The film “Loving Highsmith” by the Swiss director Eva Vitija is based on the recently published diaries of Patricia Highsmith, the queen of psychological thrillers and a vital figure in queer history, and will be released in Croatian cinemas on December 18th.
The film focuses on her search for her own identity, turbulent love life and sheds new light on her writing. Exclusive archival material, accompanied by the voices of family, friends and the author herself, reveals the previously unknown face of one of the most screened writers of all time, whose templates were used in the cult films “Strangers from the Nord Express” (dir. Alfred Hitchcock), “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (dir. Anthony Minghella) and “Carol” (dir. Todd Haynes).
The cinema premiere of the film “Loving Highsmith” will be held at Dokukino KIC, on Thursday, December 14th, as part of the Arterija program – a week of films about artists, and after the screening there will be a conversation with film critic Mario Kozina and curator and critic Barbara Gregov .
In Dokukino KIC, on Saturday, December 23rd, there will also be a day dedicated to Patricia Highsmith when, along with the documentary “Loving Highsmith”, the screen adaptations of her novels – “Carol” by Todd Haynes from 2015 with Cate Blanchett and Mara Rooney in the main roles and “American Friend” by Wim Wenders from 1977, starring Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz will be screened. We present the program in cooperation with the Goethe Institute and Discovery Film and Video.
During the screenings in Dokukino KIC in Zagreb, it will be possible to buy the first Croatian translation of the novel “Strangers on the Train”, which was recently published by Petra’s Books. Based on this book, Hitchcock made “Strangers in the Nord Express”, one of his most acclaimed films about an almost perfect murder.
“Loving Highsmith” is distributed by Restart Label with the support of Swiss Films and the Federal Office for Culture of the Swiss Confederation. The film is produced by Ensemble Film GmbH with co-producers Lichtblick Film, ARTE/ZDF, SRF and RSI.
