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| Srdan Golubovic |
Tell us
about your film.
Circles (Krugovi) is
screened in World Dramatic competition. Circles is film about consequences of
one heroic act. About the struggle of people who were witnesses and
participants of one tragic event and their need to step out from the shadow of
the accident which changed their lives. The film is inspired by true event.
What
inspired you to make it?
The fact
that there was no many positive stories from the bloody wars in ex Yugoslavia.
Six years ago I read the story about
Serbian soldier Srdjan Aleksic who saved life of his neighbor Muslim civilian
and was beaten to death by other Serbian soldiers. Then I started to think
together with my scriptwriters Melina Pota Koljevic and Srdjan Koljevic how to
build up the story around that human act. We decided to tell the story that
happens today and is talking about forgiveness, redemption, sacrificing and
private catharsis of the characters of the movie. During the war I lived 100 kilometers
from the war frontline and I wasn’t directly involved with it. I was demonstrating
against all crimes and madness that happened near to us. We did nothing to stop
that bloody war and probably we couldn’t do anything. That’s why I felt that
working on this film is my private reconciliation with the time I lived in and
my private catharsis.
What do
you love about your film?
I love
simplicity of the film language, which is totally focused on characters and
their destinies. I love very much how actors brought with authentic and lively
performance the world to which their characters belong to and how silence and emptiness
is coloring the atmosphere of the film.
How long
did it take you to make your film?
Very
long. We started to develop the idea almost 6 years ago. It was very hard and challenging process.
How did
you finance your film?
Circles
is co-production between Serbia, Germany, France, Croatia and Slovenia. Film is
also supported by European film fund Eurimages and Arte France and Zdf Arte. Total budget was 2
mil euros and the money that we got from
Serbian film fund was 350.000 euros. With German coproducer I worked on my
previous film The Trap (2007). It was very important and challenging to have
ex-Yugoslav countries Croatia and Slovenia in this film. Story about Srdjan
Aleksic is something what united all ex-Yugoslav countries in feeling that his
heroic act is something what is above war conflicts and misunderstandings.
That’s one of the stories that is opening the way for reconciliation and
forgiveness.
What was
the most challenging part of the filmmaking process and how did you overcome
it?
To make the
story that is connected with war in ex-Yugoslavia and which is universal and
not political. The film that is honest and is a private piece of my world.
Tell us
about your experience getting into Sundance.
I'm very
happy and proud to be at Sundance. The atmosphere of the festival is great. It's
one of the rare festival where directors and programmers are in everyday and
close communication with the authors. I like very much audience at Sundance who
are very opened and curious.
If you
had to make the film all over again, would you do anything different?
Making
the film is the thing of moment. Probably many things would be different in the
way how I would make it. The idea and intention why I wanted to make this film
would stay the same.
What’s next
for your film? Do you have distribution? If so, when and how can people see it
and if not, what are your hopes for the film?
Next is
Berlinale Forum. I am very happy to be
at Berlinale again, my previous film The Trap (Klopka) from 2007 was there. I hope
that audience from all over the world will understand and emotionally connect
with this movie. Circles is universal story that can happen everywhere.
Can you
provide any advice to other filmmakers who dream of getting their films made
and into Sundance?
To put
in their films their own dreams and never ever to step out from that.
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