The fifth and final competition screening of the 12th Star Film Fest takes place on Saturday, August 23rd, at Theatre 21, starting at 4:20 PM. It will showcase 7 short films and one Croatian premiere!
In the animated “Stardust and Camp” by Jayden Van Win, a wandering cosmonaut interviews artworks in an abstract art gallery, discussing queerness, identity, and the artistic process. The film will have its Croatian premiere at this year’s Star Film Fest!
“Dust” by Kaja Rakušček, through a documentary approach, portrays a factory, the mysterious dust within it, and the wind that carries it.
The animated “AB OVO AD BRANCHES” by Laura Čulek depicts, through a small bird family situation, themes of sentimentality, family conflicts, and the importance of communication.
Hannah Koselj Marušič is also the director of the film “Rats with Flowery Hats”, inspired by her own real-life experiences. The film follows Lana, a medical student struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder, who finds comfort on her TikTok profile where she shares her poetry. Through an intimate portrayal of mental health and digital identity, the film explores how social media can become both an outlet and an escape, reflecting the fragmented nature of identity in a screen-saturated world.
After discovering undeveloped negatives belonging to his grandfather, Manuel Del Médico, in the experimental film “Terpeniev”, embarks on an investigation to unearth his ancestors’ stories, guided by the question of how the past affects the present and the fragility of memories that fade over time.
The documentary “Thighs” by Lucija Katarina Šešelj explores one’s relationship with their own body and the perception we have of our bodies.
The animated “BUG” by Ali Masoumi tells the story of a family of three who have just moved into a new home. As a little girl curiously explores the space, she encounters a cricket as an unexpected visitor. However, with her father’s unexpected reaction, the child’s perspective begins to shift, turning a simple encounter into something far more unsettling.
