Veljko Popović @ Prime Render Studio

Veljko Popović (1979) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Department of Painting, in 2003. He has worked in computer graphics since 1998 and co-founded Lemonade3d, a CG and animation studio that later became Prime Render Studios. Since 2012, he teaches animation at the Arts Academy in Split. His films have been screened and awarded at numerous film festivals worldwide, including Annecy, Animafest Zagreb, Clermont Ferrand, Aspen, Hiroshima, Leeds, Stuttgart. He was a jury member at several film festivals.

Are we truly free? Are our desires truly our own or merely imposed products of the society we live in? The question this film is asking is this: are we slaves to the culture and society we were born in or is there a way to escape after all?

Is the comfort of routine and the happiness it provides enough to keep us its slaves forever?

A nice old lady is living a lonesome life, filled with small rituals and melancholic memories about some better days. Still, there’s something strange about her… The power of denial and fear of change keep the old lady trapped in her worst nightmares until suddenly a long-kept secret emerges and the old lady can’t escape it anymore.

When did you last talk with your father? Will you ever ask him about those things that hurt you?
In Father the reality of life is turned upside down to create an impossible dialogue – the dialogue between a child and a father that never happens.

When did you last talk with your father? Will you ever ask him about those things that hurt you?
In Father the reality of life is turned upside down to create an impossible dialogue – the dialogue between a child and a father that never happens.

The cycling season is nearing its grand finale. During the final race, the two men in the lead are competing for more than the Grand Trophy; they are fighting for the affection of a lady and fulfilment of their erotic fantasies. Meanwhile, the small port town prepares for the arrival of a large ocean liner and its dashing captain.

Inspired by the art of Vasko Lipovac, Veljko Popović created an animated short marked by unique aesthetics. Painted in vivid colours of summer and with a dash of the erotic, its is a comedy that captures the spirit of a small Mediterranean town.

The film recounts the memories of a childhood in Split in the 1980s. These are stories retold after Sunday lunch when everyone is in a good mood, stories filled with emotions we can easily relate to. But above all, the film is a moving tribute to the love of a grandpa and grandma who did their best to keep their granddaughter smiling.

Based on the book U malu je uša đava by Tisja Kljaković Braić