Our Children (Naša djeca)

Silvestar Kolbas

Silvestar has for some time been the oldest Kolbas in his family. His parents are dead; his father died before the war, his mother a few years back. He is 68. He had a younger brother, who died from the consequences of the war. This is his second marriage. He has three children: Jakov, from his first marriage; Eva, from his second marriage, conceived in vitro; Ante, adopted from an orphanage when he was 8.

Some of the questions the director asks in this film are: How the children affect the feelings and opinions, as well as the relationship between himself and his wife? How does he affect each child? What is his relationship with a particular child, and does he give them all equal amounts of love? Do children change him? Does each of them do it differently? How do the children see him and his wife and how do they see their attitude to themselves?

Croatia 2024, '95

DIRECTOR: Silvestar Kolbas

SCENARIO: Silvestar Kolbas

CAMERA: Silvestar Kolbas

MONTAGE: Denis Golenja

PRODUCERS: Nenad Puhovski

PRODUCTION: Factum

Silvestar Kolbas

Silvestar Kolbas is a photographer, cinematographer, and director. Born in Petrovci near Vukovar in 1956, he grew up in Vinkovci. He graduated in Film and TV Camera in 1982 from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. Today he is a full-time professor at the same institution.

His debutant cinematographic work on Živorad Tomić's feature film Diploma for Death won him an award at the Manaki Brothers Film Festival in Bitola in 1989. Early in his professional career he works as freelance photographer and cinematographer. Then he starts working for Croatian Television on numerous TV programs, reports, and TV films later, he becomes a top TV cinematographer. Kolbas had photo exhibitions, wrote, and edited papers about cinematography, directed one feature film and numerous short and TV films, series and documentaries for television and in independent productions.

He had his directorial debut in 2003, with his acclaimed autobiographical film All About Eva. Made over a number of years, the film follows a couple (the director and his wife) in their numerous attempts at artificial insemination and the dilemmas arising from it. Lately he has mostly been engaged in feature-length documentaries (Life in Fresh Air, Lucky Child, All About Eva, Lora – Testimonies, Mimara Revisited), mainly for Factum. His medium-length documentary War Reporter, produced by Factum, won him the annual Vadimir Nazor Award for Film 2011.

Our Children (Naša djeca)

Silvestar Kolbas

Silvestar Kolbas

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