Damjan Kozole
Encyclopedia
Damjan Kozole is one of the most recognized Slovenian
filmmakers. In his films, "some of the most raffish, funky and even sordid characters discover their own humanity" (Alissa Simon, Variety
). Sight & Sound
ranked his Spare Parts
among ten most important films of the New Europe. In 2005, a Damjan Kozole film retrospective took place in the United States
and Canada
, hosted by the American Film Institute
.
His 2003 feature film Spare Parts tells a story of two human traffickers from a small town in Slovenia who transport illegal migrants from Croatia on to the Western Europe, for a hefty fee. The film was premiered in the Competition Programme at Berlinale 2003 and following that at more than fifty international film festivals, where it won many international awards. It was released theatrically in more than 20 countries. According to The Guardian
, "Slovenian writer-director Damjan Kozole has given us one of the most powerful and provocative movies of the year" (Peter Bradshaw
). 2008 Sight & Sound
ranked Spare Parts among ten most important films of the “New Europe”.
Labour Equals Freedom (Delo osvobaja)
Labour Equals Freedom was premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival
2005 and won the Grand Prix (Golden Palm) and best director award (Silver Palm) at the 2006 Valencia Int. Film Festival. It tells a story of a depressed middle-age man who, due to a twist of fate, finds new joy in life through working for the common good. According to Variety
, "Kozole creates a mood of affectionate cynicism, with shrewd subtexts tallying foibles of contempo society" (Eddie Cockrell).
Forever (Za vedno)
Forever (2008) is a minimalist, full-length feature film Kozole shot in six nights in his own apartment. The film was premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2008 and won the Golden Sun award for best film at the European Film Festival in Skopje
, Macedonia
. The story of Forever develops in almost real time. We witness what is going on behind an apartment door: the hellish psychological moments of a couple where the thin line between love and hate breaks down. According to Rotterdam International Film Festival programmer Ludmila Cvikova, "the script is masterfully processed by the director and the entire film is carried by the excellent achievements of the two leading actors".
Slovenian girl (Slovenka)
Slovenian girl
(2009) was premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
and following that shown at more than 60 international film festivals. Alexandra, a twenty-three-year-old Slovenian, leads a double life: she is a respectable student and a call girl. The film won Public award at the 2010 Cinessone Int. Film Festival, Paris
and Nina Ivanisin
won many international awards for her leading role. The film was released theatrically in more than 15 countries, in US under the title A Call Girl. According to Moving Pictures Magazine
, "the film is ultimately a fascinating study of free enterprise in free fall. In this mesmerizing chamber piece, director Damjan Kozole has contrived a new style of narrative to convey a view of capitalist culture at once outrageous and non-judgmental" (Shaz Bennett).
Slovenians
The Slovenes, Slovene people, Slovenians, or Slovenian people are a South Slavic people primarily associated with Slovenia and the Slovene language.-Population:Most Slovenes today live within the borders of the independent Slovenia...
filmmakers. In his films, "some of the most raffish, funky and even sordid characters discover their own humanity" (Alissa Simon, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
). Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...
ranked his Spare Parts
Spare Parts
Spare Parts is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.Spare Parts was partially adapted into the television episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" although, in actuality, the two stories bear little...
among ten most important films of the New Europe. In 2005, a Damjan Kozole film retrospective took place in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, hosted by the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
.
Selected films
Spare Parts (Rezervni deli)His 2003 feature film Spare Parts tells a story of two human traffickers from a small town in Slovenia who transport illegal migrants from Croatia on to the Western Europe, for a hefty fee. The film was premiered in the Competition Programme at Berlinale 2003 and following that at more than fifty international film festivals, where it won many international awards. It was released theatrically in more than 20 countries. According to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, "Slovenian writer-director Damjan Kozole has given us one of the most powerful and provocative movies of the year" (Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he was President of Footlights.Bradshaw is a film critic for The Guardian...
). 2008 Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...
ranked Spare Parts among ten most important films of the “New Europe”.
Labour Equals Freedom (Delo osvobaja)
Labour Equals Freedom was premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival
Locarno International Film Festival
The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
2005 and won the Grand Prix (Golden Palm) and best director award (Silver Palm) at the 2006 Valencia Int. Film Festival. It tells a story of a depressed middle-age man who, due to a twist of fate, finds new joy in life through working for the common good. According to Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, "Kozole creates a mood of affectionate cynicism, with shrewd subtexts tallying foibles of contempo society" (Eddie Cockrell).
Forever (Za vedno)
Forever (2008) is a minimalist, full-length feature film Kozole shot in six nights in his own apartment. The film was premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2008 and won the Golden Sun award for best film at the European Film Festival in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. The story of Forever develops in almost real time. We witness what is going on behind an apartment door: the hellish psychological moments of a couple where the thin line between love and hate breaks down. According to Rotterdam International Film Festival programmer Ludmila Cvikova, "the script is masterfully processed by the director and the entire film is carried by the excellent achievements of the two leading actors".
Slovenian girl (Slovenka)
Slovenian girl
Slovenian girl
right|thumb|Slovenian girl, film posterSlovenian girl is a 2009 Slovenian film directed byDamjan Kozole. Aleksandra, a twenty-three-year-old Slovenian, leads a double life: she is a respectable student and a call girl. The film stars Nina Ivanišin...
(2009) was premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and following that shown at more than 60 international film festivals. Alexandra, a twenty-three-year-old Slovenian, leads a double life: she is a respectable student and a call girl. The film won Public award at the 2010 Cinessone Int. Film Festival, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Nina Ivanisin
Nina Ivanišin
Nina Ivanišin is a Slovenian film and theatre actress. She was born in 1985 in Maribor, Slovenia. Graduated on Ljubljana Film and Theatre Academy .-Filmography:* Slovenian girl - directed by Damjan Kozole...
won many international awards for her leading role. The film was released theatrically in more than 15 countries, in US under the title A Call Girl. According to Moving Pictures Magazine
Moving Pictures Magazine
Moving Pictures is a magazine focusing on the film industry and the art of film. The editor-in-chief is Howard Burns. The magazine, which celebrated its fifteenth anniversary in 2005, is published by the Maitland Primrose Group...
, "the film is ultimately a fascinating study of free enterprise in free fall. In this mesmerizing chamber piece, director Damjan Kozole has contrived a new style of narrative to convey a view of capitalist culture at once outrageous and non-judgmental" (Shaz Bennett).