Feature film
Kekec
Jože Gale · 1951
Synopsis
In a mountain village lives Kekec, a young boy who fears nothing, not even Bedanec, the solitary, wicked poacher whom everyone dreads. In his house in the heights, Bedanec holds prisoner Mojca, Rožle's sister, and Kosobrin, a little old man who gathers herbs. When Kekec learns of it, he sets off to find them, with only his courage and his cunning as weapons.
Context
The screenplay, by Jože Gale and Frane Milčinski, is based on the stories of Josip Vandot, and first of all on the last of the three, published in 1924. The black-and-white film was shot mostly at Bedančev konec, near Kranjska Gora, but also at the Savica waterfall and at Mojstrana, where a small village was built. The cinematography is by Ivan Marinček, the music by Marjan Kozina; the song Kaj mi poje ptičica, with words by Milčinski, who also plays Kosobrin, has endured. Two sequels followed, in 1963 and 1968.
Who it is for
An hour and a half of mountain adventure, for children and adults alike; English subtitles exist.
Prizes and reception
Prize for best youth film at the Venice Biennale in 1952, the first international prize won by a Slovene film.