“This is a humorous and melancholic film”, director of the film Zdenko Jurilj said, presenting the documentary ‘Radio Ganga’ that is opening the 20th edition of the Mediterranean Film Festival in Široki Brijeg on Wednesday, 21 August at 21h.

This is the story about Tomo, the anchor at Radio Grude, who records and archives the ganga songs because he is aware that it is going extinct. He therefore wants the ganga to be placed on the list of UNESCO’s immaterial assets and decides to take the Ganga group to Paris before the organization’s headquarters to sing

“After a series of sad stories, we finally made something that is cheerful, but at the same time melancholic because it is the story and the people who are dying out. These are the last keepers of traditional customs and songs but presented through the prism of one radio host, Tomislav Matković.  It's not a classic narrative story, and it’s not an observational documentary. Through the prism of this radio host, we show all these people, their customs, their specific style of humour and their way of life, '' the director said.

Radio Ganga / Official Trailer from Kadar Film&Video Production on Vimeo.

The film was created in Kadar production from Široki Brijeg.

Besides this one, in the off-programme of Home authors the festival will premiere Zdenko Jurilj’s documentary ‘People That Planted Trees’ and music documentary ‘Bare’ directed by Renato Tonković, Mario Vukadin and Robert Bubalo on Friday 23 August and a futuristic documentary ‘2068’ directed by Robert Bubalo that is on schedule on Thursday 22 August.  

On the first festival day in the Open air cinema, within the ‘War Traces’ programme, we are screening the documentary film ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ directed by Peter Jackson. In addition to this documentary treat, the MFF will screen the American documentary 'Among Wolves', directed by Shawn Coney, on Thursday, August 22, about members of the multiethnic motorcycle club struggling with the aftermath of the war in BiH. Vinko Laštro's ‘Dioecesi Banialucensis Golgotha’ will be screened on the last day of the festival, Saturday 24 August.

In cooperation with Film Centre Sarajevo, the legal successor of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian cinematography archives, the MFF will screen seven films on the first day of the festival.  These are the masterpieces of B&H cinematography, which were the audience and jury favourites at festivals around the world at the time they were created.

The collaboration with HBO, the world's most important movie network, continues, which will feature the documentary 'Wind' on Friday 23 August in the HBO Adria programme. MFF Fora, the youngest programme of the Mediterranean Film Festival, this year screens Disney classics – 'The Lion King' and 'Toy Story 4' in the morning schedule. 

In addition to strong documentary programme in competition, the ‘In Focus’ programme brings the best cinematography works of the Mediterranean in the previous year. Six films will be screened that have already marked the film year or their time is yet to come.

The international jury decides on the best works at MFF in two categories – best feature documentary and best short. Besides the six members of the jury that will decide on the winners of the 20th Mediterranean Film Festival and award the Grand Prix MFF Projector sponsored by Podravka and second prize Best Short MFF Projector, the audience traditionally decides on the third prize and awards the MFF Audience award sponsored by HT Eronet. 

The film from the MFF workshop will be screened at the closing ceremony, which has been filmed in Široki Brijeg in recent weeks by high school students attending these workshops together with their colleagues, young filmmakers from America and all this mentored by Lucy Eagleson. 

This year's Mediterranean Film Festival, after the awards ceremony, will be closed by Quentin Tarantino's feature film, 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood'. Full of great acting performances, the film brings the story of faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles. 

With a quality film program, what sets this festival apart and makes it different is its great atmosphere and loads of fun. We invite you to take part in movie quizzes, win rich prizes by voting for the best movie, or simply enjoy the sounds of film in front of a projector or with film music in the festival square in the centre of Široki Brijeg.