AJB DOC @Posušje Soon
Three films from the 7th AJB DOC will be screened in Posušje.
The Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC), in collaboration with the Municipality of Posušje, is organizing the screening of three exceptional documentary films at the city cinema hall. This event will provide the audience in Herzegovina with the opportunity to view acclaimed documentaries showcased at the 7th AJB DOC on February 19 and 20, including "Smiling Georgia," which was awarded the best festival film by the expert jury.
The fruitful collaboration between the Festival and the Municipality of Posušje, led by Mayor Ante Begić, was established earlier. The AJB DOC Film Festival has expressed their delight in revisiting Posušje, having curated a top-tier selection for the local audience.
“We had the opportunity to visit Posušje and present a curated selection from the 6th edition of our festival. We are thrilled to continue our cooperation with Posušje Municipality which recognized the quality and significance of AJB DOC. We have received an invitation to return, and for the local audience we have chosen outstanding documentaries,” said the festival director, Edhem Fočo.
Award Winning Documentary
On Wednesday, February 19 at 18:45, the screening of the film "Smiling Georgia" by Luka Beradze will take place, which was chosen by the expert jury as the winner in the Competition selection and the best film at the festival.
What are the costs of the half-truths that politicians tell? In 2012, the Georgian president wanted to make the nation smile. In the race for reelection, the incumbent's party was promising subsidized dental care to the country’s least well off. Across the land, state medical practitioners began removing rotten teeth with the promise of replacements in the months that followed — then the president lost. Through interviews with those worst affected by that campaign, Smiling Georgia tells a story about the whims of political power and the defiance of those who usually hold the least of it — a film short on teeth, yes, but far from toothless.
On Thursday, February 20 starting at 11:35, the film "Prison Beauty Contest" by Srđan Šarenac will be on the program.
Pirajui is a small city with only 25 000 people and three prisons with 1500 prisoners in each prison. Graziella Fernanda Costa (45), the director of Pirajui prison, decides to bring back self-esteem to female convicts by organizing a prison beauty contest. The beauty contest will give back the female inmates goals, pride and steps towards improving their self-esteem. The beauty contest could be seen as some sort of revolt against the prison uniform. The film follows two characters: Joyce competing for Miss Spring and Sueli competing for Miss Plus Size.
Also on Thursday, February 20 starting at 17:20, the audience has the opportunity to watch the documentary "About a Bull" by Emir Solaković about a young girl named Martina who has an unusual hobby.
In the world of Bosnian bullfighting, women are rarely seen in the audience, let alone in the arena. Martina Batista is a 17-year-old girl who decided to take on the burden of her family tradition and step into the arena herself. She made that decision when she was 12 years old and has been a regular winner with three of her bulls. We follow her daily routine and learn about the reasons behind her decision to take that path and her attitude towards this sport. Through one of the fights in the arena, we see how this very male-dominated culture treats a young girl.
The sponsor of the AJB DOC @Posušje festival program is the company Meggle.