Milko Bambič: In Statu Nascendi

Director: Radovan Čok
Screenplay: Slađana Vide, Miloš Kalusek
Cinematography: Predrag Bambič, Sas
Editor: Miloš Kalusek
Animator: Radovan Čok
Producer: Slađana Vide
Sound Designer: Boštjan Kačičnik
Sound Recordist: Ivan Antić
Camera Operators: Predrag Bambić, Jure Černec, Izidor Čok, Radovan Čok
Camera Assistant: Izidor Čok
Color Grading: Solsticij
Colorist: Tadej Vintar
Editing Assistant: Boštjan Kerčmar

Producer: Solsticij
Co-producers: Montage, Kinoatelje
Year of Production: 2023
Duration: 50 minutes

Synopsis

Gentle strokes of lines in this film sketch the portrait of artist Milko Bambič (1905–1991)—a painter, illustrator, polyglot, polymath, inventor, art critic, writer, and pioneer of Slovenian comics and caricature. He was a designer before the profession even existed.

The film, enriched with the textures of historical time and space, paints a playful and independent personality of a controversial creator who remains on the periphery to this day—relatively unknown within the central Slovenian art scene yet a prominent figure in Trieste.

Milko Bambič’s biographical journey—Trieste, Idrija, Trieste, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Trieste—is depicted through visual materials, drawings, paintings, archival footage, and comics, shedding light on his multifaceted artistic career. His contributions are crucial to Slovenian culture, spanning the interwar period and continuing to resonate today. His life was deeply marked by the 20th-century dramas of Central European and Balkan history, transitioning from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (SHS), through both Yugoslavias, and culminating on the eve of the federation’s dissolution.

Among his achievements is the 1931 visual design for Radenska mineral water, with its iconic label still in use today. The design, featuring three red hearts, symbolically evoked the "brotherhood of SHS" at the time.

Bambič began his creative journey during the rise of nationalism and fascism, succumbing to political activism. In 1927, he published the satirical anti-fascist comic Bu-ci-bu in the monthly magazine Naš glas (Our Voice). It depicted a small, arrogant, and tyrannical Black king—a metaphor for Benito Mussolini—and predicted his downfall. This was the first Slovenian comic.

The film had its pre-premiere on February 8, 2024, at 8:00 PM in the Gorizia’s House of Film and premiered on February 9, 2024, at 8:00 PM in Trieste’s Miela Theater. More about this.

Director’s Statement

Starting with Fauvism (from the French word "wild") and moving through Futurism, Fascism, and other "isms," the 20th century was a brutal stage where Milko Bambič remains an elusive protagonist. I can easily imagine Bambič as a character in Vladimir Bartol’s works: sitting on Al-Araf, one foot on each side of the wall of knowledge, playing the violin as strong winds blow.