This stressful, troubled year is almost behind us. Despite all the objective difficulties brought by the challenges of the pandemic, Film Center Serbia has achieved numerous successes in 2020 and fulfilled the set plan, thus becoming probably the only institution in Serbia that implemented all the planned competitions. The stability of the film industry in Serbia has been preserved and the current situation has not affected the most important activity of the center – co-financing and financing the production of domestic films and minority co-productions. Gordan Matić, who has been the head of FCS since July 2019, summarized the current situation with the following words: “In probably the most difficult and challenging year of this century, FCS managed to provide all creators and film workers with the opportunity to plan and create their films. I consider it a really great success. Many families living from their work in the creative industry and film will be able to look forward to the next, hopefully calmer, years. I must point out that FCS, with the exceptional efforts of all employees and the Board of Directors, concluded all the competitions that were planned for 2020, increasing its volume of investments in the quality and quantity of domestic production. FCS was open throughout the first and second waves of the pandemic, and was the first to initiate and propose to the Government and ministries solutions to help all sectors of artistic production. I am very proud of all the employees and their engagement during this period. ”
FCS initiated the preparation of a document outlining health care measures and recommendations for safe film production during the Covid-19 panidemic, while providing film crews with all the necessary support to continue filming as planned, all with prescribed precautions. From the moment of the outbreak of the pandemic until the end of this year, shooting of a number of ambitious projects has begun with the support of Film Center Serbia. Some shootings have already wrapped up, and the films are expected in the coming period (Summer When I learned to Fly, South Wind 2 by Miloš Avramović, Košare by Balša Đogo, Once Upon a Time in Serbia by Petar Ristovski…).
In addition to the main activity of announcing and holding competitions for financing and co-financing film projects, significant results were achieved in other fields and some new initiatives were launched (organizing training for in-demand occupations in film industry, launching the FCS YouTube channel, signing protocols on cooperation between FCS and SOC…), and it the revival of cooperation with the Serbian Radio and Television should be noted (showing documentaries by domestic authors on the Public Service and negotiations on the purchase of rights for minority Serbian co-productions) as well as the success of Serbian film, despite all difficulties, achieved both domestically and around the world, including Serbian participation in all three most prestigious international film festivals (Berlin, Cannes and Venice), which is an unprecedented achievement in this millennium.
Competitions by Film Center Serbia
As every year, the most important and most recognizable activity of FCS was announcing and holding competitions for financing and co-financing film projects. Regardless of the difficult situation in the country, FCS has implemented all competitive activities in this calendar year according to the plan. As many as 166 projects were supported in 29 competitions announced in 2020, with funds in the total amount of 724,500,000 dinars. There were 22 competition categories in circulation, and among other things, 18 Serbian feature films and 13 Serbian feature documentaries were supported (which is the largest number of supported feature films in the history of FCS), as well as numerous other short film projects. minority co-productions, projects in development… On the other hand, only during the first half of December, several projects of local feature films won support from foreign funds – The Story of Fatima by Vuk Ršumović (at the competition of the pan-European fund Eurimage), Crack in the Ice by Maja Miloš (at the Congress of the Film Fund of the Netherlands), and Lost Country by Vladimir Perišić (at the competition of the Croatian Audiovisual Center).
Publishing activity
During 2020, within the publishing activities of the Film Center of Serbia, seven well-received books on the subject og filmwere published. The publishing plan of Miroljub Stojanović, editor for publishing in Film Center of Serbia, and at the suggestion of director Gordan Matić, included the cult “Writer’s Journey: Mythical Structure for Writers”, Christopher Vogler’s influental book on screenwriting, which deservedly attracted much attention of the local film public. The first two volumes of the collected works of the famous Serbian filmmaker Branko Vučićević (1944–2016) were published: “It is the Most Beautiful Film I Have Ever Seen” (texts about the film and critics) and “It’s All Just Comedies With Crying” (scripts and all around films), Slobodan Šijan’s long-awaited anthology “Writers in Cinema: Literary History of Our Film Experiences”, as well as the book “Aesthetics of Avant-Garde and Experimental Film: Body, Gender and Identity / Europe – USA – Serbia” by Ivana Kronja, in Serbian cinematography 1969-2019 “by Marina Fafulić Milosavljević and, at the very end of the year,” Pčelinjak u osinjem gnezdu “- a monograph by Bogdan Zlatić on the work of director Jovan Živanović.
Training for in-demand occupations in the film industry
The FCS has recognized that, due to increased film production, one of the burning issues is the lack of a sufficient number of skilled film workers in many important nichesof film production. The lack of professional staff of various profiles, caused by the increasingly extensive production of domestic and foreign TV series and films, has increased the price of certain occupations, and thus jeopardized the feasibility of producing domestic films. That is why Film Center Serbia, in cooperation with the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, has for the first time this year launched training for in-demand occupations in the film industry. FCS and FDU agreed on cooperation and together held consultations and workshops for film professionals from, more precisely for production assistants and assistant directors. Participation in the workshops was free for all participants. In the next period, workshops will be organized for four more in-demand occupations: lighting – gaffer, and various camera operators and DOP assistants. Admission talks have already been completed, but due to the epidemiological situation in Serbia, the workshop are postponed until further notice.
Industry Assistance during the pandemic
Film Center Serbia was the first institution in the Republic of Serbia to request help from the competent ministries for artists and creators. In mid-March 2020, cinemas were temporarily closed, and distributors oriented towards cinema distribution were left without income – FCS addressed the Government and ministries during the state of emergency with a request to specifically help these sectors. Director Gordan Matić visited the shooting of all films supported by Film Center Serbia, thus giving support to our filmmakers. Matić pointed out on several occasions that it is very important to continue making films in Serbia, of course while upholding all health care measures and recommendations for safe film production during the epidemic. “At one point, the virus interrupted everything,” Matić pointed out, “but persistent and hard-working teams returned to production, doing their best in the existing conditions.” At the initiative of the Film Center of Serbia, the Institute of Public Health of Serbia “Dr Milan Jovanović Batut” compiled a document with health care measures and recommendations for safe film production during the epidemic in the Republic of Serbia. This document contains 24 points, and includes testing of team members before the start of filming, a list of necessary protection equipment, protection measures in the study environment.
Protocol on cooperation between the Film Center of Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church
Film Center of Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church signed a protocol on cooperation, with the goal of joint support and promotion of cultural values, spirituality and tradition contained in cinematographic works supported by Film Center Serbia. This protocol facilitates the access and use of material, cultural and spiritual goods available to the Serbian Orthodox Church, which are necessary for their realization of projects supported by the Film Center of Serbia. Film Center Serbia will consider the requests for the use of SOC property and then forward them to the Patriarchal Administrative Office of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Gordan Matić pointed out that such a protocol has never existed in our industry, and emphasized: “We believe that it will make a difference to the domestic film scene, to make it easier to realize films that have such needs.” This is another in a series of activities by which FCS facilitates the path to making good films. ”
FCS YouTube channel
During the state of emergency, Film Center Serbia launched its own YouTube channel where visitors can watch Serbian films completely free of charge. The emphasis was on short films of recent production made with the support of the FCS, but the offer of this visited channel also included other achievements, including short films by renowned Serbian authors such as Goran Paskaljević, Slobodan Šijan, Goran Marković, Zelimir Žilnik… From March to June 2020, about 50 Serbian films of various genres and durations were shown, and the channel recorded more than 15,000 individual visits and reviews. The YouTube channel currently has over 9,000 subscribers, and most of the films have remained in its permanent offer.
The most successful Serbian films in 2020
Srdan Golubović’s Father was shown as part of Panorama, the official programme of the 70th edition of the Berlin Film Festival, where it won two awards: the Ecumenical Jury Award and the Audience Award. Actor Goran Bogdan was nominated for the European Film Academy Award in the Best Actor category for his role in, and Father achieved many other successes during the year (Audience Award in Pula – with a grade of 5.0, which was achieved first time in the history of the festival, Grand Prix in Montpellier…). Romanian filmmaker Kristi Puju won the Golden Bear for the best director in the newly established competition Meetings programme for the Romanian-Serbian film Malmkrog, realized with the support of Film Center Serbia and the participation of Serbian film workers. At the Berlin festival, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Forum programme, two special screenings of the cult film by Dušan Makavejev W.R. Mysteries of the Organism took place.
Ivan Ikić’s Oasis was screened and awarded at the 77th Venice Film Festival: Ikić’s director, as the best European film in the “Authors’ Days” selection, received the prestigious “Europa Cinemas Venice Label” Award. At the 30th Cottbus Film Festival, Oasis won two awards: for Outstanding Acting Performance (Marijana Novakov, Valentino Zenuni and Tijana Marković) and the FIPRESCI Award given by film critics and film journalists. Oasis was also awarded in Zagreb (“Golden Trolley” for best feature film), Skopje (best Eastern European film at the CinEdays festival), Pinjau (award for best director at the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon festival).
In addition to Berlin and Venice, Serbian film were also present in Cannes. One Serbian minority co-production has been included in the official selection of the 73rd Cannes Film Festival – Twilight by Lithuanian director Sharunas Bartas, a historical drama created with the support of Film Center Serbia. This is the first co-production between Lithuania and Serbia. The cult classic Who Sings There (1980) by Slobodan Šijan was shown in the official program “Cannes Classic” at the 73rd Cannes Film Festival. The premiere of the digitally restored version of this masterpiece was, due to the pandemic, held as part of the Limier Festival in Lyon in October 2020. My Morning Laughter, the debut feature film by screenwriter and director Marko Đorđević, was shown in the official part of the 49th Rotterdam International Film Festival, and a feature-length documentary The Makavejev Case or Trial in a Movie Theater directed by Goran Radovanović was shown in Rotterdam as a part of the programme units “Deep Focus” and “Regained”.
Regardingt documentaries supported by FCS, the short film Then Comes the Evening was a notable success. Maja Novaković’s film has been screened at almost 100 festivals, including the most prestigious ones such as Visions de Reel and Hot Docs, winning over 30 awards and qualifying for BAFTA and Oscar nominations. Mladen Kovačević’s latest documentary film Merry Christmas, Yiwu! has also had a notable festival tour.
Although the box office dropped significantly, in 2020 there was a legitimate domestic cinema hit: Weekend with Daddy by Miroslav Momčilović was watched by about 50,000 viewers in the first two months of the screening, which is a reat success, in view of the reduced number of screenings and shortened working hours of the cinema. Father also attracted audiences to cinemas. About 15,000 people watched Srdan Golubović’s award-winning film i, and the result would certainly have been better if the distribution of the film had not been interrupted by the state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
At the 4th International Film Festival Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the Chinese city of Pingyao, where the already mentioned Oasis was shown and awarded, a retrospective of classic Serbian films entitled “New Yugoslav Film” was organized with the participation of FCS. “Serbian new film.” As part of this retrospective, nine significant Serbian films made during the 1960s were shown: Two (1961) by Aleksandar Sasa Petrović, Drops, Waters, Warriors (1962) by Vojislav Kokan Rakonjac, Živojin Pavlović and Marko Babac, Man Is Not Bird (1965) by Dušan Makavejev, Girl (1965) by Mladomir Puriša Đorđević, Three (1965) by Aleksandar Saša Petrović, Return (1966) by Živojin Pavlović, Dream (1966) by Mladomir Puriša Đorđević, Holiday (1967) by Đorđe Kadijević and Innocence Without Protection (1968) by Dušan Makavejev.
Film Center Serbia Art Council
At the initiative of the director, Gordan Matić, the Board of Directors established the Art Council of Film Center Serbia. Actors Mirjana Karanović and Predrag Miki Manojlović, film director and publicist Đordje Kadijević, director of photography Predrag Popović and Gordan Matić, director of the Film Center were appointed members of the council. The first constitutive session was held on October 22, 2020. On the occasion of the founding of the council, Gordan Matić stated: “The role of the Art Council is very important, primarily strategically. We have truly eminent members, whose names, references, experiences and knowledge are lmpwm not only in Serbia, but also outside our borders. I am very glad that these people agreed to be a part of our team and the development of the Film Center, and to be part of the creation of cultural policy in this area, as far as cinematography is concerned. I think that their words and opinions will leave a deep mark on the near future of our work”
Serbian cinema network
The founding assembly of the Network of Cinematographers of Serbia, which was formed by the Memorandum of Cooperation signed at Film Center Serbia in December last year, was held on November 17th and 18th,. So far, 41 viewers have accessed the Network based on this document. On the first day of the founding assembly, the Management and Supervisory Boards of the Network were elected. Boban Stefanović was elected President of the Management Board, while Nevena Đonlić was his Deputy. Gordan Matić, director of the Film Center of Serbia, said on that occasion: “The network of cinemas in Serbia has the support of the Film Center and is very important to us, as part of the infrastructure of domestic cinema. I believe that we will continue this cooperation that we are starting in the coming years, tomutual satisfaction and in the interest of Serbian cinematography. ”
Plans for 2021
Film Center Serbia is already preparing for the year ahead. FCS listens to the advice of the profession, in order to make improvements to its competitions, based on the suggestions of professional associations. New competitions are being prepared and planned: Competition for the development of a project based on a literary work by a domestic author (the first competition of this type in this part of the world), Invitation competition for renowned Serbian authors (directors over 65 whose previous films participated in Cannes, Venice and/or Berlin). Unfortunately, the planned competition for the development of the project intended for renowned foreign authors is postponed to 2022 due to a lack of budget, as well as the plan to create a national festival. Two important agreements are to be signed: Agreement with Italy on co-productions and distribution (to be signed by the end of January 2021) and the Cooperation Agreement with the Ministry of Defense (to be signed by the end of December 2020, or the beginning of 2021) ). In addition to the cooperation with the Faculty of Dramatic Arts on the training of staff for in-demand occupations in film, which continues, FCS plans to organize training for explosion specialist and stuntmen with foreign partners during the next year, depending on the epidemiological situation. In cooperation with the Belgrade Youth Center, FCS will organize four forums on the identity of Serbian film in the 21st century in February, March, April and May, with the participation of renowned names from the world of film criticism, history and theory. And that, of course, is not all.
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