ZAGREB: Croatian director Mate Ugrin is currently in postproduction with Petty Thieves / Sitni Iopovi. The film is a coming-of-age story involving producers from Croatia, France, Germany, and Serbia.
Rio, a quiet young man from a village in central Istria in Croatia, makes a living as a kitchen helper in a hotel resort on the Adriatic coast, committing occasional petty thefts from tourists. He takes care of his elderly grandparents and clashes with his grandmother on how to best take care of his grandfather, who suffers from dementia. After long shifts at work, he visits cruising hotspots, but is cautious and reserved.
One evening, Andrea, a seasonal beauty salon worker in the same resort, notices Rio stealing at the beach. She suggests joining forces and stealing from her wealthy customers in the hotel, sharing the profits. As the two spend time breaking into hotel rooms and villas looking for jewelery and money, they form an emotional bond and Rio begins to open up. But it isn’t long before Andrea is caught and gets fired from the resort, deciding to leave for Germany.
The main characters are played by Gavrilo Jovic, Tea Ljubesic, Snjezana Sinovcic Siskov, and Izudin Bajrovic.
“Petty Thieves is an emotional coming of age story about a young man on the verge of adulthood. A still immature Rio is stepping up to take care of others in his life, but at the same time he is neglecting his own needs, unsure what he himself wants out of life. He lashes out and acts impulsively, until he can find balance between himself and the world”, Croatian producer Daria Blažević told FNE.
The film is produced by Croatia’s Kadromat and coproduced by In the Cut (France), Fünferfilm (Germany) and Nanslafu films (Serbia), with the support of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, CNC – Aide aux cinémas du monde, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, ARTE/Cofinova, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, and Creative Europe- MEDIA.
The producers are Daria Blažević and Mate Ugrin from Croatia. Tiphaine Robion from France, Julia Cöllen, Karsten Krause and Frank Sheuffele from Germany and Jelena Angelovski from Serbia are the coproducers.
The total budget is 1,235,029 EUR.
The film was shot from 7 September to 18 October 2024 in the Istrian cities of Pula, Rovinj, Poreč, as well as the surrounding villages.
The completion date of the film is still unknown.
Production Information:
Producer:
Kadromat (Croatia)
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Coproducers:
In the cut (France)
Fünferfilm (Germany)
Nanslafu films (Serbia)
Credits:
Director: Mate Ugrin
Screenwriter: Mate Ugrin
DoP: Ivan Markovic
Composer: Nika Son
Cast: Gavrilo Jovic, Tea Ljubesic, Snjezana Sinovcic Siskov, Izudin Bajrovic
