![\"10550811lunch\"](\"https:\/\/hometeamproductions.tv\/wordsworks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/10550811lunch.jpg\")
<\/a>hosts.\u00a0 The color of the yolk was one I have never seen before, and I mean that in a good way.\u00a0 Very tasty.<\/p>\nThe hosts then showed us to a better room, equipped with two double beds, a bathroom, and a kitchen.\u00a0 This will be my home for the next week and I feel like a new man.<\/p>\n
The festival suffered from the usual dysfunction found at many such fests; you’ve got your communications breakdowns, attendees scrambling for lodging, and the confusion that ensues when things don’t happen as planned, but that’s all part of the vibe.<\/p>\n
I have found that what makes a truly great festival isn’t limited to the quality of the films The days were activity packed.\u00a0 We had press conferences in the mornings, to allow the filmmakers to talk about and promote their films, which would screen in the evening.\u00a0 There were master classes where we had the opportunity to learn about other filmmakers’ experiences.<\/p>\n An afternoon swim in the sparkling waters of the Adriatic rejuvenated me for the night’s All screenings, being out of doors, were at the mercy of the gods.\u00a0 The night EVERYTHING IS FOREVER was to be screened, a brisk wind kicked up and the tech guys debated whether to cancel the screening for fear the large screen would blow down.\u00a0 Luckily Nenad was able to convince the crew to take a chance and go for it.<\/p>\n As the credits rolled, the full house burst into applause.\u00a0 Our host, Masa, was an exuberant moderator for the Q&A.\u00a0 I relaxed, relieved and quietly jubilant, knowing once The following morning, the daughter of our lodging hosts thanked me for giving a voice to her people.\u00a0 Though it is really Nenad who carries a passionate torch for the culture of Croatia and for freedom, I accepted the compliment with great pleasure.<\/p>\n Mother Nature was not as kind to the filmmakers who were to screen the next night.\u00a0 Our new friend Lars had traveled from Germany accompanied by his little girl, and seeing her cry when his screening was canceled was heart wrenching; Lars would have to depart the next morning at daybreak.<\/p>\n But we, his new band of brothers, assured him that we would gather the next day and screen his film.\u00a0 We kept that promise.<\/p>\n The Starigrad Paklenica Festival was the experience of a lifetime, and I’ll always think fondly of my new family of international filmmakers.\u00a0 Below are the outstanding films I saw, and Reader, I hope you can track them down.\u00a0 A visit to the film websites would be well worth your time.<\/p>\n GOOD OL’ FREDA<\/a><\/p>\n MAMA AFRICA: MIRIAM MAKEBA<\/a><\/p>\n DON’T FOLLOW ME (I’M LOST)<\/a><\/p>\n DOUWE BOB: WHATEVER FOREVER<\/a><\/p>\n BROKEN SONG<\/a><\/p>\n CAN’T BE SILENT<\/a><\/p>\n ELEKTROKOHLE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It took fifteen years to make EVERYTHING IS FOREVER.\u00a0 So what’s another thirty hours out of my life to fly from New York to Croatia to screen the film at a festival?\u00a0 One word: Hell.\u00a0 Just for starters, airport food … Continue reading <\/a>that are showing, but includes the quality of the filmmakers themselves, as artists and compassionate, like-minded souls.\u00a0 The Starigrad Paklenica Festival overflowed with such people.\u00a0 Nenad and I made wonderful new friends from Ireland, Germany, Portugal, The Netherlands, and the U.S.<\/p>\n<\/a>At midday the festival provided a complimentary lunch, which was served in a Rathskeller type setting.\u00a0 The camaraderie flowed like the wine.<\/p>\n<\/a>screenings in one of the many rugged canyons of the region.\u00a0 Nenad deserves a nod of appreciation for his stellar driving, as it was treacherous going up the narrow mountain roads in the dark.<\/p>\n<\/a>I myself was getting comfortably numb on Rakija, a potent alcoholic beverage made from a variety of fruits.\u00a0 The film began, and the wind gusted.\u00a0 Twenty minutes in, the screen rocked and tilted forward about halfway down.\u00a0 OK, I thought, with no little dismay.\u00a0 We’re doomed.\u00a0 But right on the heels of that thought, the screen snapped back into place, and barely wavered again.<\/p>\n<\/a>again that the film would touch people in a very special and individual way.<\/p>\n<\/a>The next night, the last of the festival, we were at a screening during the closing ceremonies.\u00a0 By the time we made our way to the canyon where the event was held, it was over.\u00a0 But we learned that we had won a Special Jury Award for Multiculturalism and Peace, a happy surprise.<\/p>\n