Berac kamena / The Stone Picker insert

The main character of this documentary is "the stone picker" one of the last dancers on the Mediterranean rocky ground and practitioners of an old and dying profession. When requested, he works in his old stone-pit, but without the use of machinery. He exclusively uses tools that require hard physical labour. He is not working in this manner because he is capricious and stubbornly insists on tradition. He simply does it because there is no other way to do the job properly. Major physical effort is required to achieve that, as well as sophisticated methodology, an original strategy and many hand-made tools as silent dance on the rocky ground. This is precisely why he is such a good character for a documentary with no dialog. This documentary searches for the answer to the question, how can such a hard way to earn a living produce such a unique and wonderful person in authentic Mediterranean nature and landscape...

Special Mention Jury Award
MENZIONE SPECIALE DELLA GIURIA
(Visti da vicino)
Festival del documentario d'Abruzzo Italy 2009
"Un film unico, breve ed intenso, in grado di cogliere in due sole azioni il cuore di una esistenza antica. La dimostrazione di quanto potente possa essere l'evocazione cinematografica in un racconto visivo semplice ma mai elementare, che riesce a toccare le chiavi piu ricche e profonde della natura umana."

THE SPECIAL MENTION OF THE JURY (Visti da vicino)
BERAC KAMENA by Branko Istvancic
"A short and intense film, able to gather in two only actions the heart of an ancient existence. The demonstration of what powerful can be the evocation in a simple visual story but never elementary, that succeeds in touching the richest and deep keys of the human nature".

Award for best editing
9th International Tourfilm Festival
SWITF Split Croatia 2006

DVD cover design by: Tomislav Horvatinovic