Mila Turajlic and Labudovic

Serbian director Mila Turajlic is my cinematic historian, when it comes to tell me about the history of Yugoslavia and Serbia. At IDFA she presented her two new films “Non-Aligned: Scenes from the Labudovic Reels” and “Ciné-Guerrillas: Scenes from the Labudovic Reels”, plus had a live documentary performance about the reels together with her colleague Maja Medic. But let me take a flashback to the filmkommentaren archive, where you can find words about her previous films “Cinema Komunisto” and “The Other Side of Everything”. About the former: 

”It was one of those evenings (the closing night of the Magnificent7 2011, ed.) that you will never forget – and that Mila Turajlic will never forget. A totally packed Sava Centre in Belgrade gave her a minute long applause for her great work on making the 100 minutes long documentary on Yugoslav film history, ”Cinema Komunisto”, a film that in this and shorter versions will travel the world, to festivals and television companies. It is an enjoyable and informative voyage the young director takes, in film history and in history – back to a country that no longer exists.

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3125/

And the latter, the jury motivation for giving “The Other Side of Everything” the main award at IDFA 2017: 

“An apartment becomes a metaphor for both the former Yugoslavia and the current political climate in the region. In a space where past and present are in constant dialogue, we discover an inspiring character. Through the filmmaker’s lens we are introduced to her mother (Srbijanka Turajlic, RIP) – an enlightened woman who has dedicated her life to political activism. Poetically structured, the beauty of this character resonates. For its textured cinematic language that artfully blends the historical with the personal, the jury awards the IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary to The Other Side of Everything by Mila Turajlic.”

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/4096/

“…an enjoyable and informative voyage”, “…poetically structured” are words that also can be linked to the Labudovic Reels. Stevan Labudovic was the cameraman of Tito, who sent him to Algeria to cover the activities of ALN (Armée de libération nationale), The National Liberation Army fighting for the independence from colonializing France. He was there for 3 years and his contribution to the liberation is remembered and more than appreciated by the Algerians, as we see in the film. Turajlic travels to the country, meets surviving soldiers who took part, always with the showing of what Labudovic caught with his camera. Much of this Turajlic found in the archive Filmske Novosti, many reels had never been shown before – 35mm footage, excellent quality.

In both films – the Guerilla one and the one telling about the non-aligned countries meeting in Belgrade in 1961 – Turajlic has wonderful conversations with the cameraman (1926-2017), she takes him to his birthplace in Montenegro, where he was born, he talks about his profession, we see him on location, quite a fit man back then, also in the film, an old man mounting the stairs with a stick. “Your lens is dirty”, he says to Turajlic… and in another scene he directs her to get away from the disturbing sunshine. Enjoyable and informative.

Sound was put on later – propaganda, positive propaganda as Labudovic calls it, to be shown as short films in the cinema before the feature. Until 1989 this was the case, as in other Eastern countries where they were called chronicles. It´s history and impressive to see the leaders of the non-aligned countries one after the other: Nasser, Nehru, Sukharno and so on coming to Belgrade to establish a feeling of solidarity towards the rich colonizing countries. Labudovic was also at the UN when Tito spoke at the assembly. The material shown makes the cameraman say “oh, what a terrible framing I did…”, showing how it should have been. When Turajlic goes to New York she visits the embassy of Serbia, beautiful but on an expensive address, so it will be sold!

The scoop of the multi-layered narrative of Mila Turajlic is her voice-over that goes from giving the viewer the necessary facts to her own reflection about being born in a country that no longer exists – finding similarities between the Algerian fight for freedom against the French and the Yugoslav resistance against the Germans during WW2. In Algeria, at the museum for the liberation, she was reminded of her own childhood. Beautiful!

“Poetically structured”, indeed, many sequences put together of the formidable cameraman Stevan Labudovic.

Thank you!

Good interview with the director: https://rm.coe.int/interview-with-mila-turajlic/168098fb8c 

Lea Glob: Apolonia Apolonia

Main award at IDFA 2022 for Danish director Lea Glob for a film she has been working on for 13 years. A huge achievement to say the least. I saw the film two days ago at home online and was planning to write a review, but after this announcement of to night it was much easier to let the jury speak as well as quote the fine description from the IDFA website:

“This film has characters who breathe life and take us on a journey, opening us up to the worlds of culture and art, of business and politics, of the mechanics of a success story. It is infused with love…” the Jury statement.

“When Danish filmmaker Lea Glob first portrayed Apolonia Sokol in 2009, she appeared to be leading a storybook life. The talented Apolonia was born in an underground theater in Paris and grew up in an artists’ community—the ultimate bohemian existence. In her 20s, she studied at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, one of the most prestigious art academies in Europe. Over the years, Lea Glob kept returning to film the charismatic Apolonia and a special bond developed between the two young women.

The result is a fascinating portrait, spanning 13 years, of a young woman trying to find her place in the art world. Apolonia is confident in her talent, but her path is not always an easy one. Life is not a storybook; one of the lessons Apolonia learns is that women painters have to make more sacrifices and overcome greater obstacles than their male counterparts do. This also applied to the friend she lived with for a long time, Oksana Shachko, one of the founders of the feminist action group Femen. Apolonia’s resilience is put to the test.” the IDFA website.

Apolonia, Oksana, Lea… three women, three approaches to life and art and society… three women from different parts of this crazy world we live in… three women full of life and hope… living on the edge… life and death.

Alina Gorlova: This is Not Putin’s War

I am often asked how boycotting the protesting Russian cinema will help win the war.
I found a good example to talk about it with.
I came across the project of a documentary film by a Russian director, which is currently being presented in the industrial section of the IDFA Forum. For those who don’t know, it’s a section of upcoming films where producers and directors look for partners and funding.
The Russian director presents her new project called “Dom”. 
€ 704,140 budget
How will a boycott of Russian cinema help us win the war? I think it will help us a lot to win the war if we lose our illusions. Creating a false picture of the aggressor country is absolutely not going to help us win the war. We found ourselves in this situation because Russia lulled the world community and even Ukrainians into complacency.
But let’s analyze the logline of this project, for example:
“A lost generation of young Russians arrives in Tbilisi Georgia. Forced to leave their homeland by Putin’s war and repression, they live as digital dissidents searching for a new home.”
Putin’s war.
This is not Putin’s war.
This is not Putin’s war.
This is not Putin’s war.
This is a war of Russians against Ukrainians. Putin has been in power for so long because he nurtured the Russians’ chauvinistic and imperial sensibilities. The definition of itself as a superior nation, its culture as great, and its main language as the main one are very pleasing to the people of Russia. Understanding this situation is key. Opposition Russians are speculating on the word “Putin” themselves, probably hoping to attract more attention to the project. “Putin’s war” is the creation of a false reality.
Again. I believe that, unfortunately, the authors of the project are engaged in manipulation.
I don’t know why this happened to Russian society; I think it’s not my business. But this is the task of their directors. That is why the use of the phrase “Putin’s war” from the very beginning is hypocritical. When Putin leaves, Russians will not automatically start repenting. I suspect that they will start preparing for a new war. That is why the statement about putin’s war is dangerous.
Further, the project description states:
“We are guilty of having allowed a monster to grow: “Putin’s Russia”, which is now destroying not only its own country but also its sister country.”
You could leave no comments here, but you can’t)))
First, in the sentence, the emphasis is shifted to the destruction of Russia. How does this monster destroy Russia? What did the authors mean? Excuse me, is Russia bombing Moscow? Killing its children and civilians? Have you turned any of your cities into Mariupol? In an attempt to make the project description more interesting and add sacrifice to their heroes, the authors completely muddled the issues.
And the highlight of this text is the presentation of Ukraine as a sister country of Russia. This is a classic narrative of Russian propaganda to justify aggression on the territory of an independent and, for them, at most, a neighboring state. It’s even hard for me to find the words here.
The perception of Russia and Ukraine as sister states supports the propaganda narrative. And supporting the narratives of Russian propaganda will definitely not help win the war.
I don’t care about the creative component of the project, I haven’t seen any of the director’s films, but the description of the project is infuriating and disorienting. Ukraine has not yet won this war. Supporting Russian propaganda narratives is harmful in this way.

Verzio Documentary Moments

When you have been watching scenes and footage from 8 projects at the Verzio DocLab Budapest last week there are moments of what you could call authentic truth that stay in your mind. Let me mention 4 of them:

A mother draws the curtain and lets in the sunshine to the room, where her grown-up son sleeps. She caresses him, he looks at her and the dog that also waits to be included in the moment of happiness. The severely disabled son smiles. Anna Rubi caught this moment that will leave no one untouched when “Your Life Without Me” comes out and will create debate in Hungary that “still lacks humane state care”.

Black & White, a mother and her daughter Erin (MacPherson), the director, sits next to each other with a cup in hand. None of them talks but you sense in this moment that something is wrong because of the framing and because the scene stays long. That unique cinematographic moment will stay in “The Pursuit of Grief” – the mother has lost her husband, the daughter Erin her father.

One-two, One-two-three, wife and husband train dance steps in their kitchen in “Dreams at Sunset” by Ibolya Simó. The scene is fun to watch – and touching as you have just been told that their two sons have passed away, one after cancer, the other took his own life. They now want to make reality out of “it is never too late to start living”, a sentence from the catalogue.

Another dance scene moment in a house in Budapest where the director Sára Timár dances with her old father thus showing her love to him, who used to be an important person in Hungarian dancing. This poetic dance moment followed in a scene, where a visit to the cellar reveals that something completely different had been going on… “Under the Dance Floor”, working title of the film-to-be.

Young filmmakers with an eye for people and situation. You need to be curious and have the skills to get close to achieve moments like these.

www.verzio.org

Foto: Anna Rubi 

Verzio DocLab 2022

From tuesday till saturday 8 film projects were being worked on in Budapest as part of the Verzio Human Rights Film Festival. The filmmakers came with their material and were met by mentors and colleagues, who gave them feedback in order for them to develop their projects and make – for their presentation today – a scene that could prove their film skills and tell the audience, what the film would be about. No trailers, no money talk, a brief verbal presentation and then the scene – or two – edited during the four days.

It was pure pleasure to be part of the mentoring team (Austrian director Michael Seeber, Spanish editor Diana Toucedo, Hungarian editor Brigitta Bacskai) walking from room to room in the infamous CEU Library, where there are no students due to the conflict between the Hungarian government/Victor Orban and the university founded by George Soros – that resulted in the move of the university to Vienna. But that’s another story you can google on your own…

It’s amazing what can be achieved creatively in so few days and it was my impression that the panelists (representatives from the festivals FipaDoc in Biarritz, Biograffilm in Bologna, from KinoDok in Czech Republic, Claudia Rodriguez Valencia from Colombia, Danish film consultant at the Swedish Film Institute Jannick Splidsboel, Hungarian film directors Asia Dér and Klara Trencsenyi, whose wonderful film “The Missing Tale” had its Hungarian premiere at the Verzio festival two days ago) appreciated the non-classical-pitch situation.

Also during the week there were two so-called masterclasses. The two editors Diana Toucedo and Brigitta Bacskai talked about their profession and I had the pleasure to have a conversation with Michael Seeber, who is a very knowledgeable person in the European film scene, having made documentary films and tv series and fiction. Seeber had chosen the title of the conversation, “Pursuing focus in our films — The creative possibilities”, showing clips we did both of us. Seeber showed a text clip from his upcoming film on Ida Halpern, Austrian ethnomusicologist, looking fwd. to see the final result.

The titles of the projects presented, look out for them:

  • Up in the Air (Ukraine)

  • Your life without me (Hungary)

  • 2158 Stories (Denmark)

  • The pursuit of grief (South Africa) 

  • Albada / From the morning (Venezuela) 

  • Under the dance floor (Hungary)

  • Dreams at sunset (Hungary) 

  • El cielo esta azur y el mar esta tranquilo (Spain)

    The workshop was organised by Péter Becz, filmmaker (by the way making a documentary in Denmark about a Hungarian chef based in DK!) assisted by Hanna Kadar and Anna Bölcsföldi, two great young women who made our stay effective and enjoyable.

  Still: …Hungarian film directors Asia Dér and Klara Trencsenyi, whose wonderful film “The Missing Tale” had its Hungarian premiere at the Verzio festival two days ago) appreciated the non-classical-pitch situation.

Verzio Budapest 2022

The International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival starts tonight. The director Oksana Sarkisov writes the following strong welcome words with the headline 

“Taming the Fire”

In 2022, the phrase “world on fire” is more than a metaphor or a reference to some past or remote incidents. The war in Ukraine and its global resonance, the growing number of casualties and millions of refugees and internally displaced people worldwide, the deepening energy crisis, and the alarming consequences of climate change are transforming our daily lives, and with it, the whole planet. For a thinking and engaged mind, it is impossible to stay adrift and look aside. Camera in hand, documentarists continue exploring the world’s most pressing problems, giving each abstract concept a human dimension and a personal, poignant, subjective touch.

This year, Verzió features powerful visual stories of courageous journalists, women overcoming traumatic violence, young generations exploring complex family histories and identities, and activists resisting dictatorships and corporations while advocating for radical change to build an inclusive, peaceful future. We prepare a special program, Solidarity UA, which highlights the complexity and richness of Ukrainian society, and commemorates the life and work of Mantas Kvedaravičius, who was brutally killed while filming in Mariupol.  

Filmmakers are increasingly involved with the stories they document, reflexively expanding the potential of documentary’s testimonial power. Intense observation and thorough research are continuously enhanced by new media. The possibilities offered by VR and animation change the ways we think and relate to the very notions of “document” and “documenting.” Beyond formal experiments, what unites these films is the urgency of the issues addressed.

The hot topics at this year’s festival are symbolized by burning flames. Fire implies danger, but it also brings warmth and light, and can gather a community together. We hope that Verzió will serve as such a gathering for all those concerned with today’s burning topics and those willing to face these pressing issues head on.

Welcome to the 19th edition of the festival. Feel the warmth of human connection and join the community of documentary film enthusiasts.

photo: Oksana Sarkisov

European Film Awards Documentary

https://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/selection-documentary-current

Click above and you will see the shortlisted documentaries for the European Film Award in the documentary category.

Today the nominations for the award to be decided in Reykjavik on the 10th of December were announced:

The House of Splinters. By Simon Lereng Wilmont

Mariupolis 2. By Mantas Kvedaravičius 

The Balcony Movie. By Pawel Lozinski

March on Rome. By Mark Cousins

Girl Gang. By Susanne Regina Meures 

Congratulations!

AWARDS AT THE 26TH JI.HLAVA FF

 

The award for the most notable international documentary film was granted to 07:15 – Blackbird by Judith Auffray, the best Czech documentary is Kapr Code by Lucie Králová. The award for the best Central and East European documentary and for the best sound design went to Croatian film Deserters by Damir Markovina. The award for the best debut went to Bloom by Canadian director Fanie Pelletier, and Javier Codesal from Spain received the award for original approach for his Greater Gospel. The Swiss director Mateo Ybarra received the students’ prize as well as the best editing award for Over Our Hills. The jury of the Testimonies section appreciated Into the Weeds: Dewayne “Lee” Johnson vs Monsanto Company by Canadian director Jennifer Baichwal. The best experimental documentary film is The Sound of Time by Venezuelan director Jeissy Trompiz. Glasswork by Zdeněk Picpauer was named the best Czech experiment. The Contribution to World Cinema award was granted to legendary Slovak filmmaker Dušan Hanák. See all awards and jury statements here. 

Still: 07:15 – Blackbird by Judith Auffray

What is a documentary?

What is a documentary 

At my first day in Zelig Film school i met a man named Tue Steen Müller that immediately asked us to present ourselves and talk about a documentary we saw. I briefly explained what brought me to love films and especially documentary. And while hearing all the other future ‘cinema people’ answers my mind started drifting about in how many aspects a movie can create a connection with people. So when the man who lived in the cinema industry for a long time asked us newbies to write 3 words that described what we think a documentary is I immediately wrote down the word Adventure. Adventure is the key word of my life, and since every form of living organism, human or not, is living one, a documentary is the mean of trying to take that content and bring it to the World. A documentary is definitely something different for the ones who make it and the ones who watch it. From my point of view as an, hopefully, future film maker I see a mean of taking my passion into something that can be an insight of an aspect of society, the care for a dear friend and his issues, an event i care about, a challenge i want to win in researching, respecting and sharing the realities and truths of a story that will cause a reflection in the watchers mind. Until now i’ve always been on the other side of the picture, watching and enjoying the love that film makers bring in their movies. Trying to get the knowledge out of it and make it mine, using cinema as a door that lead to inspirations through a storytelling that will answer all the questions that comes in my mind. Documentary as a viewer is about intriguing my curiosity and finding myself surprised from how much Adventures can be different. Quoting one of my favorite movies ‘To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.’ and that is what i want my movies to be. 

Riccardo Brugnara 

The Truth about Documentary  

When a group of 25 students are being asked ‘What is Documentary?’, the word ‘truth’ comes up multiple times. This makes sense, you would say. You could even say that this is what differentiates documentary film from fiction, being about a true story. We could define this as a characteristic of documentary, but somehow this does not seem right. What even is truth? When is a film enough truth to be considered a documentary? 

For me, this aspect cannot just define documentary film, but it is one of the fascinating parts of it. It is interesting that documentary is indeed about a story that is true, but it is more than that. It is a lens to see a small part of the world through. Because it only gives a frame to look through, this makes it possible to focus on certain elements without viewing the whole event. This means the film is a version or a part of the truth that interests and moves the maker, and therefore highlights this specific part of it. It is about observing a subject, reflecting on it and finding the perspective that moves the most. 

Because that is for me what documentary should be: moving. Moving in the literal meaning of the word; to activate the viewer to take action or change their thinking or even their behaviour. But also moving in the broader sense, that is opens the viewer to emotions. These could be either positive or negative, but it is the impact of emotions you feel from a film, that sticks with you. It is like with people in real life. We tend to forget what people look like or what they said, but will always remember how they made us feel. The stronger these feelings, the better the people stick with you. I think the same applies to documentary. The ones that moved you, that make you feel strong emotions, are the ones that have an impact and will be remembered. 

The big impact emotions have in documentary, also makes the medium highly subjective. This case, together with the fact that it is not possible to portray the whole objective truth, is the beauty of documentary film. Having to choose the perception and perspective of the film, gives the maker the ability to control the focus of the narrative, and therefore of the topic. For the viewer, this could mean a completely new way of seeing someone or something as they would never see it by themselves. To be able to be blown away by a film, discover and feel new things, even if they might think to know the ‘truth’. To play with the interpretation of the truth, and finding the perspective and form that moves the most, that is for me what documentary is. 

Annieke Boer

Zelig Film Fest Bolzano/ 2

Here is how the director Kyrylo Naumko introduces his film “Dear Odesa” on the website of Zelig (https://www.zeligfilm.it/it/):

I did not notice exactly how and when life in Odesa became unbearable. But, probably, last 2 years I had a terrible feeling of disgust mixed with love. I was irritated by many things: the mayor who was a bandit, the widespread apathy of most residents of Odesa to the problems of the city, and chaotic construction. Plastic balconies on the facades of historic buildings, air conditioners, huge advertising signs – all these are pimples on the body of my beloved city. A city that could once breathe freely. Until recently, this worried me almost the most in life. Now, after the war started, the only thing I want is for this city to just stand. Just exist. Please.

Ukrainian documentaries are shown at festivals all over the world in this time of war, in solidarity with Ukraine. The film by Kyrylo Naumko was shot before the invasion in February. It is a young man’s declaration of love to his city, nicely created with atmosphere and with three fine protagonists – the mother of the director, his friend Mykata and the director himself. Should definitely be taken by festivals with or without a focus on Ukraine.

The film team included cinematographer Hannah Hütter and editor Lydia Gasparini. Deservedly praised on stage by the audience and the supervisor of the film Robert Rombout.