The noted short documentary film Then Comes the Evening by Maja Novaković continues making the festival rounds. It was screened at the Full Frame documentary festival in Durham, North Carolina, where it has won the Jury Award for best short.  This is the tenth award for the film, and it allows the film to qualify for Oscar nominations.

In the jury explication, it was pointed out that this film was awarded for “fascinating and tactful dive into the lives and surroundings of two old women who live in the hills of Eastern Bosnia.” Director Maja Novaković showed masterful control over the locations, elements and everyday rhythms of life in the countryside. In a film reminiscent of realist images, it provides the audience with a visceral experience of the beauty and hardship of life for those who live so close to the earth. ”

Maja Novaković

Maja Novaković said that “this award is a wondeful surprise, a great motivation and it brings faith that art can overcome obstacles and borders. I am very grateful to the film crew, the grandmas, my family and everybody who has believe in this film”.

The documentary follows the lives of two old women living in isolation in the hills of Eastern Bosnia. Nature is an entity that they “talk to,” listen to, and respect. The film highlights the intangible cultural heritage through the depiction of fairy tales and rituals to appease the weather, hail and storm. It shows the simplicity and purity of their lives as well as the backbreaking labor it entails. In the day-to-day affairs they perform, the sublime and arduous nature of these activities are revealed and highlighted. The a film shows everyday rural life, depicting the care and closeness of two women, both in their mutual relations and in relation to nature.

The film is written and directed by Maja Novaković, who, along with Milan Milosavljevic, is also the producer. The film’s protagonists are Vinka Radić and Obrenija Radić. The director of photography is Jasna Prolić, and together with the director she was responsible for camerawork. The film was edited by Marija Kovačina, and the sound design was done by Luka Barajević. The film was made under the auspices of the “Studentski grad” Cultural Center and the Academic Film Center (AFC).