This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of František Čáp (1913–1972), a Czech-born filmmaker who moved from Germany to Slovenia in the early 1950s at the invitation of the director of Triglav Film, Branimir Tuma, and went on to make 12 films in the then Yugoslavia between 1953 and 1965. Čáp obtained Yugoslavian citizenship and settled in Piran, where he was buried. In his book Na svoji zemlji (‘On Our Own Land’), Marcel Štefančič, Jr., described Tuma’s move as “visionary”, one that opened Slovenian cinema to the world. Čáp’s first ‘Slovenian’ film, Vesna (1953), was an immediate hit with audiences across Yugoslavia, and the film cast and crew were the first to be granted an audience with President Tito. In 1958, the film was followed by a sequel, Don’t Whisper. Even though he played a vital role in professionalising Slovenian cinema, most film professionals were dismissive of Čáp as an unwelcome guest, as demonstrated by Čáp’s sad fate.

 

Before the screening of Don’t Whisper (1958), join us for a discussion about Čáp, his life, work, role in and significance for Slovenian cinema with film critics and Ekran Magazine contributors, Anja Banko and Ana Šturm. Organised in collaboration with Ekran Magazine.