Private Project

THERE

The video-essay THERE combines poetic and documentary elements to describe the connection between the amazing world of the Kornati Islands and the people whose endeavour has refined and breathed unique life into this archipelago*. It is also a story about the individuals who have found their homes elsewhere, in the cities, but who cherish the memories of the Kornati in their heart. This is an archetypal account of the unbreakable bonds between the man and the earth which experience a serious crisis nowadays. There is a hope to preserve our THERE only if we revert to human values and responsible attitude towards nature.

* the Adriatic Sea, Croatia

  • Andrejka Skračić
    Director
  • Andrejka Skračić
    Writer
  • Mirjam Jurčev
    Text THERE written and read
  • Andrejka Skračić
    Producer
  • Mirjam Jurčev
    Key Cast
  • Tanja Jelić Jurčev
    Key Cast
  • Andrejka Skračić
    Key Cast
  • Mislav Skračić
    Key Cast
  • Ivan Jurčev
    Key Cast
  • Ante Jurčev
    Key Cast
  • Ante Stošić
    Key Cast
  • Andrejka Skračić
    Editor
  • Andrejka Skračić
    Cinematographer
  • Ante Stošić
    Music
  • Jaksa Matošić
    Poster Design
  • Željka Dulčić
    English subtitles
  • Mislav Skračić
    English subtitles
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Other
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 25, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    200 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Croatia
  • Country of Filming:
    Croatia
  • Language:
    Croatian
  • Shooting Format:
    MiniDV
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Eastern Europe Film Festival
    Craiova
    Romania
    June 4, 2022
    OFFICIAL SELECTION 2022
Director Biography - Andrejka Skračić

» I was born on 22nd July 1967. in Šempeter pri Gorici, Slovenia. After graduating from Tolmin High School in 1986, I moved to Ljubljana. I became engaged in professional mountain climbing and took part in the expeditions to Patagonia (twice) and Yosemite Park, USA, where I started to film and edit documentary materials.
» From autumn 1994 to spring 1995 I attended the Film and Video Seminar / Laboratory organised by ZKOS (Alliance of Slovenia’s cultural associations). I participated in a number of documentary projects as a screenwriter, camerawoman, editor and director. Since 2001 I have been living in Split, Croatia, with my husband Mislav and daughter Vana.
» When I was young I thought that I would dedicate my life to literature – the only world of art that was available to me at the time. By the end of my high school days I fell in love with mountain climbing and had the opportunity to explore some of the most amazing scenery of our Blue Planet. It was the period when I searched for freedom and the meaning of life, when I encountered inspiring people, love, as well as difficult challenges and ordeal. I was not sure whether I should write, climb, make photographs... until I found myself in film. Actually, I could say that the film found me as I never thought I would start writing screenplays, learn how to use the camera, do the editing, become a director. It was a perfect twist of fate because making films has turned out to be the best way to express ideas and tell the stories that haunt me. I truly believe that the art of film can considerably contribute to the development of society and a better world.
» I am engaged in independent film and video projects.
» I like photography, writing poetry, mountain climbing and hiking, traveling.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Twenty years ago I arrived to Lavsa Island in the Kornati archipelago for the first time, and I anchored all my loves THERE. From the very beginning I was impressed by the amazing scenery and the human endeavour to survive in this harsh world. I was tempted to make a film about it, yet I couldn’t get it right until I read the text THERE written by Mirjam Jurčev. I instantly knew this was what I had been looking for, because the text is both intimate and universal, and so much like my own childhood experience.
I decided to do a simple project, taking whatever was at hand, just like the Kornati labourers did when they made drystone walls and sheds, using the natural material they found on the karst land.
I took an old camera, assembled family and friends, reached for memories, imagination and inspiration to help me out. Frames became like Kornati rocks – diverse and individual, specific by their shape, size, colour and texture – and yet somehow suitable to create a solid and harmonious structure, a beautiful story. Everyone who took part in the project performed their roles in the best possible way. We were all there because we shared a great affection for the Kornati Islands and we all did it for free. Every one of us was a rock with a soul, a heart and warmth of life, which eventually became part of the drystone wall THERE.