Winterslaap in Lukomir / Hibernation in Lukomir
Do you love it when it snows?! The Bosnian mountain village of Lukomir is so remote that every winter the snow cuts it off from the outside world for months. A Dutch film crew allowed themselves to be snowed in as well so that they could follow and record the rhythm of the remaining inhabitants, to see how they survive the winter, and each other.
While enthusiastic winter sports fans can’t wait for the first snow, the residents of Lukomir hope that as little as possible will fall. The Bosnian mountain village is so high and remote that every winter it is cut off from the outside world for months at a time. Eleven inhabitants remain in the village during this period. A Dutch film crew allowed themselves to be snowed in as well so that they could follow and record the rhythm of the remaining inhabitants, to see how they survive the winter, and each other. This resulted in superb images of the cold, windy mountain village and its last inhabitants.
‘A film is about encounters, it’s about people’, believes director Niels van Koevorden. In this case it is about Ismet, Tidza, Dervo and Nura, who need to get through the long winter. With this graduation film Niels won the VPRO documentary award. His third film, ‘Ne me quitte pas’ (2013), brought him a Golden Calf for best documentary in 2014. Besides his work as director, Niels also films for VPRO Tegenlicht and makes commercials. The Vodafone commercial ‘First Flight’ went viral in 2014 and was viewed more than 5 million times. Niels’ work is characterized by intimacy, authenticity and sharp contrasts between drama and comedy. In Lukomir too, acquiescence, desperation and humour go hand in hand.