STUDIO VIRC
 
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HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!
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Completed - CROATIAN, ENGLISH, SERBIAN, SLOVENIAN - Science-fiction, Documentary - 88 minutes

Log Line

The cold war, the space race, and NASA’s moon landing are landmark events that defined an era. But they are also fodder for conspiracy theories. This intriguing docu-fiction explores the myth of the secret multi-billion-dollar deal behind America’s purchase of Yugoslavia’s clandestine space program.

Year of production : 2016

Director(s) : Ziga VIRC
Writer(s) : Žiga VIRC, Bostjan VIRC
Producer(s) : Boštjan VIRC (STUDIO VIRC), Siniša JURIČIĆ (NUKLEUS FILM), Ingmar TROST (SUTOR KOLONKO FILMPRODUKTION)

Synopsis

Cold War-era international intrigue, declassified top-secret documents, and a clandestine deal between John F. Kennedy and Yugoslavia’s president Josip Tito are just the tip of the iceberg in this absorbing docu-fiction. Blurring the lines between fact and fiction, "Houston, We Have a Problem!" explores the myth behind the origins of America’s race to be the first country to send a man to the moon, and a supposed multi-billion-dollar deal involving America’s purchase of Yugoslavia’s space program in the early 1960s. Deftly combining archival footage with modern-day interviews with philosopher Slavoj Žižek and some of the key figures in the film’s investigation—including a former Yugoslavian space engineer, an American historian, and a retired Yugoslav People’s Army general—"Houston, We Have a Problem!" is a fascinating meta-examination of Cold War foreign diplomacy and myth-building, and the lies, manipulation, and dirty games that go into the construction of a national identity.
Myth or reality? It's up to you to decide.

Production

Country(ies) : SLOVENIA, CROATIA, GERMANY, CZECH REPUBLIC, QATAR

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Festivals and Awards

DocCorner 2016
Karlovy Vary IFF 2016 East of the West - Competition
Zurich FF 2016 International Documentary Film Competition
BFI London FF 2016 Laugh
Tribeca FF 2016 (Viewpoints)


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