Erased, the Slovenian-Croatian-Serbian film speaks about the true events from 25 years ago, when 25,000 people in Slovenia were erased following a decision of the Ministry of Interior and have lost their citizenship and residence in Slovenia.

Director and producer Miha Mazzini said that his story is fictional, even though there have been cases like it in Slovenia. The film tells the story of a woman who faces a bureaucratic problem when she gives birth - her personal information is not in the system, and her child is considered an orphan.

“My story follows the emotional mother-daughter relationship, which we have captured faithfully thanks to Judita Franković Brdar’s acting”, Mazzini said. He added that, in spite of the film talking about a difficult topic, it has lighter moments.

Judita Franković Brdar said that she did not know about the case of erased people beforehand. “As it is a broader issue, I focused more on the fight to get the child back and the emotions of the mother I was playing, than I did on the erased. With the help of a teacher, I mastered Slovenian language nicely”, she said. The film was filmed in just 20 days, and she is in all but two of the scenes.

“Even though I was so tired that I sometimes fell asleep in breaks from filming, I am very happy I got the opportunity to work on this film, as it has made me grow as a person as well”, she said.

Co-produce Ira Cecić said that the funding for the film was granted by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), and admitted she was surprised than many people outside  of Slovenia did not know about the erased, not even in the neighbouring Croatia.

Editor Tomislav Pavlic tried to contribute to the atmosphere of angst and anxiety of the film and has adapted everything to fit the lead actress, as she is the dominant one in the film. “I tried to make her scenes last longer and I hope we have captured the suspenseful atmosphere”, he said.

Photo gallery is HERE.