Sand Dam

Marko has no grand plans for the future: life in a small Croatian village suits him perfectly. He will probably marry his girlfriend, take care of his younger brother, and work with his father in the auto repair shop. Maybe he could win a pry bar championship someday – and he needs nothing more for happiness. Or does he? With the return of Slaven, Marko's best childhood friend and first love, suddenly nothing is so certain. The level of repressed desires rises just like the river near the village, but while the neighbors build a dam together against the flood, Marko is completely alone with his emotions. If only he could put sandbags around them so they wouldn't escape!

Director Čejen Černić Čanak shows in her feature debut an authentic and at the same time fragile story about the search for inner freedom in a conservative environment. Her film was first presented at the Berlinale and celebrated success at the festival in the Croatian city of Pula.