When flying into the unforgettable city of Sarajevo and looking out of the plane's window, I'm reminded of a film scene – the magical bird’s-eye-view of the city valley as in
Srdjan Vuletic's debut, the Tiger-Award-winning
Summer in the Golden Valley. This year, during IFFR 2008, we showed his second film
It's Hard To Be Nice, also shot in and around this city that he is so connected to (but, as he rightly says, with a story that could take place anywhere).
Srdjan is also the first person I bump into at the festival centre of the Sarajevo FF, and he receives me with warm words: ”Ljudmila, welcome to Sarajevo!“ (he always pronounces my name with a soft ”L“). We are surrounded by pictures of the Heart of Sarajevo, the main prize of the festival, and it feels like a hearty welcome among old friends. After all, I have been a festival guest here almost every year since 1997, and I also remember when it was small and cosy, all taking place at the Meeting Point and Obala Centre with the ”festival family“ – enthusiastic and film-loving Sarajevans led by Miro Purivatra. Even though the festival has grown much bigger throughout the years, the famous warmth of the Sarajevans has not changed a bit.
The last time I was here was three years ago, as a member of a jury team reading projects for Cinelink 2005. It's rewarding to now see the results of our previous work – one of the strongest scripts, Buick Riviera by Goran Rusinovic, made it to the regional competition here. Dalibor Matanic's Kino Lika is finished and in the competition as well, and Armin (Ognjen Svilicic) and Estrelita (Metod Pevec) made it last year already.
It's Hard to Be Nice
There is quite a large Turkish delegation in Sarajevo this year. No wonder, as three of the ten films in the regional competition are Turkish, in addition to three in the sidebars. We spend quite some time together, especially with the delegation of the film Autumn – the director Ozcan Alper, the lead actor Onur Saylak, and the producer Serkan Acar. I have met with Serkan before, at the Golden Apricot's market, Directors Across Borders in Armenia last year, where he was looking for partners for this particular project. The general secretary of the Festival on the Wheels, Amhet Boyacioglu, is excited about such a strong Turkish representation, including Nuri Belgi Ceylan as the president of the jury, and keeps on telling us stories connected with the films. He probably knows them better than anyone else, as he really is the ambassador for Turkish films, very active not only at Cannes but everywhere possible.
My Marlon and Brando
The actress Ayca Damgaci, the main character from My Marlon and Brando (supported by Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund), and the director Huseyin Karabey are here as well. After the premiere in IFFR 2008, the film has been quite successful, with many festivals and prizes, and that's really great to see. The film’s other main character, the actor Hama Ali Khan, happens to share a place with us in a festival shuttle. You cannot really miss him as he is wearing his traditional clothes as if he had just emerged from the film! Even his voice, smile and accent in English are the same...
It looks like there's a lot going on in the Turkish film industry, with seventy-three productions projected for this year, including around ten debuts!
Can we expect some new, fresh voices alongside the middle generation represented by Nuri Belgi Ceylan, Semih Kaplanoglu, or Reha Erdem? Well, if we look at this year’s major festivals, Turkish films are well represented, and getting prizes as well. Who knows, maybe we shall witness a Turkish new wave soon, as we have recently seen in Romanian cinema.
I have got a brief chance to get a taste of how the Cinelink looks nowadays, with old friends of IFFR Jovan Marjanovic and Amra Baksic Camo welcoming their guests and being extremely busy. But there is so much new here at the Sarajevo FF, all of it with the aim of supporting young and talented filmmakers from the region: for example, the second year of the Talent Campus and the new fund, Sarajevo City of Film. What a great chance for all the young people. Sarajevo has truly developed into the most important centre of the film industry in this region. All of their hard work has paid off.
It's time for me to leave. On my way back to the hotel I manage to have a coffee with Ademir Kenovic, who nowadays mostly produces films at his company Rehresh Production. I briefly catch a last glimpse of Jovan in the middle of a public interview with Israeli director Ari Folman about his film Waltz with Bashir, next to the Narodno pozoriste (National Theatre). There's a lot of interest and the crowd keeps on asking questions.
In the lobby of my hotel I briefly meet with the great Croatian producer, my colleague and friend Boris Matic. He has just come to the premiere of his film Buick Riviera. Together with the director Goran Rusinovic and actors Leon Lucev and Slavko Stimac, they are full of anticipation prior to this event, laughing, yelling, and excited. Later on, when I am already enjoying my holidays and checking the news from Sarajevo FF, I see all three of them on the website of the festival, holding their Hearts of Sarajevo, grinning happily from ear to ear – the three of them are holding the main prize for best film and the two prizes for the two best actors.