Original Title: ben Flotacija
Year Of Production: 2023
Duration: 77 mins
Country of Location: Serbia
Country of Production: Serbia
Director: Zoe Aiano
Winner of the 2024 Mantas Kvedaravičius prize.
In Majdanpek, Eastern Serbia, a culture historically renowned for magical practices and supernatural creatures is being systematically eradicated by an ever-expanding copper mine. Both a giver and taker of life, the mine is central to the local economy but a major threat to traditional practices, as it spews out toxic dust over the plants used for medicinal potions. Increasing pollution and deforestation are even driving the dragons in the forest away.
Flotacija explores these conflicts between nature/tradition and industry modernity through the family of Dragan Marković, a miner by day but a dragon hunter by night. Dragan has always planned to take over the family tradition from his 90-year old father, a local legend. However, with the dragons disappearing, that’s getting hard to do. The fate of Dragan’s feisty sister Desa is also tied to the mine as the widow of the union leader. When the industry is bought out by a Chinese company, she is determined to continue his legacy by ensuring the rights of fellow mine-worker families.
Website: http://www.marklindenberg.com/