Mirjana Karanović Sarajevo Film Festival

Transcript

00:00I learned primarily that gentle women can be strong enough to be a leader of the film crew,

00:10to command everybody. I mean, not command like in military, but to tell everybody what to do and

00:19to be main person in this process. Before that, in my mind, it was reserved for the men.

00:30Mariana, welcome to the Variety Lounge at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival. I'm really glad that

00:45you came because tonight you have your world premiere of your second feature. You're the

00:50most famous actress of the region. Is it hard to direct and act?

00:56My first movie, it was so easy, so nice. I said, oh my God, why people complain about

01:05how difficult it is to shoot a movie. But the second one was very hard for me because suddenly

01:16I become aware of three personalities in me as a woman, as an actress and director.

01:26There was days when a woman didn't want to reveal anything, feel so insecure. Sometimes actress

01:38in me made a great problem to the director. So I don't look good in this dress. I'm too old for

01:47this part. So I had a fight all the time. Now, when I look at these days, everything I did

01:58filled me with energy, filled me with self-confidence that I can do more. You have to be

02:05very brave to be in this part about a woman whose child has died and she meets a younger man.

02:17You have no one else. You've lost everything, like you're cursed.

02:24This is a movie about finding life force in yourself. This life force young people have

02:35automatically. When you're young, you are full of this force and hunger for life. You feel like

02:43all world is yours and so many opportunities. But when you're getting older, you want to be safe.

02:52Actually, you're buried deep inside this life force, this Eros. This woman, she's settled,

03:01she's successful, but she lost the main thing in her life. And then she suddenly have nothing.

03:20She goes to the starting point to do something unexpectedly, to do something not appropriate

03:29for her age. And that's this young man. He gave her hope.

03:37You've been so generous to the upcoming female directors like Jasmila Zbanic and Andrea Staka.

03:46And now they're coming to you and producing. But you were so great in Grabovice and also in

03:53Das Fräulein. Could Jasmila have made Grabovice without you? Could Andrea have made Das Fräulein

04:00without you? It's your performance and what you give that makes the movie.

04:05They could make the movie without me, but it was my luck to be in their movies. I think that

04:14they had the luck to have me. So it is like circle. They both wanted to work with me and

04:22thought about me during writing the script. I was so excited. They want me to be a main actress

04:30and I was over 40 and I thought my career is over because I'm not so young and film is for young

04:39people. But then I got this great female part in great movies. I'm so grateful.

04:47And will you continue to collaborate? I hope so. I'm preparing a third movie shooting next year.

04:55Your own directing? Yes. And what can you tell us a little about what that one will be about?

05:01I want to make love story. It's going to be about forbidden love between young peasant girl

05:09and unsuccessful singer. I mean, lesbian love. It's great subject for my country and all the

05:18region. Thank you so much for coming today when it's your world premiere

05:22tonight and we wish you all the best for tonight. Thank you very much. Thank you.

05:39you