Mirjana Karanovic made a splash at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF).
The Serbian actress-turned-director is about to make the world premiere of her latest feature mother maraA film that revolves around the world of a middle-aged woman and how she deals with death, but also a film that is full of life.
Emir Kusturica wins Palme d’Or and Oscar nomination, Karanović breaks international When Father Is on a Business Trip (1985) The veteran actress has spent decades establishing herself as one of Southern Europe’s most acclaimed acting talents, starring in the following critically acclaimed films Lady J’s Requiem and hunchbackPreviously, at the age of 60, she decided to move behind the camera.
Her debut as a director, good wife (2016), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, stars Will Kalanovich as a humble Serbian wife and mother forced to confront her own mortality and her husband’s dark secret. “Karanovich’s quiet intelligence and innate humanity have been an asset in her many roles, and she demonstrates similar qualities in her debut in the director’s chair,” read hollywood reportercomments at the time.
Coming now mother marlaKaranovic again directed and starred in another story about a woman of a certain age trying to break free from what the filmmaker calls “the patriarchal hold on her life.”
“I like the unexpected in life, especially in the things I do. I like things that are not visible at first glance, things that I can imagine exist,” Karanovich said THR On the eve of this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival.
In a wide-ranging conversation, she also talks about her life and career, the state of European cinema, and why she’s not the right person to watch late at night at festivals right now.
What made you interested in the character of Mara?
My patriarchal upbringing has led me all my life to think of women over 40 or 50 as if they have fulfilled their role and are only fit to be some sort of noble aunt, grandmother – the quiet woman in the background. However, my personal experience tells me something completely different. In my 40s and 50s, I struggled with that experience of patriarchy and my need to evolve as a woman in a society where women were still viewed as objects. All my heroines are there good wife now in movies mother marlaall women of the same age as me.
Mirjana Karanovich
Mirjana Karanovich
I wanted to tell something about them – it seemed to me a different, unusual story in the cinema of my country and even of the whole region. To me, Marla is a woman who lives by patriarchal rules and keeps her true nature buried deep within herself. With the death of her son, that hidden content loses its armor, its cocoon, and I think her impact in this film is this huge desire for life, and that, is triggered by death. So, for me, it’s really a conflict between Thanatos and Eros, and a story like this, a character like this, is very exciting and very unexpected to me. Much to my own surprise, at 60 years old, I still have curiosity, energy and a desire for new and different things.
Is it fair to say that when so much of life is presented as either right or left, right or wrong, this movie shows us that there are gray areas in everyone’s life?
Absolutely (laughs), absolutely. I think most of our lives are in that gray area, and only those lucky people can truly experience those extreme moments, such as great happiness or great tragedy or great misfortune. I think most humans tend to stay somewhere in the middle, in that gray, uncertain space. I believe most people are afraid of too much happiness or too much tragedy, so everyone tries to stay where they are, they know how things are, and they’re sure nothing will change. I think this is a youth issue. Only young people really long for some kind of change in their lives. But when they achieve any of their stated goals, they no longer want anything to change.
People like me, who reach a certain age and struggle with that urge within themselves to keep things the same, are able to create a certain amount of creative space. Honestly, I’m afraid of change, but that doesn’t stop me from moving toward change and doing whatever it takes to make sure that things in my life do change. Somehow, that’s what keeps my spirit young. This is what I see in the people I admire: a youthful spirit, a spirit that is not afraid of change.
Is there anything about your experience as a director that you can share with us? What led you to the camera?
For me, the position behind the camera, the director’s position, is my expanded creative space. I feel like it’s like a beginner, and I think it’s great. It gives you confidence as a beginner at age 60. This makes me extremely proud. Unlike others, as an actor I don’t feel the need to have hobbies to fill the monotony or void in my professional and personal life. I decided to expand my creative space as an actor by starting directing and writing, to create a comprehensive work that, whether you call it art or not, is a space of huge creative possibilities, and that The most interesting thing in my life right now. It gives me a certain validation and drives me to be a better version of myself. That means I’m not just reliant on other people’s initiative, which is that someone else will write a story, a script, someone else will direct it, and then someone will ask me to play a role in a movie. I decided not to immerse myself in waiting, but to construct my own story that I wanted to be a part of.
Mirjana Karanovic and Vucic Perovic mother marla
This and that production
Overall, how would you describe the current landscape of Southern European cinema? What excites you and what worries you?
Well, I started working in film in the 1980s, and a lot has changed since then. The current era is characterized by the extremely difficult and complex struggle of every director and producer to finance their projects. There are no longer any state-owned companies providing the required funding. However, at the time, this was also associated with certain other requirements of political appropriateness and director expectations.
Nowadays, in my country and I believe in this region, movies are mostly made by young directors. It seems like only they have the energy and time to handle these funds over and over again. Even though I’m older, I’m still a young director (laughs). I have the energy to fight, but film is a very expensive art form, and a small country like mine doesn’t have a lot of money or significant resources. Although the money we are getting now may be a lot for us, it is not enough to make a movie independently with the money the state gives us. So when you get funding in your own country, a long and hard battle ensues to secure additional funding so that you can make the film you want. A lot has changed. I think every era has its own rules, and I believe people who really care about those rules either try to adapt to them or try to find ways around them. No matter then or now, talent alone is not enough. A level of personal persistence is necessary, as well as a way of communicating to people that what you are doing is important and needs funding. So, I don’t have a “it was better in my time” or “everything is worse now” mentality. I just think that when you go to the state for funding for your art, it’s always very, very complicated and exhausting.
What role do you think the Sarajevo Film Festival plays in Southern European cinema?
The Sarajevo Film Festival is the most important and famous regional film festival in this part of Europe. It has the best image. They put a lot of effort into bringing interesting movies, and the city itself and its atmosphere are definitely something that attracts a lot of people, whether it’s their first time or multiple times. I think participating in the Sarajevo Film Festival is a sign of quality. I’m glad the team who organized this event didn’t compromise on their principles.
Do you have any advice you can share for festivalgoers on how to stay healthy during late nights and extra coffee?
I’m definitely not the best advisor to young people (laughs). I stopped staying up late and partying a long time ago. At some point in my life I just stopped enjoying it and realized my happiness was elsewhere. Therefore, I cannot advise them to “just drink water and no alcohol.” I had a lot of fun that day, I had a lot of fun. I think it varies from person to person, the only advice I can give is to listen to your body, pay attention to what’s going on with you, and don’t overtax yourself by not getting enough sleep or eating bad food or drink . That’s it.
