From September 9th to 13th, Karlovac will once again become the center of youth filmmaking, hosting the 18th Four River Film Festival and the 30th Youth Film Festival. Over five days, the city will follow the rhythm of cinema, along with a rich and diverse program that includes competition screenings, educational activities, children’s programs, masterclasses, Q&A sessions, debates, film mingles, as well as some online content, making the festival accessible to all film enthusiasts.
This year’s grand educational program includes masterclasses by Nebojša Slijepčević and Jude Chehab, as well as a case study of the popular teenage series Sram, providing participants with insight into professional creative processes and contemporary approaches to TV and digital storytelling.
As part of the competition program, which is divided into four categories – fiction, animation, documentary, and freestyle film – 64 short films from 94 countries will be screened. In total, there have been 1,622 submissions to the Festivals, which confirms the international character of the Festivals and provides young authors from around the world with the opportunity to present their works. Screenings of the competition films will take place at the Edison Cinema and online, accompanied by Q&A sessions and additional content within the Close-Up program.
The youngest Festival visitors can enjoy four children’s programs, while the Film EDUcation program makes educational film lessons available online. In addition to this, the Festivals feature interactive content such as debates, a film quiz, speed dating and evening mingles, offering participants the opportunity to socialize and connect within the film community.
The evening screenings feature three standout titles: Sandbag Dam by Čejen Černić Čanak, Fiume o morte! by Igor Bezinović, and South Wind by Ante Marin. These films will be shown at a few locations; the Edison Cinema, the Old Town of Novigrad on the river Dobra and Foginovo beach. They represent a blend of international and domestic creativity, further highlighting the diversity and quality of the Festivals.
Once again, Karlovac confirms its status as the centre of young filmmakers, where creativity, education, and the international film scene come together in two unique Festivals that connect generations and different cinematic forms.
The detailed program schedule is available at this link
The festival is supported by: the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Croatian Association of Technical Culture, the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, Karlovac County, City of Karlovac, the “Kultura nova “Foundation, the Tourist Board of the City of Karlovac, the Technical Culture Community of the Karlovac County, and Turbing d.o.o.
