Logline

Sara and her friend Jill, an exchange student from the Netherlands, go to their last party together, before Jill returns home. That unforgettable night will turn into a nightmare when Jill ends up in the hospital. The lives of the two teenagers will change forever.

Synopsis

Sara is a teenage student from an average Macedonian family. She is host of an exchange student Jill from Netherlands. The school year is over and the two girls are preparing for their last party together, before Jill leaves for home. This night should also be the gate to adulthood. Their most exotic night suddenly turns into a nightmare. Despite the language barrier and the culture differences, Jill finds herself in the city hospital at the worst moment. Sarah is by her side making the most important decisions that will change their lives forever.

Director’s Statement

I have always been guided by the fact that we, as authors, must make a diagnosis of the society where we live and where we come from. This story is inspired by a true incident that happened to a close friend of mine. Her life was threatened because of the dysfunctional health and bureaucratic system in my country Macedonia. In addition, the inspiring part to research and direct this kind of film is the psychology of two teenage girls from different countries and raised in different cultures. So the biggest challenge for me as a young director is to explore the moment of opposites of these girls, their complex, the conflict and the diversity of the Western world and the Balkans. Their opposites and different views on life lead them to
decisions and situations that change their lives. The film is based on contrasts. The first part of the story is about the Macedonian teenager Sara, who is host of an exchange student Jill from the Netherlands. Jill is a typical Western European girl, the opposite of Sara, who grew up in the Balkans with a different outlook on life. Sara lives the complex of her surroundings, where at times she is even ashamed of her parents. But that complex grows into envy of Jill’s physical beauty. This part of the film both narratively and visually tells a typical contemporary life of teenagers. The second part of the film is a total contrast to the first, where Jill fights for her life facing language barriers and dysfunctional healthcare system. But the biggest twist happens with Sara, who is a symbol of morality in this film. She tries to save her friend at any cost and her life and views will change forever. The contrast in the story is supported by the narrative and visual expression. In the second part of the film, time is treated integrally, through long mise-en-scène shots we capture their fear and perception of the situation at that moment. Through this expression we inhibit the characters and create
a claustrophobia which is a mirror of their inner feeling. This film and this story for me as a director are very important and a big challenge because it opens a lot of space to work with the actor and get into the psychology of two teenage girls, especially considering the fact that I am male. In addition to the complexity of the story that gives space to work on the narrative and the visual part of the film, the most important thing for me as a director from Macedonia is to show what kind of society we live in. Criticism does not aim to serve only as criticism, on the contrary, its aim is to detect and hopefully cause positive changes in our society.

Director’s Bio

Batuhan Ibrahim is young filmmaker form Skopje. He graduated and finished Master studies on Film and TV Directing on Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje, as the best in the generation, gaining filming experience on various film, TV and commercial projects. His last independent short film “Twisted” (2020) has been screened on more than 20 film festivals around the world, winning 8 different awards. Currently, he is working on his first professional short film “The Big Night”, supported by the North Macedonian Film Agency.

Producer’s Bio

Ilija Tiricovski is film and TV producer based in Skopje, with significant experience in TV series, animation, short and documentary films. In 2014 produced 3 short animated films, with worldwide festival screenings. In 2020 won first prize at Script Pool TV at Tallinn & Baltic Event with TV series “When You Fall” by Biljana Crvenkovska, also at European Short Pitch with the short film “Grasshoppers” by Hanis Bagashov. As a producer of the documentary film “Garden” by the director Bojan Tanturovski, was part of the program Work In Progress at first Evia Film Project 2022, winning the main award. Recently produced short documentary „We Are All Going To Die“ [MakeDox, 2020] by Sashko Potter Micevski and short film “Solo Mode” [Sarajevo Film Festival, 2021] by Tamara Kotevska.