UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA IN PRETORIA SERBIAN ARTS AND CULTURE SOCIETY AFRICA SERBIAN FILM FESTIVAL 22nd - 29th November 2012 NU METRO, MONTECASINO An author’s perspective of the world Film, as a sublimation of all arts, is a true medium, a universal vehicle with which the broader public is presented with a world view, as seen by the eye of the fi lmmaker. Nowadays, due to the global economic crisis, which is ironically producing technological and all sorts of other develop- ments, an increasing number of people are pushed to the margins of average standards of living, and fi lmmakers are given the chance to bring under their ‘protection’ millions of disillusioned people with their fi lmmaking capabilities. Art, throughout its history, has always praised but has also been heavily critical of its subject. Film is not just that. Film is that and so much more. Film is life itself and beyond life. Film is everything many of us dream about but never dare to say out loud. That is why people love fi lms. That is why it is eternal. It tears down boundaries and brings together cul- tures. It awakens curiosity and builds bridges from one far away coast to another. Film is a ‘great lie’ but an even greater truth. Yugoslavian, and today the Serbian fi lm industry has always been ‘in trend’. It might sound harsh but, unfortunately, this region has always provided ample ‘material’ for fi lms. Under our Balkan clouds there has been an ongoing battle about which people are older, which came and settled fi rst, who started it and who will be fi rst to leave and such battles have been and continue to be an inspiration to fi lm producers. It has also been a polygon for geopolitical experiments which, like always, end at the expense of millions of innocent people. Serbian fi lmmakers had a tendency to be focused on the negative aspects of society and even critical of their leaders which was not in any way simple or without its dangers. The ‘Black Wave’ was a recognizable critical fi lm genre, during the 1970s, in time of Tito’s Yugoslavia. Today, the Serbian fi lm industry is once again showing signs of life something that I can confi rm, not only as an actor, but also as a director and fi lm producer. In times when it’s risky and hard, even for the millionaires of this world, which I feel very ‘sorry’ for, in Serbia we continue to make fi lms. All the more often, fi lmmakers are taking upon themselves the roles of producers to ensure a professional fi nal out- come and control the entire procedure of the production so that the piece of art that is presented in front of viewers remains true and untainted. The foundation responsible for the vitality of the Serbian fi lm industry, which is now particularly evident, are the young fi lmmakers. Various fi lms from young fi lmmakers in the recent years have very critically, bravely and originally ‘scanned’ life in Serbia. As a result we have the once brave and brilliant directors including: Saša Petrović, Dušan Makavejeva, Puriša Đorđević, Žika Pavlović , along with those who are still very much strong and continue making fi lms; Želimir Žilnik, Goran Paskaljević, Emir Kusturica, Slobodan Šijan,Goran Marković, Darko Bajić, Srdan Golubović, Srđan Dragojević, and introducing the new generation: Stefan Arsenijević, Nikola Ležajić, Maja Miloš, Stevan Filipović, who without compromise try to eliminate the inertia of the tired national corpus. With their attitude towards life and fi lm, the future of Serbian fi lm is forever certain. Film fans in Johannesburg will see for themselves that Serbia rightfully belongs to in the scene of world fi lm and will be given the opportunity to see the work of directors from diff erent generations and various world views. Among them, my fi lm, “The White Lions”, which tells the story of the struggles of a small man against the big and powerful world, will also be shown. I believe that the intention of the organizers was just that. Lazar Ristovski Montevideo, Taste of a Dream (Montevideo, Bog Te Video) Fiction, Serbia, 2010, color, 140΄ Direction: Dragan Bjelogrlić / Screenplay: Srđan Dragojević, Ranko Božić / based on the homony- mous novel by Vladimir Stankovic) / Cinematography: Goran Volarević / Cast: Miloš Biković, Petar Strugar, Danina Jeftić, Nina Janković, Predrag Vasić / Production: Intermedia Network Belgrade, 1930. The story follows eleven passionate, mostly anonymous, but very talented soccer players and their journey from the cobblestone streets of impoverished Belgrade neighborhoods to the formation of the national team before the very fi rst World Cup in faraway Uruguay. It centers on the relationship between two top players: natural talent and poor boy Tirke and playboy and superstar Moša. The fi lm had record ticket sales in Serbia and won the Audience award at Moscow IFF and 5th Art and Film Festival Two Riversides in Poland and the International’s Jury Special Mention at 58th IFF at Pula in Croatia. Also, 5 FIPRESCI Serbia awards and Offi cial Serbian entry for the 84rd Academy Awards. Dragan Bjelogrlic Born in Opovo, Serbia in 1963, Dragan Bjelogrlic is a famous actor in his native country. He studied acting in Belgrade. He is also a director and producer. When Day Breaks (Kad Svane Dan) Drama, Serbia-Croatia-France, 2012, color, 90΄ Director: Goran Paskaljević / Screenplay: Filip David and Goran Paskaljević / Director of photogra- phy: Milan Spasić / Music: Vlatko Stefanovski / Production designer: Milenko Jeremić / Costumes: Marina Medenica / Editor: Kristina Pozenel / Cast: Mustafa Nadarević, Predrag Ejdus, Nebojša Gl- ogovac, Meto Jovanovski, Zafi r Hadžimanov, Nada Šargin, Ana Stefanović, Olga Odanović-Petrović, Toma Jovanović, Rade Kojadinović, Mira Banjac / Produced by: Nova fi lm (Serbia), Intermedia Network (Serbia), Zepter International (Serbia), Maxima Film (Croatia), Arsam Film (France), Wanda Vision (Spain) Misha Brankov is a retired music professor. One morning he receives a letter requesting him to con- tact the Jewish Museum in Belgrade. At the museum, he learns that during some excavations on the sewers at the city’s Old Fairgrounds, an iron box was found, in this same place that during the Second World War an infamous concetration camp was set up for Serbian Jews and Gypsies. The contents of the box will change the Profesor’s life... Goran Paskaljević Goran Paskaljevic studied at the well-known Prague school of cinema (F AMUJ. He has made 30 documentaries and 15 feature fi lms, shown and acclaimed at the most prestigious international fi lm festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and San Sebastian ... ). In 2001, Variety international Film Guide marked him as one of the world’s top fi ve directors of the year. His latest fi lm When Day Breaks has been selected as the Serbian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. The Trap (Klopka) Fiction,Serbia-Germany-Hungary, 2007, color, 106΄ Direction: Srdan Golubović/ Screenplay: Melina Pota Koljević, Srđan Koljević / Cinematography: Aleksandar Ilić / Cast: Nebojša Glogovac, Nataša Ninković, Anica Dobra, Miki Manojlović, Marko Djurković / Production: Baš Čelik, Mediopolis GmbH, Uj Budapest Filmstudio, ΑΜΑ Films Post-Milosevic Belgrade, capital of a nation struggling to fi nd its soul, of a country whose turbulent recent past has left many in a moral and existential desert. This is the home of Mladen, his wife Marija and their son Nemanja. When Nemanja develops a serious heart condition, the doctors urge an operation abroad. But where to obtain the 26,000 euros? Just when the boy΄s parents give up hope of raising the money, a man contacts Mladen and off ers to pay the whole amount. But there is one thing Mladen must do: kill the man΄s business rival. If he accepts, he saves his boy΄s life but loses his soul; if he refuses, he will grieve as a righteous man until the end of his life. The trap is set. Best Actor and Best Director at Milan IFF, Grand Prix at Sofi a IFF, FIPRESCI Prize at Wiesbaden goEast FF, Audience Award at Trieste IFF. Srdan Golubovic Srdan Golubovic was born in Belgrade in 1972. During his studies he directed several short features that received international and domestic awards and one story, Hertz Minute, for the omnibus The Package that became a cult movie. He established the production company Bas Celik with a team of young fi lmmakers. His fi rst feature, Absolute Hundred, was screened at numerous festivals and won numerous awards. Among others, the fi lm won the Audience Award for Best Foreign Film and the Best Actor Award at the Thessaloniki IFF. Love and Other Crimes (Ljubav i Drugi Zločini) Fiction, Serbia-Germany-Austria-Slovenia, 2008, color, 106΄ Direction: Stefan Arsenijević / Screenplay: Stefan Arsenijević, Srđan Koljević, Bojan Vuletić / Cinema- tography: Simon Tansek I Ηθοποιοί/ Cast: Anica Dobra, Vuk Kostić, Milena Dravić, Feđa Stojanović, Hanna Schwamborn / Production: Icon Film, Art & Popcorn, Coin Film, KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Production, Studio Arkadena Tonight, everything changes for Anika. She‘ll pack her belongings, say her goodbyes and empty her boyfriend’s safe before boarding a fl ight to a new life. However, what she doesn’t know is that today is also a big day for those around her- and her last day in Belgrade might not run as smoothly as planned. Best Director Award at the Sofi a IFF. Stefan Arsenijevic Stefan Arsenijević was born in Belgrade in 1977. He earned a MA in fi lm and TV directing from the Faculty of Drama Arts in Belgrade, where he works as an assistant professor. Co-founder of the fi lm production house Art & Popcorn.