Alan Stanković
Dreaming of El Dorado
A film about a young girl FATIMA ZAHRO from Senegal, who took her destiny into her own hands and decided to move to Croatia.
SYNOPSIS
FATIMA (26) is one of those women who can survive just about anything life puts in their way. Her father left her before she was born, and she and her grandmother managed to escape from the genital mutilation of the Mandinka tribe to the capital Dakar. Her mother also left her in search of work. She became an apostate in the family after starting her own business, learning three more foreign languages and marrying a foreigner. The documentary DREAMING OF EL DORADO follows Fatima's journey. Fatima is a fighter, a woman who will be a role model for many generations.
DIRECTOR
Alan Stanković
PRODUCER
Boris Veličan
CO-PRODUCER
Uwe Boll
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Studio devet d.o.o.
CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY
Event Film Ltd
COUNTRY
Croatia
Alan Stankovic
ALAN STANKOVIĆ was born in 1971 in Zagreb. He directs and shoots documentary films. In his early twenties, he began filming documentary series that was shown on national television for several years. He directed the famous series for Croatian television called Blaga Karša. He also directed a series of commercial works in which he sharpened the visual part of the director's approach and worked with actors. As a child from a mixed marriage, he creates empathy and friendship towards those who are in the minority. These are topics that he deals with!
DREAMING OF EL DORADO is a film that explores the dreams of those on the other side of fortune. We follow a woman from Senegal who has compelling reasons to escape the hardships faced by people in that part of the world, such as unemployment, genital mutilation, and poverty. Despite our differences, I want to show we can all relate to her struggles. Another reason I connected with FATIMA's life is the feeling of not belonging in the country where I was born. A wrong surname, a mother from another country, dark skin... these sensitised me to the problems faced by those who have no home anywhere. Through my directorial approach, I allowed Fatima, after over a year spent in Europe, married to an older man in Croatia, to confront those who were once closest to her. Fatima tries to explain why she left and sought happiness for herself and those she left behind in Senegal. I used a minimal crew and tried to have as little influence on the situations as possible yet be close to the camera as if the viewer were present and had the opportunity to form their judgment.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Boris Velican
BORIS VELIČAN was born on 18.01.1977. He graduated as a Film, TV, and Theatre MA Producer at the Academy of Drama Art in Zagreb, where he worked for five years as a teacher and assistant. He has directed three documentaries, written four travel books, and worked as a producer and PM on sixteen TV and cinema documentaries and feature films. He is known as a producer, PM, director and journalist.
Production company profile
STUDIO DEVET D.O.O. was founded in 2005 and deals with producing original films. The feature-length film FISHING AND FISHERMEN'S CONVERSATION (2020) was realised with the support of HAVC and won three Golden Arenas at the Pula Film Festival 2020. Studio devet d.o.o. has produced several multimedia and commercial projects, such as the series VILLAINS (2007-2008).
Where are we at?
PRODUCTION BUDGET
105.000 EUR
NEEDED FOR COMPLETION
23.000 EUR
TERRITORIES AVAILABLE
Worldwide, excluding Canada
EXPECTED RELEASE
January 2024
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