by Marko Šantić
Zbudi me, 2022, fiction, digital DCP, 2,39:1/2,35:1, c, 85 min
Finished
SI, HR, RS
Marko Šantić is a Croatian-born, Slovenian-based film director and screenwriter. His short feature film Good Luck Nedim (2006) received several international awards, which include the Heart of Sarajevo for the best short film, Tribeca FF Student Visionary Award and EFA nomination in the short film category among others. Šantić’s previous feature-length works include a TV feature Seduce Me (2013), which was internationally premiered at 29th Warsaw Film Festival, receiving Special Mention in 1-2 competition. The film was also the Slovenian submission for the 87th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2014. With Sara Hribar, who is one of the co-writers of Wake Me, Šantić co-directed a feature film Lada Kamenski (2018), which had an international premiere at the Montreal Film Festival and has received 11 awards. Wake Me (2022) is Šantić's fourth film and his first solo cinema feature.
“In recent years, the world has witnessed historical revisionism - the reinterpretation of history. Younger generations spend much more time on the Internet, where they acquire incorrect historical facts. Influenced by this, it seems that the image of history that they’re creating is completely different from what it once used to be. Due to memory loss, the film's main character, Rok, doesn’t remember his problematic past - and, upon returning to his hometown, he begins uncovering his old “demons”. His amnesia caused by a head injury represents today’s contemporary individuals who generally know nothing about sharing a common past and who are more easily pushed into hostility towards other cultures and fellow citizens. This general ignorance of history is something that’s affecting us all, and it’s exactly what my fourth film is about.”
WP:
PÖFF - Talin Black Nights Film Festival, Critics' Picks Competition, 2022
Awards:
5 Vesna Award awards (Festival of Slovenian Film, 2023)