A video promoting Rijeka as a port of diversity was shot at various captivating locations around the city. The video was funded by the Croatian Tourist Board and the Rijeka Tourist Board, while the project was completed in cooperation with the City of Rijeka and the Rijeka 2020 company, with Matanić selected on the basis of a call for tenders issued last summer.
The production of the video about Rijeka as the European Capital of Culture was entrusted to Filmerija, a company from Rijeka that specialises in audio/video production, with the goal of presenting Rijeka as a Croatian urban phenomenon comprising its turbulent history, post-industrial charm, multiculturality, pop-culture, openness, free-mindedness and breadth of spirit.
The screenwriter is a playwright born in Rijeka, Magdalena Lupi Alvir, the Director of the City Puppet Theatre, which tried to blend the unblendable, namely the differences: “It is really about a clash of worlds. A clash of characters and their personalities, which are symbolic of the idea of the port of diversity. The idea was to mix documentary material and fiction, with the video taking place at various locations and attractive areas around the city. If you want to know how we succeeded, watch the video. I tried to use provocative scenes to capture the spirit of the city and see it through the eyes of a “stranger” by using characters that are part of the past, present and future of Rijeka as a vehicle. I also attempted to weave the themes addressed by the Rijeka 2020 flagships into the script in order to present the programme itself.” – said Magdalena Lupi Alvir.
We saw Dalibor Matanić’s familiar face in the middle of Korzo as his creative spark was being fanned into a flame by the healthy bora wind blowing through the city.
Rijeka 2020: Dalibore, is it easy to fall in love with Rijeka?
Dalibor Matanić: I can’t speak for others, but I already feel right at home here. I learned the names of all the streets in Rijeka while shooting the series and the promotional video. And I’m still coming across new locations, so it’s hard to choose a favourite! However, I prefer industrial vistas to, let’s say, old town locations.
Rijeka 2020: Is this video going to show Rijeka in a similar light as The Paper, since we are looking at our port of diversity through your eyes, or do you have another angle?
Dalibor Matanić: The series is fictional, while the video deals with real people in a real city, so the video is definitely going to be “pumped up” with a more positive attitude. It is important that we draw in people and introduce them to the project, regardless of whether they are locals or visitors. This city does have a certain positive melting-pot vibe. The locals might not notice it among themselves, but I always do as an outsider. And I want to harness that energy!
Rijeka 2020: The video screenwriter is the playwright Magdalena Lupi Alvir, who is a Rijeka woman head-to-toe. How did you two click artistically in this project?
Dalibor Matanić: Great! We tried to do something bolder. Something that would shed a new light on the city, we didn’t want to make just another film for tourists. I’ve seen some of the earlier ECC promotional videos made by other candidates and I consider them subpar. The videos were more sterile then engaging, despite dealing with culture. That’s why we decided to blend the traditional, modern and futuristic in this video. We have made a collage of a city that people will want to come to.
Rijeka 2020: And finally, when are you coming to the port of diversity? When are you moving to Rijeka?
Dalibor Matanić: Well… I don’t know when I’m moving, but I do know that I’ll be back in Rijeka in June, because we’re shooting the third season of The Paper!
We’ll soon get to see the Croatian and Rijeka Tourist Boards’ promotional video that showcases Rijeka as the European Capital of Culture, after Matanić’s team withdraws to the warm studio for editing and adding some final touches. Until then, let your imagination run wild and imagine a diver in Kružna Street or a welder in the audience at the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc. The video will also feature scenes of a party held on the roof of the RI department store showing a female punk rocker dancing with a “bell-ringer” from Zamet. Everything is possible – in Rijeka, the port of diversity.
