Docu Press Corner: Stories of Personal and Collective Struggles

The guests of today’s Docu Press Corner, held at Festival Square, were directors Martin Genovski, Karla Jelić, Ivan Grgur, and Tatjana Božić. In conversation with Rada Šešić, selector of the Competition Programme – Documentary Film, they presented their films BEAR WITH ME, SILENT DEFIANCE, ASPARAGUS BEAR, and FRAGMENTS OF BELONGING.

The four documentaries explore personal stories and struggles within a much broader social context.

The Bulgarian film BEAR WITH ME had its world premiere on August 18 at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The crew worked on the film for four years, following Maxy, a retired circus animal trainer, and her last bear, Natasha. “During filming, we lived in caravans at an isolated location, near a zoo and an animal shelter,” said cinematographer Vladimir Trifonov, noting that it was an extraordinary experience to spend time alone with a major circus star and her bear. The film’s crew emphasized that the documentary explores what happens to artists after the end of their careers, as well as society’s relationship with animals used in the entertainment industry. Maxy Niedermeyer was a circus animal trainer for almost her entire life, and her career is documented in a large amount of archival footage. Editor Bohus highlighted the importance of the archival material, of which there was a considerable amount. “The best way to use archival footage is not to edit it at all. It tells the story by itself,” he said. 

 

Karla Jelić’s SILENT DEFIANCE addresses questions of public space and the position of women in Croatia, focusing on men who kneel in prayer and advocate for their own rights and patriarchy. “Women are not allowed access during these prayers, even if they want to pray with them,” Jelić said, also highlighting her collaboration with multimedia artist Arijana Lekić-Fridrih, whose performances in different Croatian cities address women’s rights. Jelić also spoke about the organization Warriors of Mary, which originated in Poland, and its connections with certain political extremist groups whose popularity has been growing recently. “These are, after all, extremist groups. I didn’t know how they might react. However, their reaction was to decide to make their own film,” Jelić said. SILENT DEFIANCE has not yet had its Croatian premiere.

 

Ivan Grgur’s film ASPARAGUS BEAR tells the story of a woman who claims to have seen a bear in Umag, a city where its presence is unexpected, causing media and social frenzy and questioning the boundaries between truth and lies in the age of social media. “Before the film, I worked in journalism, and for ten years I had been thinking about the right way to talk about the subject of truth,” Grgur said. The director added that the subject has occupied him so deeply that he plans to make more films about it. Like Jelić’s film, Grgur’s documentary addresses a subject that is provocative for the society to which they both belong. The director emphasized the importance of the producers behind his film. “My producer is Nebojša Slijepčević. He is the reason I make films at all. He is someone who will always put aside his own ego, his taste, and offer an objective creative comment that will help my film. I am endlessly grateful to him,” Grgur said.

 

Tatjana Božić returned to the Sarajevo Film Festival with her new film FRAGMENTS OF BELONGING, in which she explores how we can come to belong to a place. “This film is really my search for home. I have lived in different places: Croatia, Russia, and the Netherlands, and I wanted to explore where and to which people I belong,” Božić said. The director also spoke about the differences between people from Western Europe and Eastern Europe. “I find this formulation funny. We Balkans would never call ourselves ‘Eastern Europeans.’ I think this film helped me understand my own prejudices about Western European people, but also try to understand their prejudices toward our people.” Božić added that the film helped her better understand herself and her nomadic life. “I am Croatian and Bosnian, and I love Russia and the Netherlands, and maybe I’m weird, but that’s how it is!” Božić said.