Caméra d’Or winner at Cannes in 2021 for Best First Feature, Murina by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović from Dubrovnik has been filling cinemas across London during a weekend of showcase screenings at prestigious theatres.
Now based in New York, Kusijanović made personal appearances for Q&A sessions at four cinemas in town.
Returning to the Adriatic coast where she grew up, Kusijanović sets Murina on a remote island where the protagonist, precocious teenager Julija, superbly portrayed by Gracija Filipović, is domineered by her insecure father Ante, played by Leon Lučev.
Kusijanović and Filipović first teamed up in 2017 for the director’s award-winning short film, Into the Blue, also given a maritime location.
In feature-length Murina, the title refers to the moray eels that Ante goes diving for, though this timeless pursuit is backdropped by a rocky marriage and the profiteering from coastal development. Cinematography is by Hélène Louvart, also responsible for the The Lost Daughter, nominated for three Oscars in 2022. Executive producer was Martin Scorsese.
Kusijanović is currently in Texas working on her second feature.