Maja Posavec shared her must-watch list for this year’s Zagreb Film Festival

If I had to highlight one of the most fascinating figures on Zagreb’s art scene, it would be Maja Posavec. I’ve been following her work for quite some time, and I love watching how skillfully she weaves stories between acting and music—two fields she masters equally well. Music, poetry, theatre, all of it meets and merges through her unique interpretations, as perfectly exemplified by her latest album Leaving a Lover, released under the pseudonym POMA. We recently saw her in A Man Meets a Woman! by Vida Hribar, a musical that follows the creative process of making a musical (you can see it at &TD Theatre). These days, Maja is also appearing at ZFF with a new short film by Jasna Safić, Nature and Poetry. By the time I’ve written this introduction, she’s already played countless roles, and while I wait for her next project, we’ll surely run into each other somewhere during the 23rd Zagreb Film Festival, which takes place from November 10 to 16 at CineStar Branimir, Kinoteka, Dokukino KIC, and MSU.

Another exciting edition of Croatia’s biggest film festival is ahead of us, and every year I face the same dilemma how to see everything, because anything less just doesn’t feel like an option. To start, Maja shared a list of films she won’t be missing this year.

Pillion, Harry Lighton

“Actually, if I have a free morning, I like to catch a screening from the main competition or one of the side programs, and this film has already caught my eye, it’s a romantic story with incredibly interesting lead actors. Harry Melling from the Harry Potter series and Alexander Skarsgård, although I’ve seen him many times, my strongest memory of him is from Succession, where he played tech mogul Lukas Matsson.”

About the film: Colin (Harry Melling), a shy traffic policeman who lives with his parents and sings a cappella, unexpectedly meets Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) a seductive biker who introduces him to the world of S&M and his own inner demons. Their relationship becomes a journey of self-discovery and pleasure. The film, in which Melling delivers a remarkable performance, premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard program.

Sorella di Clausura, Ivana Mladenović

“I’ve been following Ivana Mladenović’s work for a while, so her new film is also on my list, a hilariously tasteless sociosexual satire, as described in the announcement. Intriguing!”

About the film: Middle-aged Stela (Katia Pascariu) doesn’t like working but adores Boban (Miodrag Mladenović), a washed-up pop star she’s idolized since childhood. When she finds out he’s in love with the starlet Vera, Stela launches a hate campaign but Vera, delighted by the messages, draws her into a get-rich scheme and promises a meeting with her idol. This bold sociosexual satire by director Ivana Mladenović premiered in Locarno and went on to win the Best Director award in Sarajevo.

Zagreb Film Festival

Miroirs No. 3, Christian Petzold

“As far as I know, this is the third collaboration between director Christian Petzold and actress Paula Beer (Undine, Afire). I adore the poetry, mystery, and psychological depth of their work together and Paula is simply magnificent in it. I’m really looking forward to this film.”

About the film: During a trip outside the city, Laura (Paula Beer) survives a serious accident and finds refuge with Betty (Barbara Auer), a kind woman who takes her into her home. As the family gradually accepts her, the calm surface of their lives begins to ripple with ghosts from the past. Christian Petzold’s new film is an intriguing psychological drama about trauma and memory, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight program at Cannes.

Perla, Alexandra Makarová i  Solomamma, Janicke Askevold

“Two films that explore the lives of single mothers, a huge topic, in my opinion, and these are two very different stories. In one, the search is for a father who was a sperm donor, while in the other, the father suddenly imposes himself into the already well-established life of a mother and daughter.”

About the film Perla: Vienna, 1981. An exiled artist, Perla, lives with her daughter Julia and her partner Josef. When she learns that her former husband is seriously ill, she decides to return to Czechoslovakia. There, she discovers that his call hides other motives, and her return soon threatens both her freedom and her relationship with her daughter. This Cold War–era drama premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival.

Zagreb Film Festival

About the film Solomamma: Journalist and single mother Edith (Lisa Loven Kongsli) discovers the identity of her sperm donor and decides to meet him. Niels (Herbert Nordrum), a successful video game creator, believes she wants to interview him, but their newfound closeness quickly becomes entangled in a web of lies. Solo Mama is the first Norwegian film to screen at Locarno since 1975, where it won the Ecumenical Jury Prize.

Nature and poetry, Jasna Safić

“The film by Jasna Safić, in which I play the lead role of Selma, is being screened this year in the Kockice program. Nature and Poetry is a poetic portrayal of a soul finding her own way through life nourished by poetry and memories that mean more to her than the present but her relationship with her nephew disrupts that fragile balance.”

HAVC

The blue trail, Gabriel Mascaro

“A film about Teresa, who refuses to give up and decides to fulfill her dreams, flying on a plane for the first time and embarking on a journey through the Amazon at the age of 77. I expect to see depictions of Brazil’s rural landscapes and the Amazon, but not the postcard kind.”

About the film: Teresa, a 77-year-old worker from an Amazonian village, faces a government plan to relocate the elderly into retirement colonies. Refusing to accept her fate, she sets out on a journey through the Amazon to fulfill her final wish to fly on a plane. Gabriel Mascaro’s warm, dystopian drama about resistance and freedom was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlinale.

Sorry, Baby, Eva Victor

“I got a recommendation for this film from director Andrea Slaviček. It’s a story about friendship told in a deeply personal and unconventional way.”

About the film: After experiencing a traumatic event, Agnes tries to move on with her life. With a visit from a close friend, she decides to rejoin the living. This warm drama, infused with elements of satire, focuses on the process of healing. Produced by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins, the film stars Eva Victor known from the series Billions, who also won the Sundance Screenwriting Award for this project.