Metastases

Set in Zagreb’s underworld, Metastases depicts the lives of a young generations who grew up during the Croatian Homeland War, and the subsequent postwar years. It explores their struggle to adapt to the new rules of merciless capitalism. The story follows four drug addicts, and begins when one of them returns home after three years at a rehabilitation center. Life in the rundown, crime-ridden neighborhood with his old friends sends him back on the path of destruction. All four characters blame the traumas of war for their problems with drugs abuse. And so, metastases continue to spread through Croatian society, threatening to engulf it.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.
Script: Ognjen Svilicic, based on the novel by Ivo Balenovic
Cinematography: Dragan Ruljancic
Editing: Vesna Lazeta
Sound: Mladen Siklic
Music: Goran Bare
Actors: Rene Bitorajac (Krpa), Franjo Dijak (Filip), Robert Ugrina (Kizo), Rakan Rushaidat (Dezo)
Production: Telefilm, Croatia
Producers: Stanislav Babic
Co-production: Refresh Production (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Lux Film (Serbia)
Art Direction: Mladen Ozbolt
Format: 35mm Color
Production Country: Croatia - Bosnia & Herzegovina - Serbia
Production Year: 2009
Duration: 84
Contact: Telefilm, Croatia T. +38 51 4818 843 F. +38 51 4818 839 telefilm@telefilm.hr

Branko Schmidt

He was born in Osijek, in 1957. He graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb in film and television directing. In 1988 he directed his first feature film Sokol Did Not Love Him and won the Newcomer of the Year Award at the Pula FF. In the course of his career he has directed many plays, documentary films and TV series. The Melon Route earned him the Oktavijan Award for Best Film granted by the Croatian Film Critics’ Association. The film received best film awards at numerous festivals and had a theatrical release in a number of countries. In 2004 he was a member of the jury at the Moscow FF.

Filmography

(selected)
1988 Sokol ga nije volio/Sokol Did Not Love Him
1991 Duka Begovici
1994 Vukovar se vraca kuc/Vukovar: The Way Home
1997 Bozic u Becu/Christmas in Vienna
2001 Kraljica noci/Queen of the Night
2006 Put Iubenica/The Melon Route
2007 Panj pun olova/Bad Blue Boys
2009 Metastaze/Metastases