Regional Competition

Three Hats for Keeps

Igor M. Toholj

We are led through this documentary by the characters who live between the central area of the small settlement of Padinska Skela and the last bus stop. What links them together is the fact that they all have spent their active years as employees of state institutions in Padinska Skela. The film contrasts the work of wage laborers in the fields at the break of dawn, the archive footage depicting important world political figures from the past (Che Guevara, Ceausescu, Saddam Hussein) visiting large agricultural estates, the fate of retired farmers, the organization of life and conditions in the jailhouse... The director has achieved it by employing retrospective devices, testimonials about encounters of elementary-school pupils and patients from the mental hospital, scenes from the representative state-owned hunting-ground where President Tito was a frequent guest, and other somewhat bizarre episodes offering a glimpse of the nightlife in the last remaining socialist-realist town, when the last bus is leaving and when a long, dark night begins. Authentic and introspective narration of the protagonists explains the purpose and the history of the settlement and the earlier mentioned institutions and how they refl ect on the lives of the remaining inhabitants (on both sides of law and sanity) and the landless wage-laborers whose lives are merged with the stateowned land now they have abandoned their own.

Igor M. Toholj

Igor M. Toholj was born in 1968 in Belgrade. He began his career in mid 80’s as member of few Belgrade Cine-clubs. Studied sociology and graduated Film and TV Editing at Faculty of Dramatic arts in Belgrade where he was awarded with Slavko Vorkapich prize. Apart from being a director, he has been working on many short experimental and documentary films as editor, screenwriter and producer. His films were shown and awarded at the festivals and retrospectives in country and abroad.

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Tri kape za čuvanje

Serbia, Montenegro
2005, 50' 2005'', color, video

Directed by:
Igor M. Toholj

Screenplay by:
Dragan Ignjatović

Cinematography:
Milan Stanić

Edited by:
Igor M. Toholj, Nikola Grubić

Music:
Danijel Milošević

Producer:
Miodrag Milošević

Produced by:
Akademski filmski centar DKSG