Controversial international films to screen at Croatia's Cinehill festival

The upcoming Cinehill film festival, set in the mountain air of Fužine, Croatia, from July 21st to 26th, promises a lineup of international films that have generated significant buzz and controversy. The festival aims to foster dialogue on today's most sensitive topics, featuring politically charged dramas, experimental genre films, and deconstructions of historical narratives.

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The mountain air and thick cold of Fužine will become a backdrop for dialogue on today's sensitive topics.

Among the highlights is "More" (The Sea), an Israeli-Palestinian film directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak. This deeply emotional drama follows a 12-year-old Palestinian boy named Khaled who attempts to reach the sea for the first time after being denied passage at an Israeli checkpoint. While the film garnered multiple awards at the Ophir Awards, Israel's national film awards, including best film, best screenplay, and best actor, it also drew criticism from Israel's culture minister, who labeled it "anti-state propaganda." The minister threatened to withdraw funding from the national film festival and the film center, a move that surprised director Carmeli-Pollak, who stated the film was made from a perspective of humanity and compassion.

Festival attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from Baher Agbariya, a Palestinian producer of the film, who will be present at the festival. The event also features "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma," a queer meta-slasher film by director Jane Schoenbrun that recently won the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson in a psychosexual exploration that challenges traditional horror tropes.

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Although the film triumphed at the Ophir Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, winning awards for best film, screenplay, and lead actor, the country's culture minister declared it anti-state propaganda and initiated a witch hunt, threatening to withdraw funding from the national film festival and the film center.

Returning to the festival are Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska and her sister, producer and actress Labina Mitevska, presenting their historical drama "Mother." The festival's selection aims to present films that have provoked strong reactions in both film circles and political arenas, transforming Cinehill's screens into a platform for stories that challenge audiences and spark serious discussion.

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I made the film out of a perspective of humanity, compassion, and seeing each other as human beings.