Completed - CROATIAN, ENGLISH, SERBIAN, SLOVENIAN - Science-fiction, Documentary - 88 minutes
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)
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.
Country(ies) : SLOVENIA, CROATIA, GERMANY, CZECH REPUBLIC, QATAR
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DocCorner 2016Karlovy Vary IFF 2016 East of the West - CompetitionZurich FF 2016 International Documentary Film CompetitionBFI London FF 2016 LaughTribeca FF 2016 (Viewpoints)