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MAKO SAJKO / VITTORIO DE SETA

A program of short films that presents, intertwines and juxtaposes the works of two cult filmmakers, unconventional film artists, independent creators of a new cinematic vision on society.

MAKO SAJKO

VITTORIO DE SETA

Mako Sajko, dokumentarno ime 2013 (foto Branimir Ritonja).jpg
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Archivio film Cineteca di Bologna

Branimir Ritonja, Arhiv Dokudoc, 2013

Director and screenwriter Mako Sajko, who can rightly be classified as one of the classics of Slovenian cinema, was born in 1927 in Tržič. He studied at the High Film School in Belgrade and graduated there in 1959, and at the same time he also trained in Munich and Paris. He began his long and fruitful career as an assistant director for famous Slovenian film directors, such as František Čap and France Štiglic. Sajko's life path has always been closely connected with moving images. Since 1961, when he set out on his own, he has created a series of short documentaries, mostly based on his own scripts. Moreover, in the 1960s and 1970s, he ranked among the leading documentary filmmakers in Slovenia. His short but meaningful documentaries were all, from the first to the last, a reflection of their time. Mainly because of the chosen topic, they weren’t infamous only in Yugoslavia, but resonated all over the world. With the film "Suiciders, beware!" from 1967, he became notorious in the eyes of the then Yugoslav authorities, so that later the film "Narodna noša" (1975), which was fundamentally not thematically controversial, was not allowed to be shown publicly. At that time, Sajko permanently stopped producing films and instead devoted himself to film education and the projects of young filmmakers. He worked in relative anonymity for several decades until he received the Badjura Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. After that, interest in one of the undisputed giants of Slovenian cinema grew again. With his works, Mako Sajko was ahead of his time, as he opened up topics that are still relevant today. His watchful eye and sharp mind constantly discovered various humanistic and sociological aspects.

In 1954, Vittorio De Seta shot six innovative documentaries in Sicily, which immediately gained international recognition ("Lu tempu di li pisci spata", "Isole di fuoco", "Surfarara", "Pasqua in Sicilia", "Contadini del mare ", "Parabola d'oro"). In the years 58-59 he directed four more important short films: in Sicily ("Pescherecci"), in Sardinia ("Pastori di Orgosolo"; "Un giorno in Barbagia") and in Calabria ("I dimenticati"). De Seta observed a reality that was already threatened by "development without progress" and provided us with a valuable testimony about rituals, customs and knowledge that have disappeared today. In doing so, he did not neglect the beauty of the images, the latest technical innovations and the important film legacy. De Seta's short films from 1954 to 1959 were restored by the L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory of the Bologna Cinematheque.

Mako Sajko, sharp mind, eternal youth, playfulness, sparkle of a senior of old age. A man who never complained, who told juicy stories that made us chuckle. He always watched all the films at the Dokudoc festival, for him our festival was a holiday. Mako is a symbol of Slovenian documentary film. We know it can be good, but unfortunately we like to disable it at times. With his ideas, which we call to life, Mako lives on with us for the development of Slovenian documentary film!

 

Maja Malus Azhdari, program selector, DOKUDOC International Documentary Film Festival, Maribor

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As we wrote some time ago, Vittorio De Seta was for us, the I Mille Occhi film festival organized by the Anno uno association, a gift that keeps on giving. His films were a step ahead of their time and outlined the guidelines of film art. The need for expression has transcended all technological and production barriers. Each of his visits to the festival was a gift and a discovery for those of us who already knew him, as well as for those who were just beginning to learn about his works. He was a great and irreplaceable personality.

- Mila Lazić, program associate of the I Mille Occhi festival

De Seta was born on October 15, 1923. In a few days he would have celebrated his hundredth birthday.

He died in November 2011 and was remembered by Martin Scorsese, who described him as "an anthropologist who spoke with the voice of a poet", as follows: "The news of the death of Vittorio De Seta shook me. His life was long and vital, and the last time I saw him a few years ago, he looked as if he had fifty years left to live, bursting with creativity, full of energy. De Seta is one of the greatest but neglected Italian directors, and his works deserve a much wider recognition. In the 1960s, we knew him for his extraordinary "Banditi a Orgosolo". Years later, we could see his documentaries in color, which he shot in the 1950s, poetic chronicles of life in southern Italy, Sardinia and Sicily. Those who saw the images, previously known to few, were fascinated by them. These are precious documents of customs and habits that were disappearing. (...) His oeuvre is one of the wonders of cinema. Vittorio De Seta was a truly great, dynamic artist and I mourn him."

FILMS
Slavica Exception

Short Documentary Film, 11'

1971, Yugoslavia (Slovenia)

Pastori di Orgosolo
Vittorio De Seta, Italy, 1958, 11’

Arhiv Slovenske Kinoteke, ©Slovenski filmski center

Archivio film Cineteca di Bologna

A documentary about a professional artist-stripper who chose this path because of the possibility of making quick money.

In Sopramonte di Orgosolo, Sardinia, which was once a refuge only for bandits and defectors, shepherds try to survive with their flocks. The mountains are barren and footsteps echo in the stones. Shepherds follow their herds, collect milk and process it into cheese. When storms start to appear, it's time to move on. In winter, when the snow falls, the animals have no food and the shepherds have to protect themselves from the cold by warming themselves and their sheep in front of the fire. They have to provide food for the animals for several months, but they eat meager meals alone, in solitude, in silence, broken only by small daily gestures.

Poisons

Short Documentary Film, 14'

1964, Yugoslavia (Slovenia)

Arhiv Slovenske Kinoteke, ©Slovenski filmski center

Lu tempu di li pisci spada
Vittorio De Seta, Italija, 1954, 11’

Industrialization brings progress but comes together with harmful influences on environment. Warning of the dangers of waste materials dumped into the air and the waters.

Archivio film Cineteca di Bologna

Suicides Beware!

Short Documentary Film, 12'5''

1967, Yugoslavia (Slovenia)

Between April and August swordfish spawn in the waters that separate Sicily and Calabria. From Bagnara Calabra to Scilla, all the way to Messina and Punta Faro, fishermen are waiting for this moment to start their hunt. The wait is long and tiring: the men are sitting on the boat, ready to grab the oars. The silence is broken only by the sound of the waves and the slow narration of elderly men who remember the years of great abundance of fish. Until the scout raises the alarm: the fish are coming. He must direct the boats by taking into account the light, the direction of the fish and the current. The harpooner, standing on the bow of the boat, must first hit the females, because then it will be easier to kill the males, but he must be careful, because swordfish that are not hit in the heart will not die immediately and will try to sink in any way and get rid of the harpoons. At sunset, the fishermen return to the shore, where women, old men and children await them, who crowd curiously and are ready for the feast that will take place at night...

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Isole di fuoco
Vittorio De Seta, Italija, 1955, 11’

The problem of teenage suicide in Slovenia. Typical characteristics presented through the testimony of family and friends of the deceased.

Archivio film Cineteca di Bologna

National Costume

Short Documentary Film, 11'

1975, Yugoslavia (Slovenia)

Arhiv Slovenske Kinoteke, ©Slovenski filmski center

Narodna noša
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One winter morning, De Seta lands at dawn on the island Vulcano with his camera. An incredible silence reigns around him: only the sound of the sea and the singing of birds can be heard. The island consists of black volcanic rocks, and sulfur fumes rise in the air. There are a few houses on the shore and boats of fishermen who make their way every day. Shepherds with their flocks climb the slopes of the volcano, and women gather firewood. Everyone's eyes are fixed on the crater from which the lava flows. The roar of the volcano fills the silence and smoke rises into the sky. As lightning streaks across the sky, everyone tries to get back to their homes before the storm and volcano unleash their destructive power...

Arhiv Slovenske Kinoteke, ©Slovenski filmski center

Some political regimes misused the national costume of Slovenia. Some of its details come from German Alps, but the costume kept the characteristics of the area. Today the costume serves as a tourist attraction.

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