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Moja Vesna film image, director Sara Kern

Moja Vesna

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North American Premiere

TIFF Talent Lab and Cannes Cinéfondation alumna Sara Kern makes a stirring debut with this touching portrait of a family in mourning, centering on 10-year-old Moja, who takes it upon herself to pick up the pieces of her broken family after the sudden loss of their mother.

The filmmaker employs a distinctly soft lens in her poignant interrogation of maternal instinct and female empathy, operating in the insular world of a wounded yet resourceful young girl who finds comfort in taking care of everyone around her. This is further highlighted by the film’s thoughtful use of interior settings, and the way these spaces inform the characters’ sense of sanctuary and emotional armour. Anchored in the deeply affecting performance by the young Loti Kovačič, the film gently peels off layers of trauma embedded in the fractured family routine, while expertly harnessing the sense of cultural dichotomy in its portrayal of shifting family dynamics.

 

Presented by

Director
Cast

Loti Kovačič, Mackenzie Mazur, Gregor Baković, Claudia Karvan

Credits
Country of Origin

Australia/Slovenia

Year

2022

Language

In English and Slovene with English subtitles

Film Contact
Content Warning

Coarse language

PG

Open to youth!

77 min
Drama Women Directors

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Credits

Producer

Gal Greenspan, Rok Bicek, Sharlene George

Screenwriter

Sara Kern

Cinematography

Lev Predan Kowarski

Editor

Haim Tabakman, Hayley Miro Browne

Production Design

Maddison Haywood

Director

Sara Kern headshot, Moja Vesna director

Sara Kern

Sara Kern is a Slovenian-Australian writer and director. She graduated in film directing from the University of Ljubljana’s Academy of Theatre, Film, Radio, and Television in 2013. Kern worked as a screenwriter for the Slovenian National Television’s Children and Youth Program for several years before moving to Australia. Her 2016 short Good Luck Orlo premiered at the 73rd Venice Film Festival and went on to screen at the Toronto, Chicago, and Seattle International Film Festivals.