Virpi Suutari: Once Upon a Time in the Forest

One of the most important European authors, one of the pioneers of modern documentary, Virpi Suutari creates a film in her own unique style, creating scenes in which we perceive reality as dreamlike and surreal. But this time she contrasts it with directly captured scenes of events of dynamic actions of young dedicated fighters for nature conservation.

Finnish forests, together with Swedish ones, are the lungs of Europe. Now the ominous shadow of over-logging due to newly proclaimed development and profit is looming over them. The celebrated director decides to join the young Finnish environmental activists who are fighting to protect beauty and life against the worrying ideas of politicians and reckless aspirations of corporations. She creates extremely poetic scenes of the forest where we meet the main characters, Minka and Ida, gentle and compassionate, uncompromising and combative! Together with a group of comrades, they reveal to us how to enjoy the touch of plants, encounter with birds, surrender to primal clean waters. Loud monstrous machines and huge trucks mercilessly invade those spaces of untouched nature, heralding devastation of immeasurable proportions. In exciting cinematic collisions of beauty and drama, this film raises some of the most important questions of the modern world – how to preserve nature and save the planet? Virpi Suutari devotedly follows her heroines who bravely, without hesitation, oppose ever-superior opponents and the police. The struggle continues again and again with activists aware that the fate of their generation will be determined by their commitment to nature. The film pulsates brilliantly with an exciting rhythm of alternating actions and constant reminders of the immeasurable values for which our heroines give up a simple and safe existence and raise their voices with concern and pride!

The exquisite work of a true master of documentary film-making as an important cinematic experience that alerts us and invites us to join in!

Finland 2024 
93 minutes 

Nicolas Philibert: Nénette

The film of one of the world’s most significant documentary filmmakers, Nicolas Philibert, screened at the Berlin Film Festival as a distinctive, masterfully made, auteur documentary. Nénette is a charming orangutan, an unusual and irresistible being. She is the oldest inhabitant of the oldest zoo in the world, located within Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Throughout her long life in captivity, she has been exposed to gazes and overwhelmed by comments and compliments of curious and exhilarated observers. To a majority of them, these are amusing moments in which they bond with a marvelous presence of exotic nature. Nicolas Philibert does not center his film around these short, dazzling moments; he rather focuses on the eternal, unchanging state of the captured star. This time, we do not leave Nénette, and we directly experience the permanence of her confinement. “Nénette is captured twofold — by the cage and by the camera.” Radically focused on the charming star, this documentary is for the author himself a metaphor for the voyeuristic nature of film. “I don’t like telling the audience what to think, I just like to reveal what’s in front of me,” says Philibert. Through the mastery of the exquisite cineaste, Nénette becomes the mirror in which we all see ourselves as spectators.

France, 2009 
70 minutes

Petr Lom: I am the River, the River is me

The Whanganui River in New Zealand is the first river in the world to be given the legal status of a person, a living and indivisible being. This happened in 2017 and confirmed the belief and philosophy of the Maoris who perceive nature as their ancestor, believing that it is our duty to take care of it while we are on Earth, and that further care is taken over by our descendants. It is inadmissible to treat nature as private property, nor to exploit it for gaining profit.

This film, which celebrates the Whanganui River and affirms its status, is shaped as a travelogue in which, a group of river guests sail canoes on a five-day indulgence in the pleasure of being carried by its currents and residing on its banks led by the river’s keeper, a Maori community leader. The film introduces us to the almost hypnotic water flows on which the canoes slide and the passengers, amazed by this adventure, sail in them. The camera reveals the beauty of wooded shores, of creatures from land and water, who move together with film heroes through the paradise preserved here. We enjoy the symphony of nature’s sounds, as well as the gathering of devotees who will be able to express their thoughts and wishes under the auspices of the great and powerful Wanganui, to talk about their dreams of preserving nature as an invaluable treasure of our planet.

We also get to know the spiritual being of the Maori people through the music of composer Puoro Jerome, a two-time winner of the Grammy Award, an artist who has given concerts all over the world from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House, known for performing his compositions on traditional Maori instruments. On the banks of the Whanganui River, we also see him, surrendering to the nature that surrounds him, playing while composing the music for this film.

Fifteen years dedicated to the topics of human rights, and now to the rights of nature, producer Corinne van Egeraat and director Petr Lom, lead us to the end of the world with a film that they believe has the power to change us, “to expand our hearts and inspire us to embody our better selves.”

Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand 2023. 
89 minutes 

Claudia Tosi: Mr. Beau

Claudia Tosi shared her brilliant, engaging film “I Had a Dream” with the viewers of Magnificent Seven 2019, but at the same time she herself was inspired by the great Hedy Honigman’s film “Buddy”. So, from this festival she brought a new dream to Italy, a dream about an unusual journey, about discovering the ways to reach someone you love and who loves you unconditionally.

This is an unusual and unexpected story about the friendship between a golden retriever named Beau and his human friend Claudia. Claudia wonders if the tacitly acknowledged fact that a dog has to adapt to a human it lives with is actually an unfair misconception. She decides to ask herself questions – who is my dog, what does he want, what is his nature? In a moment of concern for Beau’s life, Claudia decides to do everything in her power to learn how to communicate better with him and how to understand his character, his personality and his needs. Together, they embark on a journey to achieve this goal through a series of different adventures – scientific experiments, various experiences in nature, meeting with dog trainers and practicing exciting “dog sports”. The extremely intertwined flows of the film gradually build an intense feeling of empathy with the main character. Through this unusual, uncertain, revealing process, with the camera as an accomplice to the events, Claudia gets to know Beau more and more, leading both herself and us viewers to more complex questions about the place of man in the animal world and the importance of replacing the desire to dominate with the need for understanding. Claudia Tosi, the author of the film, testifies about her experience as the protagonist – she reveals that our pets give us the ability to rediscover the child in us, perhaps the best and most harmless part of our nature.

A magnificently playful modern documentary introduces us to a game in which, the more we enjoy and have fun, the more we discover surprisingly deep and ennobling knowledge about the world and ourselves. 

Italy, Germany 2024 
83 minutes 

Magnificent7 Opening Night 2024

You only have your 20th birthday once and that is to be celebrated. Even on a Friday the 13th… The celebration of the 20th edition of the Magnificent7, the European Feature Documentary Film Festival, took place at the MTS Hall on that day and as you can see on the photo (taken by Ema Bednarz) there was a full house in the cinema hall with Zoran Popovic at the microphone welcoming the audience AND, one after the other, early supporters and contributors to the festival. I remember clearly the same people on stage in the Sava Centre 20 years ago. Nevena Djonlic who was head of the film department and opened the door for the two, Svetlana and Zoran Popovic. Sava Centre was the venue until 2018, now the festival has its home at mts Hall downtown, near the Parliament – the latter means that military parades have been performed the last couple of days, blocking traffic; luckily that was finished when the screenings were about to start. On stage also film director Sonja Blagojevic, producer and human rights activist Iva Plemic, cinematographer and still key organiser at the festival Jelena Stankovic, technical supervisor Nenad Popovic, key staff member Ema Teokarevic, responsible for the workshop Lea Vahrušev and on the far left Svetlana Popovic, who should have been in the front next to her husband. Two filmmakers were absent, Andrijana Stojkovic and Mila Turajlic.

After the screening of Polish Jakub Piątek’s “Pianoforte”, we all went to celebrate with champagne, cake and meze at a nice Greek restaurant nearby. Magnificent night!

Juha Suonpää: Lynx Man

This text is written by the festival directors of the Magnificent7, Svetlana and Zoran Popovic.

This is one of the films that deal with the burning issues of today. We are in the middle of a process of galloping disappearance of priceless and irreplaceable living species on the planet. This film conveys that knowledge in such an extraordinary way that it triggers in us the deepest degree of despair, but also the need to oppose this disappearance.

We identify with the main character Hanu, who lives on the edge of the forest and he is in a constant and uninterrupted relationship with its inhabitants. He is primarily associated with the endangered lynx, with whom he has developed deep inner connection during many years of observation and assistance. Thanks to the masterly designed interweaving of scenes of everyday reality and scenes captured by surveillance cameras, which Hanu disguised in the forest in order to follow the movements of animals, especially lynxes, during the day and the night, we are almost hypnotized, but also deeply moved. We are faced with what is not part of our experience, but is an important part of life unknown to us that is almost hidden from our consciousness in everyday life. The film is a great combination of completely different visual impressions from the familiar colour of reality, through specially emphasized colour images of flickering daytime scenes that highlight the unsurpassed beauty of lynxes and other inhabitants of the forest, to night shots of an active and disturbing, often endangered life on the alert. Eyes of lynxes and other creatures shine in the dark creating impressions which intensely wake up our senses.

This is a dramatic and exciting film testimony about Hanu’s intimate participation in the life of the lynxes, observing each of them as a person with its own name, recognizable character, but also doomed to an uncertain almost hopeless fate due to cruelty of the men hunters. Hanu’s person is almost fused with the being of the lynx, making him a unique lynx whisperer.

A stunning documentary film noir that creates exciting twists and surprises.

Finland, Estonia 2023 
80 minutes 

Anna Rubi: Your Life Without Me

A great work that was premiered at just ended festival in Sarajevo, where it had the honor to open the main competition programme for documentary films and where it was awarded with a special award for its exceptional values that highlight its most important dimension – fight for more humane world!

Intelligent, educated and empathetic people realized a long time ago that the wealth of the world is also in the existence of all beings that surround us. Many care about endangered pandas, Siberian tigers, and griffon vultures in our country. Foundations, states and governments readily participate in this care for all our small and large companions who cannot cope with the world that is becoming more and more cruel. But when it comes to people who cannot do the same as the majority, who are denied the ability to move and speak normally, and above all to live independently, they remain invisible to many. Unfortunately, also for some states and governments whose basic obligation is to take care of every citizen, especially the vulnerable. There is some concern when it comes to children, but when the children grow up, and those who take care of them are getting older and weaker, when help is needed the most, those who make decisions seems that they do not see that there are problems. This incredibly dramatic and exciting film tells about those often invisible wonderful people, who, surprisingly, still bring joy and warmth, about their most selfless protectors and representatives and the collision with the Kafkaesque state system of recklessness and absurdity. With the greatest respect and sincerity, we follow the touching and difficult everyday life, with immense admiration for the noble and dedicated advocates, mothers with stoic character and great human capacity for love and sacrifice, following the example of charismatic ancient heroines.

A film that takes us through numerous trials, enriches us and fills us with the power of love and spirit!

Hungary, Sweden 2024
72 minutes

Sissel Morell Dargis: Balomania

This text is written by Svetlana and Zoran Popovic, the Magnificent7 festival directors. The film will be screened tonight at MTS in Belgrade. If you also want to read my review of the film, click here https://filmkommentaren.dk/sissel-morell-dargis-balomania-anmeldelse/.

Brazil, favela labyrinths filled with secrets, huge paintings floating in the night sky! An intimate story and a personal fascination grow into a search and at the same time into a stunning defense and praise of an unrecognized art. This exciting, brilliant film became a global hit in a flash and amazed countless world festivals after its world premiere in Copenhagen.

A Danish girl enters favelas of São Paulo to discover real people behind the well-known legend of secret brotherhoods of persecuted and elusive urban heroes – the baloeiros! The film was shot for more than a decade, and the young Danish director undertook an uncertain and lengthy search to reach her protagonists and to gain their trust in the conditions of constant police threats and persecution. From the poor districts of the big Brazilian cities secretly, in specially organized expeditions, large, mysterious packages are taken to the nearby forests, to the hills and before our eyes they turn into huge floating objects lit by the flickering light of the fire, then in an instant they rise into the sky, leaving us breathless. Huge dream-like balloons sail across the vast expanse of the sky, testifying to everyone that baloeiros exist, that once again they defeated repression and the system! Completely mesmerized, without taking their eyes off the sky, another group of devotees chases balloons for kilometers – they are enthusiastic admirers, balloon hunters, who accept their prey as the greatest treasure far from the place where they took off. Many of them are dreaming of becoming baloeiros themselves. The Danish author, thanks to her dedication and openness to understand this phenomenon, allows us to witness an unusual rebellion. Ballons painted in the manner of a naive artistic expression carry icons of popular culture imbued with ancient tradition. They convey messages of the spirit of freedom and beauty of the oppressed souls, trapped by misery, bringing them joy and filling them with pride!

A magnificent cinematic adventure!

Denmark, Spain 2024. 
93 minutes 

Jakub Piątek: Pianoforte

This text is written by Magnificent7 Festival founders and organizers Svetlana and Zoran Popovic introducing the opening film of the 20th edition of the festival:

A masterfully created documentary that in one fell swoop won over audiences at festivals in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. From Sundance to Copenhagen and Munich, from Tel Aviv to Bali, this stunning film has captivated so many different audiences alike with its superb music and glorious behind-the-scenes reveal of the world’s biggest music competition.

The legendary “Frederic Chopin” International Piano Competition has been held in Vršava every fifth year for almost a century. Rightly called the pianist’s Olympics, this three-week competition brings together the world’s best young pianists who, through incredibly demanding and exhausting tasks, compete to win the title of the best. That prestigious title brings a reputation that introduces them to the world of brilliant virtuosos, and for some of prominent pianists from Vladimir Ashkenazy and Martha Argerich to Ivo Pogorelich that was the way to have come into the spotlight of the world public. In this unique framework, Jakub Piątek creates an exceptional film composition ranging from a brilliantly playful musical film to a superb drama in which fantastic dreams collide with reality burdened by countless external and internal demands and pressures. While in front of us, two basic streams excitingly intertwine – the skill and beauty of playing and the dramatic anxiety regarding the outcome of the rounds of the competition through which a smaller and smaller number of participants pass, the director almost imperceptibly develops and builds a new surprising essayistic layer that introduces us more and more intensively into a wider dimension of questions about the meaning of competition that tests and exhausts all our strength, and the meaning of victory itself opposes the meaning of art.

A masterful film achievement that enchants us with virtuoso interpretations of music combined with fears, dilemmas, ups and downs of the best young pianists!

Poland, 2023, 89 mins.

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!