certain topic or character and everything that changes from the beginning of work on a documentary film to its premiere. How to approach a character, how to remain 'fair' to them, when it is allowed to 'distort the truth' over a more powerful effect in the film," explained Vladan Petković.

Meet Nenad Puhovski

"Nenad Puhovski will take us on a tour of his creative career, from the formally courageous student films like Činča, to creative TV works like Bućan and emotionally challenging programmes like Mrtva luka, to his maturity, a period when he remained ever vigilant and pertinent with sometimes controversial films like Lora – Testimonies and Together. Through a discussion and clips from his films, we will touch on the changes in the position and significance of documentary film across decades, what it meant to make films in socialist Yugoslavia, how this creative urge was received by 'Tuđman's Croatia', what is the greatest advantage today, and what are the biggest obstacles for both experienced and emerging documentary authors. We will also bear in mind the art of filmmaking and creative aesthetics, as well as procedures he and his young protégées, including Goran Dević, Dana Budisavljević and Tiha Gudac, resort to when focusing on the burning social or intimate issues. This will serve as introduction into the cinema release of Generation '68, to wrap up this evening," said the concept author.

Nenad Puhovski – from a cinema amateur to a grandmaster of Croatian documentary film

In the 1960s a cinema amateur, in the early 1970s a student of directing and emerging filmmaker, in the late 1970s a teacher at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, in the 1980s a theatre and TV director and an award-winning documentarian. Today a producer with over 70 titles made under the umbrella of the Factum production company, and the founder and director of the largest regional documentary film festival ZagrebDox. Last year Puhovski completed his 19th film as a director, Generation '68,and received the Bauer award at Motovun Film Festival celebrating 50 years of career.

Introducing young Croatian documentary up-and-comers in May

After one of the most experienced Croatian documentarians, in May the event is hosting the young emerging filmmaker Đuro Gavran.

Known for his successful short films like Bojan, The Verdict, The Big Day, 4.7, Đuro was also the cinematographer on the award-winning documentary feature Blockade, the film offering an in-depth insight into the longest, largest and politically the most influential student protest in these areas since 1971.

The event 'Meet the Author' takes place every month at Docucinema KIC, and every discussion will be followed by a screening of the author's new film. Nenad Puhovski's film Generation '68 is scheduled for Thursday, 27 April, immediately after 'meeting the author'.