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The Melon Route
The Melon RouteTribeca Cinemas, Friday, September 14, 8:00 p.m.

Director: Branko Schmidt

Original Language Title: Put lubenica
Drama, 90 min., 2006
Production Company: Telefilm, HRT
Producer: Stanislav Babic
Screenplay: Branko Schmidt, Ognjen Svilicic
Cast: Ivo Gregurevic, Kresimir Mikic, Sun Mei, Leon Lucev, Armin Omerovic, Emir Hadzihafizbegovic, Slobodan Maksimovic, Zijah Sokolovic
Director of Photography: Vjekoslav Vrdoljak
Editor: Vesna Lazeta, Hrvoje Mrsic
Music: Miroslav Skoro

Synopsis:

One of the most terrible ills of our time, people trafficking, follows the so-called Balkans Route for smuggling people into the West. Bosnian and Croatian papers often carry stories about groups of illegal immigrants discovered by the police, and just as frequent are the news of such imimigrants' deaths. The Melon Route is inspired by the true story of twelve illegal immigrants who drowned in the river Sava on the border of Bosnia and Croatia. This event has been enlarged in the script, and seen through the eyes of a young Chinese girl, who loses her father in the accident. She enters into a tenuous relationship with an ex-Croatian Army soldier, a cured drug addict suffering from PTSD, who lost everything in the war. The linguistic and cultural barriers between the two protagonists give an added dimension to the film, shot through by the painful realization that it is hard to carry an inescapable burden: one's place of birth.

Branko Schmidt Director's biography:

Branko Schmidt
Branko Schmidt was born in Osijek in 1957. After studying economy for a while, he transferred to Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, department of film and TV directing. In 1981, he graduated with a TV Drama Early maturing of Marko Kovac. The following year he directed Hildegard, a TV Drama that was declared the best TV Drama in the former state. In 1988, he directed his first feature length film Sokol ga nije volio, based on Drama by Fabijan Sovagovic. He won the newcomer of the Year Award at Pula Film Festival. In his career he has directed many Dramas, documentaries and a children's TV serial Operation Barbarossa (1989) based on a novel by Ivan Kusan. In the nineties, he directed three feature films: Ðuka Begovic (1991), Vukovar se vraca kuci (1994) and Christmas in Vienna (1997). He won "Zlatna arena" award for Best Screenplay for the last one. Filmography: Sokol ga nije volio (1988) • Ðuka Begovic (1991) • Vukovar se vraca kuci (1994) • Christmas in Vienna (1997) • The Old Oak Blues (2000).
Last Updated ( Monday, 10 September 2007 16:31 )