Into the Blue
Synopsis
Thirteen-year-old Julija and her mother flee their abusive household to find refuge on an idyllic Croatian island where Julija grew up. Emotionally scarred, Julija is desperate to reconnect with her best friend, Ana. But Ana is in love with a boy and Julija is no longer a priority. Ana’s mounting rejection re-ignites Julija’s wounds and family history, awakening the monster of violence she thought she’d left behind.
Director
Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović
Screenplay
Christina Lazaridi
Director of Photography
Marko Brdar
Film Editing
Minji Kang
Film School
Columbia University, New York
Producer
Zoran Dževerdanović
Production Company
Blade Production
Cast
Gracija Filipović, Vanesa Vidaković
Duration
22’
Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović is a writer-director born in Dubrovnik. Her dramas explore the darker side of desire, the limits of family, and the danger of secrets.
Her short Into the Blue – a tense coming of age set on the rocky cliffs over the Adriatic – was awarded a Special International Jury Mention at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, the Youth Jury Award at the 63rd Oberhausen Film Festival, the Heart of Sarajevo at the 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival, and was nominated for the Student Acade- my Award. Currently she is attending Jerusalem Film Lab and the Résidence du Festival of Cinéfondation in Paris where she is developing her first feature film, Murina. The film is about a Croatian family swept onto an island that reveals the hidden violence between parents, lovers, and their children. Antoneta is an alumna of the Berlinale Talent Lab, Sarajevo Talent Lab, Nisi Masa Short European Pitch, La Femis Producing Atelier, the Marcie Bloom Fellowship, and First Films First. She holds an MFA in directing from Columbia University in New York.
