Magnificent7 Belgrade/ Report 2
Last night. Look at the photo – Sylvain Biegeleisen, director of ”Twilight of a Life”, is on stage with festival director Zoran Popovic in Belgrade before the screening of his film at the Magnificent7 festival in Belgrade. Biegeleisen is about to sing a Jacques Brel chanson to put the more than 1500 Belgraders present in the mood to be in the company with himself and first of all his mother for 71 minutes. He sings for her in the film that was received with applause for minutes. The well placed comment from my Serbian filmmaking friend next to me was like this, ”we are all crying”, right she was, from watching a woman at the end of her life full of wisdom and humour! There were noone rushing out of the cinema.
Biegeleisen had afterwards a packed Q&A session in the vip room of the Sava Center and this afternoon, in one hour, he will hold a masterclass for young and older filmmakers at the same place. I will report tomorrow about the many interesting comments that the director has conveyed and will come up with concerning his making of this wonderful work.
PS. A Sunday in Belgrade is not ”only” films… I started this morning being greeted by a young hotel receptionist, who said she had seen me several times on Serbien television. Proud I was, ”was it ok what I said”… until the answer came ”I don’t know, I watch tv without sound having music in my ears…”
PPS. And a tradition has grown: We go to the home of festival team colleague Nevena Donlic, an expert of tennis and admirer of – I am that as well now – Novak Djokovic, who played the Australian Open final against Scottish Murray, who as last year was beaten pretty easily by the Serbian phenomenon. Serbian brunch and television hospitality at its best, thanks.
