As a film enthusiast who has traversed the labyrinth of international cinema for decades, I find myself captivated by the works of Serbian filmmakers like Milica Tomović and Dragana Jovović. Their latest collaborative effort, “Big Women,” is a testament to their unique ability to delve into the complexities of human relationships, particularly those between women.
As a keen admirer, I find myself in agreement with the insightful Milica Tomović, a remarkable Serbian filmmaker whose second feature, “Big Women,” garnered significant recognition at the Sarajevo Film Festival’s industry awards. Reflecting on her work, she posits that audiences often shy away from films featuring complex female characters who may not always conform to societal norms. In her own words, she shared with EbMaster that “people are generally less enthused about watching movies where the female protagonists engage in questionable behavior.”
“The film titled ‘Big Women,’ produced by Dragana Jovović from Non-Aligned Films and Jelena Radenković for Big Time Production, was honored with the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award in Sarajevo. This film is presented as a mix of comedy and drama, chronicling an unplanned journey along the Montenegrin coast undertaken by two free-spirited women. During their trip, they aim to resolve outstanding obligations, rekindle their friendship, and unearth secrets that have been hidden for years.”
Tomović described the movie as “a narrative centered around characters,” stating that it explores the intricate nature of a powerful friendship between Mira and Tina, who are the main characters and beauticians in “Big Women.” Essentially, she explained, the tale follows the evolution and growth of their friendship.
The director’s highly acclaimed debut film, “Celts,” revolves around a child’s birthday celebration that unravels and reveals the cracks within her extended family. However, Tomović expressed an equal fascination with “non-blood ties” – the families we pick for ourselves instead of those we are born into.
“I found myself instantly bonded with you after our first shared smoke, swapping clothes, enduring hardships together, and offering guidance,” I remarked. “Over time, just like in the film, we grew to become inseparable friends.”
The film titled “Celts” was first shown at the pandemic-adjusted Berlin Film Festival in 2021. In a review of its lively, promising, one-night premiere at that summer’s Sarajevo festival where it won the best director award for Tomović, EbMaster’s Guy Lodge characterized the movie as “an impressively blended work of filmmaking that is both personal and political, driven equally by a yearning for innocence and a more ironic longing to see the end of difficult times.”
In “Happy-Go-Lucky,” a U.K. comedy directed by Mike Leigh, Tomović found inspiration for his film featuring strong female characters. Unlike the carefree protagonist of Leigh’s movie, Mira, the main character in Tomović’s work, is meant to be prickly and initially dislikable. However, he aims to create a transformation where viewers will come to both hate and love her, then ultimately grow to appreciate her again.
“She expressed that she desires the audience to identify with her character towards the film’s conclusion, as we begin to share more common traits with her. As the story unfolds, we glimpse into her past, understanding why she evolved into someone strong yet edgy, and at times challenging to others.”
One of several exciting ventures under Jovović’s Non-Aligned Films in Belgrade is titled “Big Women.” The project is currently being worked on during post-production, with a planned release in 2025. This includes “Wind, Speak to Me,” the first feature film directed by Stefan Đorđević, which is a co-production across three countries: Slovenia’s SPOK Films, Croatia’s Restart, and Serbia’s Non-Aligned Films.
Our company is also collaborating with Slovenian director Urška Djukić on her upcoming coming-of-age story “Little Trouble Girls,” which was honored in the works-in-progress section at Les Arcs last year. Additionally, we are working alongside Montenegrin filmmaker Ivan Salatić on his highly anticipated follow-up to his Venice Critics’ Week premiere “You Have the Night,” titled “Wondrous is the Silence of My Master.”
Jovović and her production team are also backing “In the Shadow of the Horns,” a film by Serbia’s Ognjen Glavonić, whose first work “The Load” was shown in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. At the same time, Mariana Ricardo, a seasoned Portuguese scriptwriter who has worked with Miguel Gomes, has joined forces with Serbian director Marko Grba Singh to co-write his film titled “Forget the Ocean, Why Not Try Surfing These Crazy River Waves.” This project received the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award in Sarajevo back in 2021.
Radenković, who was previously the executive producer for “Celts,” is currently working on the production of Ivan Marković’s feature-length docu-fiction film titled “Promised Spaces.” This project is a collaborative effort between Serbia, France, Germany, and Cambodia. Additionally, she is also working on the development of “Tale of the Plum Spirit,” a documentary fiction debut by Milica Đenić, which is a joint production between Serbia and Germany.
The Sarajevo Film Festival runs Aug. 16 – 23.
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2024-08-23 23:47