Mit - Index

Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_09_št.13 - Index

hOw LONG DID IT TAkE TO mAkE,
fROm ThE fIRST IDEA TO ThE fIRST
PROJECTION?
The idea was born in 2003, when I got hold of the novel by Feri
LainšËek of the same name. I became enthusiastic about the work,
I was taken over by the story, which is simple and truly alive, a story
I know, a story I have lived, and wanted for my first movie. I also
liked that the story was local and very typical of places I know,
places I grew up in. It describes life on the margins. I am convinced
that Slovenians have a strong folklore or a very special sense of
humour. I often hear many that Serbs have true humour, and that
Slovenians do not, but I think this is not true. It is true, however,
that we have a distinctive Slovenian humour. The performance of
the singer Severina is also very typical of Slovenia, as there are many
admirers of Croatian music in Slovenia. Slovenia used to be part
of Yugoslavia, and this intertwining with the Balkans is still alive.
The majority of favourable estimations were given to the movie’s
“reality” with the following words: this is exactly how it is here; this
is exactly how we live and speak.
hOw DO yOU COmmENT ON ThE fACT
ThAT ThE DOmESTIC ART DEVOTES TOO
mUCh ATTENTION TO mARGINAL AND
ASSOCIATED TOPICS?
Literature, and the movie as well, which are created with the
ambition of artistic excess, necessarily searches in marginal or
border situations. Only there do heroes face situations demanding
essential and total answers and decisions. In this sense, ‘average’ is
not interesting, or if I speak freely, artists are really not interested
in the average.
yOU SkILfULLy INVOLVED A CURRENT POP
STAR wIThOUT hAVING A ChEAP EffECT.
TO whAT EXTENT DID ThAT AffECT ThE
BETTER PROmOTION Of ThE mOVIE?
Severina was a character already in the novel. Here I proceed
from the realism, an actual living person liked Severina. The motor
mechanic from Prekmurje adored her, and the intertwining of
a certain generation and an area with roots in Yugoslavia still
continues today. If musicians from former Yugoslav republics come,
there are plenty of Slovenian fans. The relation of Slovenians with
Balkan music is inside us. During this time, Severina became even
more popular and thereby contributed to the actuality of the movie.
I am glad, though, that she was only a part of the project in the
movie and that she did not stand out.
ThE ACTORS IN ThE mOVIE wERE
EXCEPTIONAL, AS wE hAVE PROBABLy
NOT SEEN SUCh RELAXED AND
SPONTANEOUS ACTING IN ANy SLOVENIAN
mOVIE. whAT ARE ThE REASONS fOR
ThIS ACTING BREAkThROUGh? DID ThE
ATmOSPhERE IN ThE TEAm ENABLE ThIS
17
SUCCESS?
iNTeRview
The reading rehearsals certainly contributed a lot. Besides, there
were good actors in the team, and, moreover, we established a
good relationship. The relationship between director and actor is
very important, because it defines the acting style. I am well aware
that I have directed too few movies to speak of my own style, but
I hope I will have a wider range of movies in a few years and then
we will be able better to analyse this question. My cooperation with
actors contributed a lot. It seems to me that it is good we included
many small irregularities into the movie, which we otherwise do in
life too. We also included sensations, which affect the interpretation
dimensions. I am grateful to the actors, who were really good.
yOU ARE ThE SLOVENIAN CANDIDATE fOR
ThE ACADEmy AwARD NOmINATION fOR
ThE BEST fOREIGN LANGUAGE mOVIE.
ThIS yEAR, fIVE mOVIES APPLIED fOR
ACADEmy AwARD NOmINATION fOR BEST
fOREIGN LANGUAGE mOVIE.
The movie aroused much enthusiasm in New York, which implies it
has a note of dialogue which is up-to-date elsewhere as well. You
now, I would not like readers to think that my movie stands out
in Slovenian cinema by its success - no, successes happen all the
time, other Slovenian directors have them too, but unfortunately,
the movie industry is systemically at a standstill. The Film Fund is
not capable of giving it the appropriate impetus. I dream of the
environment where movie production would, undisturbed, produce
some 7-8 movies per year to fully create the right production
dynamics.
hOw IS yOUR mOVIE BEING DISTRIBUTED?
Distribution was officially finished in the summer this year - we
finished with a total audience of 183,000. We have concrete
proposals from three foreign distributors who wish to present the
movie in their countries. Things are still open. Then, we will see
what happens in internationally. However, a lot depends on the
festivals; otherwise, I predict another year or two of life.
whAT ABOUT yOUR fUTURE? A DIRECTOR
wITh SUCh A mOVIE BECOmES A kIND Of
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