URBOGLYPHS-URBOTEKA: a film and heritage workshop about Trnje for children and youth

Shadow Casters invite you to two free film workshops within the project URBOGLYPHS–URBOTEKA, where we explore the city of Zagreb, especially the Trnje neighborhood, as well as the heritage component of film. In other words, we watch films and explore the city.

First workshop:

Saturdays – May17; May 24 and June 7 – from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Second workshop:

Saturdays – May 17; May 24 and May 31 – from 9:00 to 12:30 p.m.

Applications are open until all spots are filled.

WORKSHOP CONTENT:
These are fun and educational workshops in which we play film detectives and discover traces of Trnje—its streets, people, and urban dynamics—in long-forgotten film cases. The workshops/play sessions are intended for upper primary and high school students. Participants will be taught how to document and present heritage through film and will be encouraged to create their own films. Film clips shot in Trnje will be screened and the featured locations visited.

Over the past 70 years, more than 40 short and feature fiction films, documentaries, and commissioned films have been shot in Trnje, bringing fame to both Trnje and Zagreb worldwide. From The Trial by Orson Welles, My Apartment by Zvonimir Berković, to You Get It, Old Man by Vanča Kljaković, The Journalist by Fadil Hadžić, to Armour of God by Jackie Chan.

In the workshops, we analyze three films from a historical-film perspective:

• the feature film The Trial by American director Orson Welles, mostly filmed in Trnje along the Vrbik–Vukovarska–Kruge axis, though also in other parts of the city (Kaptol, Grič, Sokol Hall, Zagreb Fair, Croatian National Theatre, and others),

• the documentary Zagreb, White City by Branko Lentić,

• and again a feature film The Last Exploit of Diverzant Oblak, the final film by Vatroslav Mimica, entirely set in Trnje, especially behind the Zagrepčanka building.

DESCRIPTION

First workshop: URBOGLYPHS–URBOTEKA: a film and heritage workshop about Trnje for children and youth at Marina Držić Library
Workshop duration: Saturdays – May 17, May 24, and June 7 – from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Venue: Marina Držić Children’s Library (Avenija Marina Držića 10, Zagreb)
Target group: upper primary and high school students
Maximum number of participants: 20

VERY IMPORTANT: It is recommended that each participant attend all the sessions, as each part of the workshop continues from the previous one.

First workshop: REGISTER HERE.

The workshop is led by two fantastic mentors:

• film author, historian, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter Jadran Boban, and

• filmologist and film writer Sara Simić.

DETAILS

MAY 17, 2025 – Saturday – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. – introduction to finding heritage traces in films and discovering films shot in Trnje
MAY 24, 2025 – Saturday – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. – film screenings and heritage analysis, recognizing Trnje locations
JUNE 7, 2025 – Saturday – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. – walking tour of Trnje, finding film traces, and shooting new scenes at “classic” film locations in Trnje

Second workshop: URBOGLYPHS–URBOTEKA: a film and heritage workshop about Trnje for children and youth at Ivana Gorana Kovačića Library
Workshop duration: Saturdays – May 17, May 24, and May 31 – from 9:00 to 12:30 p.m.
Venue: Ivana Gorana Kovačića Library (Ulica grada Vukovara 35, Zagreb)
Target group: upper primary and high school students
Maximum number of participants: 20

VERY IMPORTANT: It is recommended that each participant attend all the sessions, as each part of the workshop continues from the previous one.

Second workshop: REGISTER HERE.

The workshop is led by two fantastic mentors:

• film author, film critic, director, screenwriter, and poet Nikola Strašek, and

• cinematographer, filmmaker, director, and freediver Bojana Burnać.

DETAILS

MAY 17, 2025 – Saturday – 9:30 to 12:30 p.m. – introduction to finding heritage traces in films and discovering films shot in Trnje
MAY 24, 2025 – Saturday – 9:30 to 12:30 p.m. – film screenings and heritage analysis, recognizing Trnje locations
MAY 31, 2025 – Saturday – 9:30 to 12:30 p.m. – walking tour of Trnje, finding film traces, and shooting new scenes at “classic” film locations in Trnje

Workshop information:
Boris Bakal, +385 98 165 8186, info@bacaci-sjenki.hr
Lućana Jakelić, lucana@bacaci-sjenki.hr, +385 1 4640 262

Workshop concept and production: Association Shadow Casters
Project partners: Zagreb City Libraries, Pogon – Centre for Independent Culture and Youth, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (University of Zagreb), Croatian State Archives – Croatian Film Archive, Zagreb Film, Jadran Film, Zagreb Public Open University