Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Kukla. Fotografia / Photography: Lazar Bogdanović. Montaggio / Editing: Lukas Miheljak. Musica / Music: Relja Ćupić. Suono / Sound: Julij Zornik. Scenografia / Set Designer: Maja Šavc. Costumi / Costume Designer: Damir Raković. Interpreti / Cast: Sarah Al Saleh, Alina Juhart, Mina Milovanović, Mia Skrbinac. Produzione / Produced by: December. Coproduzione / Co-produced by: RTV Slovenija, Krug Film, Gliser, Gustav Film, 001, MB Grip, SNDKT, Instant. Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Slovenian Film Center, Vïba Film Studio, North Macedonia Film Agency, Creative Europe Media. Distribuzione internazionale / World Sales: Totem Films.
Mihrije, Sina and Jasna, all in their early twenties, are best friends living in Slovenia. They are tomboys and refuse to conform to the conservative system they live in. Their world turns upside down when they meet Fantasy, a transgender woman. Together, they embark on a journey that explores the complexities of gender, desire, and self-discovery.
Fantasy premiered at the latest Locarno FF and was then presented in competition at the Sarajevo FF and other international film festivals.
“The idea first came to me about 10 years ago when I was directing a music video and the protagonists were tomboy girls in grey sweats, riding motorbikes… That image of the ‘forgotten ones’ in baggy clothes with ponytails low down by the hair line, who somehow remained prisoners of their family and their environment for not fitting the rigid rule lines of womanhood in patriarchal Balkans, got stuck in my head and sparked a cascade of memories and visions, from sworn virgins (virdžinas), which is a big and complex part of Balkan history, to the legacy of turbo folk culture today … having no experience with a longer form, I wanted to first create a short film as some kind of a case study for Fantasy. In the creation process of Sisters (2020) we found the main actresses, co-created characters with them, explored the theme more and developed the story … In the film I wanted the woman to look at herself, if possible, with her own eyes but also show the gender alchemy, the diversity, the tension, the violence and the contradictions that not only shape this region but societies everywhere.” (Kukla)
Kukla
Film directress and musician Kukla was born in 1991 in Brežice, Slovenia. She graduated in 2014 in Film and TV Directing from the Film Academy in Ljubljana, where she currently lives and works. She gained international recognition with her short film Sisters. Fantasy marks her debut in fiction feature filmmaking and was developed through several international workshops, including Cinéfondation.
filmografia scelta / selected filmography 2020 Sestre (Sisters) cm / sf; Premi / Awards: Clermont-Ferrand, Festival du Court Métrage – Gran premio / Grand Prix; Fire!! Barcelona LGBT FF – Miglior cortometraggio / Best Short Film; Valencia Cinema Jove IFF – Menzione speciale della giuria / Special Jury Mention; Portorose, Festival del cinema sloveno – Miglior cortometraggio / Festival of Slovenian Film Portorož – Best Short Film 2025 Fantasy; Premi / Awards: Portorose, Festival del cinema sloveno – Migliore scenografia, Migliori costumi / Festival of Slovenian Film Portorož – Best Production Design, Best Costume Design; Thessaloniki IFF – Menzione speciale / Special Mention
