A Wonderful Night in Split

A WONDERFUL
NIGHT IN SPLIT


TITLE

Original title – TA DIVNA SPLITSKA NOĆ, In English – A WONDERFUL NIGHT IN SPLIT, In German – EINE WUNDERBARE NACHT IN SPLIT, In French – UNE MERVEILLEUSE NUIT A SPLIT, In Spanish – MARAVILLOSA NOCHE EN SPLIT, In Italian – QUELLA BELLA NOTE A SPALATO

ABOUT

A WONDERFUL NIGHT IN SPLIT is Arsen’s first feature film, shot during the 32 shooting nights in the late Winter and early Spring of 2004 and completed in just 35 days of postproduction. The screenplay is written by Arsen, based on his original idea, out of love for his birthplace, despite the fact that it shows the dark side of it.

A Wonderful Night in Split has become one of the most awarded and celebrated Croatian films in recent history: it received a total of 24 various national and international awards and recognitions. It was the Croatian candidate for the 78st Annual Academy Awards and it was nominated for the Fassbinder-Discovery Award by the European Film Academy as one of the best first or second European films in 2004.

It participated at almost 40 national and international film festivals and – among other countries – it was distributed in theaters in the United States by Global Lens and on dvd by First Run Features.
You can purchase the dvd of the film from Amazon: here
You can stream and download the film from: here

BRIEF STORYLINE

In the dark and deserted streets of the Croatian city of Split’s medieval Ghetto, during the final two hours of New Year’s Eve, three separate love stories – not directly involved in the festivities – intertwine with each other. Three couples find themselves near the main Roman Square: a smalltime drug dealer Nick and a widow Maria with her son; a young junkie in a crisis Maja, and a depressed American sailor Franky and a pair of naive teenagers, Luke and Angela. They all unsuccessfully try to escape their individual extreme situations only to find their lives permanently and irreversibly changed. As we see their stories develop a major concert performed by a lively singer unfolds before an emotional crowd gathered to usher in the New Year, along with a traditional fireworks display at the stroke of midnight.

LOG LINE

“A Wonderful Night in Split” shows three love stories unfold and ending with events profoundly and permanently altering the lives of the characters in the Croatian city of Split’s medieval Ghetto, during the last two hours of New Year’s Eve.

PRINCIPAL ACTORS

Singer – Dino Dvornik, Blacky – Marinko Prga, Nick – Mladen Vulic, Maja – Marija Skaricic, Luke- Vicko Bilandzic, Franky – Coolio, Maria, Nives Ivankovic, Angela – Ivana Roscic, Old Woman – Dara Vukic, Old Man – Pero Vrca

CREW

Screenwriter, Director – Arsen Anton Ostojic, Producer – Jozo Patljak, Director of Photography – Mirko Pivcevic, Editor – Dubravko Slunjski, Composer – Mate Matisic, Art Director – Velimir Domitrovic, Costume Designer – Branka Tkalcec, Makeup Artist – Irena Hadrovic, Sound Designer – Tomislav Babic, Production – Alka film and HRT

Year – 2004, Format – 35mm, Duration – 100 minutes, Length – 2800m, Number of Reels – 5, Aspect Ratio – 1:1,85, Color – In Black and White, Sound – Dolby SR

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FILM

– The entire film is shot at authentic locations in the medieval Ghetto of the Croatian city of Split, including all interiors. This Ghetto is on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage as a cultural monument of the highest category;

– Only actors from Split appear in the film, to preserve authentic accents and recognizable melody of speech characteristic for the city of Split only;

– Half of the actors never appeared before in front of a camera, including most of the leading actors: Maja, Luke, Angela, etc.;

– Half of all the first-time actors are non-professionals: Stuttering Joe (who does not stutter in real life), Singer (Croatian pop star in real life), Antisha, Sailors and the Boy, to name a few;

– No digital effects were used; all the special effects (including fireworks or flight above the city) were done in real, on location;

– No intervention whatsoever was done on exterior locations, buildings or streets, except lighting design.

SYNOPSIS

“A Wonderful Night in Split” is a realistic, gritty drama with some surrealistic elements, set in a ghetto of the Croatian medieval city of Split. The whole story of the film takes place in only two hours – from 10 in the evening until midnight, on New Year’s Eve.

There are three separate stories in this drama, which share the same space, time and certain characters. These three stories proceed one after the other; each one begins at 10 PM and ends at midnight, at the beginning of the New Year’s festivities.

Throughout the film there is New Year’s rock concert by a real-life well-known rock star held in the center of the Ghetto, on an old Roman Square. The film opens at the end, in midnight, with the fireworks display. The rock concert is interrupted due to a tragic event, and to find out what had happened, we go back in time and we start with the first story.

In this first story we follow a petty drug dealer called Nike who makes love to Maria, a widow of a soldier and a mother of a traumatized 9-year old kid. Although Maria insists on Nike staying with her for New Year, he unexpectedly admits that he immediately needs to go by bus to Munich and that he will not come back. Nike leaves Maria in tears and heads straight to Blacky, the main drug dealer. In a seedy pub Blacky hands him a package of heroin. Nike is supposed to deliver it to a certain address in Munich, receive a large payment and return to Split.

But Nike plans to double cross Blacky, keep the money he will get and stay in Germany. He has already packed his belongings before rushing to the bus station. But police are waiting for him there and he barely manages to escape. Realizing he was set up by Blacky, Nike gives his best to find him. He does, but during their fight Nike kills Blacky. Unable to return to his own apartment Nike decides to return to Maria to find shelter there.

But, Maria’s son notices Nike, waits for him in front of the apartment and shoots him with his late father’s gun. Seriously wounded, Nike stumbles down the steps, exits onto the streets and dies while the New Year’s celebration is just starting.

In the second story we are introduced to Maja, a young teenage heroin addict who has a crisis and desperately needs a shot of heroin. All her efforts to find drugs are fruitless, so she turns to Blacky for help. But he refuses to help her since she has no money.

In the same time Blacky finds out that there is a group of American sailors who are looking for a prostitute. They want to treat their buddy who is depressed since he has just received a good-bye letter from his fiancé. Blacky offers Maja to go with the sailor and to “earn” for her heroin shot. Maja, having no other choice, reluctantly agrees.

Blacky takes Maja and the sailors to an old woman who occasionally rents out her own bedroom for such things. While Maja wants to do it as soon as possible and get what she desperately needs, the sailor called Franky doesn’t show any intention to sleep with her. He keeps telling her about his ex-fiancé and tries to persuade Maja for help with something he doesn’t have courage to do – to kill himself.

Maja refuses, but still, in the final seconds towards the New Year desperate Franky musters up courage and shoots himself in the head. While the beautiful fireworks display happens above the city, Maja, the old woman and other sailors remain shocked by what Franky just did.

In the third story we follow two teenagers, Luke and Angela, who decided to lose their virginity before the beginning of the New Year. They have no place to go, and their efforts to do it in an entrance of a building were unsuccessful. Luke by coincidence meets Blacky who offers him some acid. Luke refuses, but then Blacky gives him a key to a drug users’ hide-out for the sake of their old friendship.

Luka takes Angela to the empty apartment, which dominates the Roman square where the concert is held. To his surprise, Angela gives Luka some LSD after which make love. Soon after they begin to hallucinate; Angela thinks that the building is leaning while Luka feels he has large wings instead of his arms.

While Angela was unable to react, Luka climbs on the edge. In his imagination begins to communicate with the singer and the people at the concert down below. He thinks they call him to jump down, so at the end of New Year’s countdown Luka bravely jumps. Instead of falling down, to his great surprise, he continues to fly. He sees down below the concert that is interrupted, he sees Nike who is dying and he sees the old woman that yells for help. Luka continues to fly, with a smile on his face, towards the magnificent fireworks exploding above the city.


FESTIVALS

51st Pula Film Festival, 
Croatia, July 2004
– Gold Arena for Camera
– Gold Arena for Editing
– Critics’ Award “Oktavijan” for the best film
– Award for the Best First Film

6th Motovun Film Festival, 
Croatia, August 2004
– Out of competiton program

10th Sarajevo Film Festival, 
Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 2004
– Special Jury Prize
– Best Actress Award

14th Cottbus Film Festival, 
Germany, November 2004
– Special Prize for an outstanding artistic contribution

11th Festival of Auteur Films, 
Belgrade, Serbia, November 2004
– Critics Award

15th Ljubljana International Film Festival, 
Slovenia, December 2004
– Main competition program

European Film Academy, 
December 2004
– Nomination for the Discovery-Fassbinder Award for the Best First or Second European Film in 2004

5th Palm Springs International Film Festival, 
USA, January 2005
– Main competition program “World Cinema Now”

16th Trieste Film Festival, 
Italy, January 2005
– Competition program

40th Solothurn Film Festival, 
Switzerland, January 2005
– Out of competition program

9th Sofia International Film Festival, 
Bulgaria, March 2005
– Balkan Survey competition program

Skopje International Film Festival, 
Macedonia, March 2005
– Out of competiton program

Febio Fest, Prague, 
Czech Republic, April, 2005
– Out of competition program

5th Wiesbaden Festival of Central and East European Films, 
Germany, April, 2005
– Out of competiton program

Crossing Europe Film Festival, 
Linz,
Austria, April 2005
– Out of competiton program

18th Finale Plzen, Festival of Czech Films, 
Czech Republic, April 2005
– Out of competiton program

Dubrovnik International Film Festival, 
Croatia, May 2005
– Out of competiton program

31st Seattle International Film Festival, 
USA, June 2005
– New Directors competition program

21st Festroia International Film Festival, 
Portugal, June 2005
– Out of competiton program

4th Transylvania International Film Festival, 
Cluj, Romania, June 2005
– Main competiton program

1st Alba Regia International Film Festival, 
Hungary, June 2005
– Main competiton program

11th Lato Films & Artists Festival, 
Torun, Poland, July 2005
– Screenplays competiton program

1st Black Sea Int’l Film Festival, 
Constanta, Romania, August 2005
– Grand Prix for the best film
– Critics Award for the best film
– Best Camera Award

Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, 
Brazil, October 2005
– Competition program

1st Pecs International Film Festival,
Hungary, October 2005
– Audience Award

26th Mostra De Valencia,
Spain, October 2005
– Out of competition program

27th Festival of Mediterranean Films,
Montpellier,France, October 2005
– Special Jury Mention

3rd Queens Int’l Film Festival,
New York, USA, November 2005
– Best Director Award

14th St. Louis International Film Festival,
USA, November 2005
– Competiton program

Balkan BlackBox Film Festival,
Berlin, Germany, November 2005
– Competiton program

Camerimage Film Festival,
Poland, December 2005
– Competiton program

6th Palm Springs International Film Festival,
USA, January 2006
– “Academy Awards” competition program

5th MittelMeerFilmTage,
Munich, Germany, January 2006
– Competition program

78th Annual Academy Awards,
Los Angeles, USA, 2006
– Official Croatian candidate

23rd Love Int’l Film Festival,
Mons, Belgium, February 2006
– Competiton program

8th RiverRun Int’l Film Festival,
Winston-Salem, USA, March 2006
– Best Narrative Feature
– Best Director, Narrative Feature
– Best Screenplay
– Best Cinematography, Narrative Feature

30th Cleveland International Film Festival,
USA, March 2006
– Competiton program

Silverlake International Film Festival,
LA, USA, March 2006
– Out of competiton program

5th European Psychoanalitic Film Festival,
London, UK, October 2009
– Out of competition program

9th Festival of Mediterranean Films,
Bruxelles, Belgium, Nov. 2006
– Grand Prix for the best film

1st Film Food Festival Of Pogradec, Albania, September 2011
– Jury Prize

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

– Croatian Cultural Week, Paris (France) November 2004
– Days of Croatian Films, Munich (Germany) November 2004
– Days of Croatian Films, Berlin (Germany) November 2004
– Croatian Film Week, American Cinematheque (Los Angeles) April 2005
– European Union Film Celebration, Bucharest (Romania) May 2005
– Croatian Film Screenings, New York (USA), November 2005
– Academy Awards campaign, Los Angeles (USA) January 2006
– Croatian cultural presentation, Bruxelles (Belgium) May 2006
– Croatian Film Festival, New York (USA), September 2007
– Croatian Film Festival, Riverside Studios, London (UK), October 2007
– Meetings with Croatian Cinema, Rome, Italy, November 2010
– Days of Croatian Culture, Warsaw, Poland, June 2011
– 28th Festroia Int’l Film Festival, special program, Portugal, September 2012
– Cinémathèque, ville de Luxemburg, July 2013, honoring Croatia’s entry into EU
– Altcine Online Balkan Short Film festival, Athens, Greece, January 2016
– 55th Rencontre Cinématographique de Pézenas, France, February 2017


AWARDS

Pula Film Festival,
Croatia, July 2004
– Gold Arena for Best Camera
– Gold Arena for Best Editing
– Critics’ Award “Oktavijan” for the best film
– Award for the Best First Film

Sarajevo Film Festival,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 2004
– Special Jury Prize
– Best Actress Award

14th Cottbus Film Festival, Germany, November 2004
– Special Prize for an outstanding artistic contribution

Festival of Auteur Films,
Belgrade, Serbia, November 2004
– Critics Award

European Film Academy,
December 2004
– Nomination for the Discovery-Fassbinder Award
for the Best First or Second European Film in 2004

“Hollywood” Magazine,
January 2005
– Best Croatian film from 2000-2005 by the survey
of 26 film critics

City of Zagreb,
Croatia, May 2005
– Annual Award

Black Sea Int’l Film Festival,
Constanta, Romania, August 2005
– Grand Prix for the best film
– Critics Award for the best film
– Best Camera Award

Pecs International Film Festival,
Hungary, October 2005
– Audience Award

27th Festival of Mediterranean Films,
Montpellier, France, October 2005
– Special Jury Mention

3rd Queens Int’l Film Festival,
New York, USA, November 2005
– Best Director Award

78th Annual Academy Awards,
Los Angeles, USA, 2006
– Selected as the official Croatian candidate

8th RiverRun Int’l Film Festival,
Winston-Salem, USA, March 2006
– Best Narrative Feature
– Best Director, Narrative Feature
– Best Screenplay
– Best Cinematography, Narrative Feature

9th Festival of Mediterranean Films,
Bruxelles,Belgium,November 2006
– Grand Prix for the best film

1st Balkan Film Food Festival,
Albania, September 2011
– Jury Prize

“Jutarnji List” daily newspaper
– Best Croatian film from 1998-2013
(the year the newspaper was founded)
Arsen Anton Ostojic © 2004-2013


CRITICS COMMENTS

The best Croatian motion picture in the last five years, according to a survey of 26 Croatian movie critics, which was published in “Hollywood” magazine in January 2005.

“‘A Wonderful Night in Split’ introduces another talented filmmaker making his feature film debut. Arsen Anton Ostojic graduated from the film department at New York University, directed a handful of awarded shorts and now is (…) a pacesetting filmmaker to watch in New Croatian Cinema.”
(Ron Holloway, “Kinema” Canada, December 4, 2004)

“Writer-director Ostojic’ is the hero in the end for very appropriate casting (half of them non-actors and all from Split itself) and the adept realization of an adventurous story structure that cuts well, unifies the parts into an intelligible, effective whole, and delivers its message about the wasting effects of drugs on individuals and the fabric of society.”
(Jules Brenner, Variagate.com)

“‘A Wonderful Night in Split’ is, in my opinion, the best domestic movie shot since Croatia became an independent country in the early 90s.”
(Marko Njegic, Hollywood, November 2004)

“The author expertly achieves a dramaturgic harmony of time and space, which has rarely been found in the last while, by brilliantly intertwining three separate stories.”
(Marijana Jakoljevic, Glas Koncila, October 17, 2004)

“This creation should be watched and remembered. It is art in its highest form, bordering on genius.”
(Zvonimir Berkovic, Jutarnji list, Oct.16, 2004)

“Carefully constructed and realized, this film is bursting with creative energy”
(Bosko Picula, “Globus” October 8, 2004)

“Uncompromising treatment of a heavy contemporary subject in the claustrophobic ghetto of Split… with its sincerity and clear dramaturgy and storyline the film has received many accolades”
(Sasha Drach, “Jutarnji list”, August 28, 2004)

“This is a true gem of moviemaking, a perfectly orchestrated story concentrated on the fates of a number of protagonists…”
(Nenad Polimac, Globus, July 30, 2004)

“This motion picture seems to be a product made in some other galaxy…”
(Jurica Pavicic, Jutarnji list, July 24, 2004)

“Excellent direction and acting, extremely convincing, with a series of suggestive and occasionally humorous details, not to mention the fascinating black and white photography…”
(Nenad Polimac, Dnevnik, July 23, 2004.)

“Excellent Work by Split Crew.”
(Headline in Slobodna Dalmacija July 23, 2004.)

“Ostojic’s movie is superior in all respects – direction, screenplay, concept and technical workmanship. More importantly, this motion picture is also superior in frame of mind.”
(Jurica Pavicic, Jutarnji list, July 22, 2004)


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