Croatia – Marta Ban, Art-Kino (Rijeka)

Cinema for me is…

Croatia – Marta Ban  from Europa Cinemas on Vimeo.

Marta in 23 frames

1. Describe yourself in ten words.
I am easy-going, pragmatic, tolerant, outgoing, curious, passionate and eternal optimist.

2. Your best quality? Your worst habit?
Best quality: being self-critical
Worst habit: Crying Myrtle crying frequency

3. Your dream job?
Eternal student.

4. What do you like most about your country?
Croatian seaside and coffee time.

5. Your favorite dish in your country?
Grilled fish with Swiss chard.

6. Which word or phrase in your native language do you like the most and what does it mean?
Družiti se – to hang out (usually with friends).

7. What European capital have you visited lately?
Rome.

8. Other than your own, which European country would you love to live in?
Temporarily I would like to live anywhere in Europe, but in the end I would always like to return to Croatia.

9. What does Europe mean to you? 3 values.
Variety, sense of belonging, cultural heritage

10. What film made you fall in love with cinema?
I think it was Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990, US). As a child I was obsessed with it.

11. Your favorite film theatre? What do you like about it?
Art-kino Croatia in Rijeka. What makes it my favourite is a sensation of pure and simple concept of the film theatre that cherishes films and nothing else.

12. Who is your movie hero?
Faye Wong in Chungking Express (Kar-Wai Wong, 1994, HK).

13. Which movie director would you like to be?
Paolo Sorrentino.

14. Briefly describe your favorite scene.
The Consequences of Love (Paolo Sorrentino, 2004, IT).
Tita Di Girolamo (Toni Servillo) is sitting in a hotel bar with his brother Valerio (Adriano Giannini) who paid him an unexpected visit. Sitting across from each other, Valerio appears very relaxed, casual and easy-going, highlighting in that way Girolamo’s stiffness and discomfort that are visible from the beginning of the film, but in this moment a deep gap between Girolamo and the rest of the world gets clearer than ever. This impression is intensified with strained conversation and completely opposite approaches towards the waitress that Girolamo is secretly in love with. While he denies her existence as usually, Valerio is flirty and talkative. In this scene Toni Servillo makes many small, sublime gestures that are usually well preserved underneath his character’s stiff and serious appearance.

15. What are the 3 best European films you have seen in the last year?
Quit Staring at My Plate (Hana Jusic, 2016), HR,
Elle (Paul Verhoeven, 2016), FR,
Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade, 2016), DE.

16. Which film character do you most identify with?
Elaine Benes (Seinfeld).

17. Your favorite soundtrack or song?
The soundtrack of La reine Margot (Patrice Chéreau, 1994, FR) from Goran Bregović.

18. If you had to live in a movie, which one would you like it to be?
Harry Potter franchise. After all this time? Always.

19. Your life becomes a bio-pic. Who plays the role of you?
Renée Zellweger.

20. Which talent would you most like to have?
I would like to speak fluently at least five languages.

21. What is your most treasured possession?
My memories.

22. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being happy with people who surround me.

23. What is your motto?
Beautiful people do not just happen.

Marta Ban is the Ambassador of Art-Kino. Find out more about the cinema here.