Magnificent7 – a Festival with a Big Heart
I am in Riga for the Baltic Sea Docs. I am with Uldis Cekulis, who has been to Magnificent7 twice. As the producer of “Ramin” by Audrius Stonys and “Bridges of Time”, that Stonys directed together with Kristine Briede.
I asked Uldis to remember and characterize the festival. He kept on saying “Big halls”, “Huge audience” and (!) a festival with Heart. He said HEART with big letters.
Spot on! A festival with a big heart that now celebrates its 20th edition. I have been privileged to be there from the very start. I met Zoran and Svetlana Popovic in Thessaloniki and they asked me to come to Belgrade to show European documentaries and talk about them. I did so for some days and also paid a visit to their private film school. One of the days Zoran asked me if I could help them set up a film festival. Not a big festival in number of films, no it should be carefully selected films and if I, who travelled to many festivals would assist? Yes with pleasure, was the answer. How many films, I asked. What about 7 and we could call it Magnifient7!
Voila! And a flashback to the first screening at the Sava Centre. I stood next to Svetlana, who thought there would be around 100 for Thomas Riedelsheimer’s “Touch the Sound”. Around 1000 came!
Magnificent7 has a magnificent audience. And a loyal one. I don’t know if there are spectators, who have attended the 19 previous editions but year after year I have said hello to Belgraders, who have said that they come because they are sure that there are films for them – and because the meetings with the directors or producers are always interesting, steered with humour and an extensive film knowledge by Zoran, whose head must be made in a specific manner – he asks questions, translates into Serbian, vice versa when it come to the answers from the filmmakers. Never a sign of him being tired. Apart from helping Zoran to the stage and while walking in the streets, Svetlana is a true film lover and connoisseur. AND both of them, as they said to me the other, love to have guests=film people, they did not have to say so, I have seen and experienced an unbelievable hospitality from their side towards the guests and towards me and my wife Ellen.
Big Heart… and a huge generosity. The filmmakers are treated like kings and queens from they arrive till they leave Belgrade. Films from big names like Heddy Honigmann, Marc Isaacs, Nicolas Philibert, Michael Glawogger, Helena Třeštíková, GermanKral, Arunas Matelis, have been shown on the big screens in the Sava Centre and now in MTS Hall close to the Parliament.
In the beginning of Magnificent7 several young filmmakers were on the stage, having helped Zoran and Svetlana: Andrijana Stojkovic, Mila Turajlic, Sonja Blagojevic, Jelena Stankovic… Now they are making films and have children to take care of. I have been following their careers with pleasure. Jelena, luckily, is still helping out with places to have lunch and dinner. Not to forget Nevena Djonlic, who was head of Film Division at the Sava Centre when it all began, a dedicated Djokovic fan, and lovely young Ema, a filmmaker as well and the one who has been taking us around in wonderful Belgrade.
20 years of visiting Belgrade for the Magnificent7. Pure pleasure. A true friendship has been developed for me and Ellen with Zoran and Svetlana. They have been in Copenhagen and we have made tours with them to the south and north of Serbia, profiting from their enormous historical knowledge – and their view on Serbian politics of today. This friendship will stay!
Enjoy the films of this year, dear audience, they have been picked with HEART.
Tue Steen Müller
Riga
September 1st 2024.
Photo: Touch the Sound by Thomas Riedelsheimer, the first film of the Magnificent7 Festival, in 2005, shown at the Sava Centre Belgrade. I wrote the following words about the film: “From the very first moment you are aware that you look at a Film, you can see what a camera can achieve in the right hands and you meet this fantastic artist (Evelyn Glennie) who introduces you to a magic of sound that you have never before heard. Or seen!
