Zipper Lab

06/06/2024

A well-known news magazine, POLITICO, recently published an article titled "GEN Z Ready to Take the Reins in Europe." 📰 This resonated deeply with me as a few months ago, I decided to film a 26-year-old woman, Nina Skočak.

My goal? 🎯 To make a documentary about her life, her background, and her bold political ambition to run for the EU Parliament with her independent GEN Z list.

Nina is an educated young woman with degrees in journalism and politics. 🎓 She's also a well-known influencer on TikTok and Instagram, 📱 where she shares insights into her private life, her love for sustainable fashion, and educates her 220,000 followers on TikTok about politics. 🗳️ How can she be all of these things and more, especially as we are so determined to put labels on people and put them in boxes? 📦

She likes journalism, politics, wearing hats, sometimes dresses like Nanny Fine, finds inspiration in the 50s, buys her clothes at second-hand markets, likes to laugh out loud, and definitely has a young girl’s innocent charm.

Throughout the filming process, I've witnessed firsthand the challenges she faces in Croatia during the campaign 🌎 but also some interior battles, feeling like David combating Goliath. Many question how a serious politician can also be an influencer, a young woman, a TikToker, and someone so passionate about fashion. This skepticism is compounded by the significant amount of hate speech she faces online from both the left and right parties and their followers. 💬

Despite this, Nina has managed to rally an impressive number of young people who are eager for change and ready to see new faces in politics. 👥✨

However, the question remains: Can a young GEN Z influencer with a passion for fashion truly be taken seriously in the political arena even if she is highly educated? This dichotomy is at the heart of the debate around Nina and the broader movement of Gen Z entering politics. 🗣️

Regardless of the election results, one thing is clear: Generation Z is stepping up, taking political space, and demanding to decide their own future. 🌟 They don't want their destinies controlled by middle-aged politicians.

Let's see how this unfolds and make sure to use your vote in the upcoming EU elections. 🌍🗳️✨

Thank you Ivana Turkalj for all the help with the camera.
With: Dorotea Strelec

26/04/2024

🙂🎬We are still traveling with my latest documentary, 'Where Have All the Smiles Gone,' about Nepali migrant workers. Tomorrow, we'll be at ERAC, connecting to the Impact Conference in Zagreb, and on the 8th of May, film will be screened at the Construire Cine Film Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina🇦🇷

Trailer : https://vimeo.com/775843198

24/04/2024

🌟 Filming for 2 months already!
🎬 Big milestone yesterday: Gen Z Independent List, led by Croatian influencer Nina Skočak, brought 8500 signatures to the State Election Commission yesterday and is now officially campaigning for the EU Parliament as the youngest list ever in Croatia and Europe. (they were supposed to gather 5000 in only 2 weeks without any infrastructure or finances) 🇪🇺

It's a big social experiment, and despite the obstacles and current political situation in Croatia, mostly governed by older men, change is happening. 💪
Youth, especially young women, have spoken up, supporting Nina and her list through social media. 🌍
It seems that digital support is becoming real!
Stay tuned for more updates !

Big thanks to Ivana Turkalj for being my right hand with camera work and a director assistant.
thank you Dorotea Strelec !

02/11/2023

📽️✨ Cinema brings us all together in the heart of New York!

I Had an incredible time at the Workers Unite! Film Festival, screening "Where Have All the Smiles Gone." 🎥 Our documentary sheds light on the struggles of Nepali migrants in neighboring countries. 🌏

It was amazing to connect with human rights organizations, old friends, Nepali migration in NYC and to UN representative Tessa Dikker from the Dutch Embassy.

Looking forward of meeting Abigail Disney tonight as her documentary, "American Dream and Other Fairytales," closes the festival! 🌆🎬

Thanks to all my colleagues, team, friends, family and festival organization for making this happen
Nadja Houben Zipper Lab, Iva Galovic, Andrew Tilson, Chandra Kant Jha Mountain River Films, Dominik Budimir Samikshya Panta Vlatka Gerbus Tim Hill Dalia Alic Dorotea Strelec Tamara Ljubić Filip Strelec

06/05/2022

New country - new social impact story! 😀
We are really happy that we got an opportunity to produce, direct and film a video for EVPA, Collaborate for Impact project funded by DG NEAR, about a social enterprise employing women in rural areas in Azerbaijan. It is great to see ideas that develop into businesses, creating a lasting impact for a community.
Video coming soon !

For similar projects do check out the link in 👉BIO

28/04/2022

First day of shooting in Baku, Azerbaijan 🎬✈☀️

For similar content do check out the link in 👉BIO

20/04/2022

Another success story from Armenia we got to film and produce is the one about an Armenian camp on the lake Sevan. 🎞🎬🌞❤

Samvel Rostomyan and Varduhi Aramyan founded the Armenian camp as a resource for the physical convalescence and leisure of people with disabilities.
Today, Armenian camp offers great facilities that allow inclusive tourism - both indoor and outdoor activities. They also work with their local communities, teaching the children of the nearby villages to swim as well as involving them in cleanup activities.

Video coming soon !

For similar content do check out the link in 👉BIO

23/10/2021

In mood for some vegetarian delicacies? In our new article for .eu we bring you excellent vegetarian restaurants and one coffee shop that is not to be missed 😉

Check the article on the link below!

https://traveltomorrow.com/the-best-vegetarian-restaurants-in-brussels/

For more of our work, check the link 👉in the BIO.

14/10/2021

We are very happy and proud that our founder, Anja Strelec, will be a part of a jury at Rome Independent Film Festival taking place from 18 till 26 November where she will also be holding a masterclass 📷🙂

Stay tuned for more info and in the meantime check out our portfolio on the 👉 link in BIO.

12/10/2021

We love drone photography, especially of such gorgeous places like the Lika region in Croatia. 😍🇭🇷

Let us know if you need drone photography and check more about this wonderful region in the article for Travel Tomorrow https://traveltomorrow.com/back-to-the-roots-discovering-lika/

For more of our work check the link 👉 in BIO.

05/10/2021

New week, new project with the wonderful team of GAMS whose objective is to stop female ge***al mutilation which is still happening in Belgium and worldwide.

We had fun filming the promotional video to promote the team values. Here are some stills from the shooting, video coming soon! 📷

***almutilation

30/09/2021

With German elections last Sunday it was a good time to do a video report about Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and what the foundation stands for - democracy, feminism, international solidarity and democratic socialism.

Check out the report we did for Belgian TV - BRUZZ and for the rest of our work, check our website. 📷

The Brussels office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation was opened in 2008. "Rosa Luxemburg was an extraordinary thinker. She belonged to the marginalised group in every possible way."