MAJA POKORILA ROTERDAM

Nismo ni sumnjali da će Maja Miloš pokoriti Roterdam, a na dodeli nagrada oni su i priznali svoju kapitulaciju. KLIP je osvojio glavnu nagradu Tigar za koju je žiri rekao sledeće >

Clip by Maja Miloš (Serbia, 2012)
‘A vigorous, rebellious, authentic, honest and revealing film using modern means to depict in a punchy way the mobile generation, who capture their lives through images recorded on their phones. An emotionally disturbed main character in a fractured family, within a broken society. Clip provokes many questions and gives no answers.’

Clip saw its world premiere in the Tiger Awards Competition 2012. The film is produced by Film House Bas Celik (Serbia).

A pored nje je osvojio i nagradu holandskih filmskih novinara >


Clip by Maja Miloš (Serbia, 2012)
‘The winning film is a daring and stunning debut, portraying an abandoned Serbian post-war generation. Its talented young director succeeds in constructing a brutal portrait using the pervasive and uninhibited visual language of the cell phone generation. It shows teens obsessively identifying with video clips, glorifying sex and violence and turning themselves into victims of pornofication. Though confronting, disturbing and explicit, Clip skilfully succeeds in avoiding the trap of exploitation. We really hope a Dutch distributor will show the same courage as Maja Miloš did in making this film.’

Clip saw its world premiere in the Tiger Awards Competition 2012.

MAJA MILOŠ vs SCREEN

KLIP Maje Miloš je jedan od filmova o kojima se najviše govori na ovogodišnjem roterdamskom festivalu. To potvrđuje i intervju koji je Maja dala za ugledni Screen International, jednu od najvažnijih novina u svetu filma >

Maja Milos

1 February, 2012 | By Wendy Mitchell

28-year-old Serbian writer-director Maja Milos’ debut feature Clip (Klip) has been the talk of Rotterdam. It was a polarising film drawing some praise and some outrage. “At least nobody is indifferent to the film,” Milos says.

The story follows a young teenage girl who has a frustrating home life and turns to sex, drinking and drug abuse as she tries to establish her identity. As her father goes into hospital, a burgeoning relationship with a local boy starts to intensify. The film shows very explicit sex acts as a matter-of-fact part of the teens’ lives.

Milos, a graduate of film directing from the University of Arts in Gelgrade, has directed a number of short films including Interval, Si tu timazin, Cousins, and Dush.

Clip was backed by the Serbian Ministry of Culture and the City of Belgrade Film Fund. Tuck releases the film theatrically in Serbia in March, and no international sales company has been appointed yet.

Of her future plans, Milos says, “I’m sure that I want to make social films and to deal with sexuality in male-female relationships, that is something that I am excited about.

The film wasn’t what I was expecting, I found it more layered than a story like this could have been presented.

My point was that I didn’t want to make an exploitation film. I wanted to make an intimate film. People are really reacting to the film, whether they like it or not.

What interests me most is social commentary about Serbia. It doesn’t have to be a film about social problems, but for me the most important thing is that with this film was at what point on the social pyramid these people are. I saw a lot of clips on YouTube about bullying and sex, and I thought this was an itch for me, and I will scratch it.

I wanted it to be a love story, because all their explicitness in their behaviour, it was so raw and I really wanted to find in that environment where you could find love.

I didn’t want to make a judgmental film, I wanted to make an intimate story.

You seem to capture the way teenagers are, and not the way adults imagine them to be. Did you work with them on the script?

I wrote the script after doing a lot of my own research. And then in casting, I spoke to a lot of young people. I would talk about their problems and their experiences and the experiences from their surroundings. I was casting for two years. I put some more authentic things in the script, and updated the dialogue in my script. We really made that authenticity together.

How did you work with the actors?

I tried to work with 18- and 19-year-olds and that was just a completely different generation. They didn’t give me that rawness. When I just saw the 14-and 15-year-olds, I knew that was where my film was. They are really fresh. They have real life examples in their surroundings, they knew what the film was about. They know of the problems, they know what is going on.

We rehearsed a lot, almost every day for four months. I really wanted them to not judge those characters. They are not from the same background. We had a lot of trust, we had a really open relationship. We improvised a lot in rehearsals but when we got to the set we had it locked. Because it was such a long process, they really became those characters.

Your lead actress, Isidora Simijonovic, was amazing. Had she acted before?

No, this is her first casting. When I saw her, I knew it was her. She was 14 when we started shooting, she is 16 now. [She is now working in theatre and has another film role lined up.]

I was very open with her, and also with the parents. I wasn’t hiding something. For me it was great when I spoke to the parents, they knew everything the film was about. I eanred their trust while speaking a lot to them.

The sex scenes have shocked some people. You’ve noted that the young actors weren’t naked or engaged in those explicit scenes.

Yes, we used body doubles, prostheses, effects. We had it really planned.

Also, it wasn’t just sex scenes, it’s the development of that relationship. They are communicating only through sex.

Even if they weren’t getting naked in these scenes, those young actors are still exposed to this sexually explicit storyline. The parents didn’t have a problem with that?

I spoke to the parents about every scene, every shot very, very honestly. I tried to show my view of the reality of what’s going on in Serbia openly.

For me it would be pornographic NOT to show that. I’m making a film about teenagers who are all into sex, that’s the main thing they are thinking about. Not showing that would be a lie.

When the kids saw the film the first time, with their parents, they were all amazed. Mothers cried, they said this is a touching story.

For me it was very important to show how sometimes people in this harsh environment express their emotions very cruelly. But also in the film I wanted to show that they are full of love.

GET THE GRINGO

Pojavio se i duži trejler za novi film Mela Gibsona HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION koji će se na američkom tržištu zvati GET THE GRINGO i na VODu će izaći 1. maja. Ovde možete pročitati sve detalje o načinu distribucije.

KLIP vs VARIETY

Prilično konzervativna publikacja Variety koja je pre svega okrenuta poslovnim aspektima kinematografije objavila je kritiku KLIPA Maje Miloš. Ako imamo u vidu njihove specifične pristupe sagledavanju filma, KLIP im je ostavio snažan utisak.

Posted: Mon., Jan. 30, 2012, 3:18pm PT

Rotterdam

Clip

Klip

(Serbia)

By Jay Weissberg

A Film House Bas Celik production. Produced by Jelena Mitrovic, Srdan Golubovic. Executive producer, Igor Kecman. Directed, written by Maja Milos.

With: Isidora Simijonovic, Vukasin Jasnic, Sanja Mikitisin, Jovo Maksic, Monja Savic, Katarina Pesic, Sonja Janicic, Jovana Stojiljkovic, Vladimir Gvojic, Nikola Dragutinovic, Mihajlo Nikolic.

The one indisputable element of "Clip" is the astonishing, no-holds barred perf of newcomer Isidora Simijonovic, just 14 at the time of shooting. Far more controversial is the graphic nature of Maja Milos' debut feature, depicting the hypersexualized nihilism of Serbian teens. Despite a disclaimer saying none of the plentiful sex scenes were shot with underage actors (which means body doubles worked overtime), there's no getting around the fact that Milos' in-your-face approach raises complex issues the pic seems unable to address satisfactorily. Unavoidable censorship problems will make this largely a fest-only item.

Ethics is a tricky concept when linked to a movie wanting to show a problematic youth culture whose existence is undeniable. However, the explicit nature of "Clip," dealing with teens supposed to be 16, makes the taint of exploitation impossible to fully shake, and questions of the validity of the "female gaze" will only intensify the discussion. Milos is unquestionably making a statement about a certain milieu, one hardly restricted to Serbia, yet runs up against the eternal conundrum of how much is too much.

Remarkably, the pic received government funding and will be released in Serbia, where it's certain to generate a hurricane of controversy. Milos worked intensely not just with her actors, but with their parents as well, to explain her choices and make all feel comfortable with what's onscreen. Yet such reassurances can't be extended to every viewer; the helmer means to make auds uneasy and stimulate discussion, but the artistic filter necessary to turn a copy of reality into a critical engagement with the truth is only intermittently used.

The opening sequence sets the tone, as Jasna (Simijonovic) is filmed on a cell phone by a guy coolly instructing her to sexually proposition the camera. There's no awkwardness here: She loves performing and isn't too upset when the man walks away after she's gone through her act. Throughout "Clip," apparent from its title, is the understanding that for this generation, the filmed image is more intense than the live person in front of the camera. Reinforcing that idea, Milos constantly switches to cell-phone footage or shows teens delightedly watching images of themselves and their friends cavorting in ultra-sexual ways.

They all take their cues from skin pics, imitating the exaggerated gestures and dirty talk and then turning themselves into porn stars. They may throw on a zippered sweatshirt for school, but underneath are clothes that would make the cheapest streetwalker envious. (Kudos to the costume designers, who must have trawled every trashy market in Belgrade.)

Jasna has a family: a father (Jovo Maksic) sick with cancer; an overworked, overstressed mother (Sanja Mikitisin) trying to cope with her husband's illness; and a younger sis. Jasna's behavior could be seen as an inability to deal with her dad's critical condition, but that doesn't account for similar activity by her peers, and so her home life fills in details without acting as explanation -- which may be Milos' point.

Jasna falls hard for 18-year-old Djole (Vukasin Jasnic), who toys with her, never revealing an emotion even during sex. Instead, he humiliates her, and she plays the masochist to the hilt. The final scene is the icing on the cake, but it's unfortunately engorged, finally pushing degradation beyond believability.

Until then it feels frighteningly real and distinctly discomforting. Simijonovic has an electrifying physicality that's shocking for a teen so young -- Lolita is Tuccia the vestal virgin compared with Jasna -- and the actress is searingly intense yet also completely natural in an unsympathetic role. She's well supported in every scene by her peers and the older thesps, especially Mikitisin, whose character could have been yet another ineffectual mom but instead is given more complex emotions to work with.

Notwithstanding the amount of sex and nudity (including prosthetics) onscreen, visuals are designed to be anti-erotic. Even so, given the age of the performers, it's impossible to shake off questions of exploitation. Does it make it OK since Milos is a woman? How is the gendered gaze affected by a male d.p.? "Clip" blows open a Pandora's box, but chooses not to deal with those pesky issues flying about.

Camera (color, DV), Vladimir Simic; editor, Stevan Filipovic; production designer, Zorana Petrov; costume designers, Senka Kljakic, Marijana Radovic, Monika Ratkovic; sound (Dolby Digital), Zoran Maksimovic, Ognjen Popic. Reviewed at Rotterdam Film Festival (competing), Jan. 27, 2012. Running time: 102 MIN.

TURSKE SERIJE

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KLIP vs SCREEN DAILY

Screen Daily je objavio prvu kritiku KLIPA Maje Miloš i njihovi utisci su naravno iznaredni. Pročitajte obavezno!

Brimming with energy, anger and a sense of youthful frustration, Serbian film Clip (Klip), which had its world premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival, will court controversy due to its young teenage cast and sequences of highly explicit sex acts. It is a film that will divide opinion, but it is also one that demands attention.

Pleasure and pain entwined as she pursues what passes for love in such a brutal and uncaring environment.

Of course, teenage angst is a subject matter much beloved of filmmakers, but writer/director Maja Milos shows a lot of courage with this bleak and harsh story of teenage self-destruction, with the sense of hopelessness amongst the young generation in Serbia the backdrop. Festivals appreciative of its boldness will support Clip, though its raw sexuality and slightly uncomfortable voyeuristic nature may make the film a hard sell to distributors. The film screened in the Tiger competition section.

Maja Milos sets the film’s context right from the first scene. Sixteen year-old Jasna (an impressive Isidora Simijonovic, who was 14 when filming started) talks straight to her mobile phone camera, responding to the sexual come-ons for 18 year-old Djole (Vukasin Jasni) who she is in love with.

She lives at home with her parents (Sanja Mikitisan and Jovo Maksic) and younger sister, but avoids taking part in family life as a way of dealing with the fact that her father is seriously ill. Her only real interests are her posing for her mobile phone, getting drunk her friends and pursuing Djole.

She starts a ‘relationship’ of sorts with Djole, which mainly involves he submitting to his every whim (ranging from masturbating onto her, having her crawl around undressing with a belt tied round her neck, or indulging in anal sex), with their only real communication coming from that fact that everything they do is filmed on a mobile phone.

She gradually comes to terms with her father’s illness and is part of family visits to the hospital, though her real moment of humanity comes when via the school she visits a care home for young children and is drawn to young Stana (Miona Denisijevic), who she is mortified to find out may not have young to live.

But despite – or maybe if perhaps – of her brushes with the flimsy nature of life she is soon back pursuing Djole at virtually any cost, with pleasure and pain entwined as she pursues what passes for love in such a brutal and uncaring environment.

The film features two explicit scenes of fellatio, though Maja Milos points out that the young cast were not involved and body doubles were involved. In fact the end credits start with the statement, “Underaged persons weren’t involved in scenes of explicit sex and nudity”.

This, though, doesn’t alter the sense that scenes – and there are plenty of them – of Isidora Simijonovic stripping and writhing in her underwear as she poses for the ever-present mobile phone (filmed either by herself or friends) are uncomfortable. But what saves the film is that it dives headlong into the brutal, unpleasant (the young guys are all rather nasty and characterless individuals) and desperately sad world that may be facing young Serbs as they try and fit in at all costs and become personalities that can deal with their circumstances around them.

Production company/sales: Film House Bas Celik, http://bascelik.net

Producer: Jelena Mitrovic

Cinematography: Vladimir Simic

Editor: Stevan Filipovic

Production designer: Zorana Petrov

Main cast: Isidora Simijonovic, Vukasin Jasni, Sanja Mikitisan, Jovo Maksic, Monja Savic, Katarina Pesic, Sonja Janicic, Jovana Stopjiljkovic

SAFE HOUSE klip

Izašao je prvi klip iz holivudskog debija švedskog reditelja Daniela Espinose SAFE HOUSE. Reklo bi se da reditelj SNABBA CASHa uspešno kanališe Tony Scotta u ovom akcionom trileru smeštenom među tajne agente u Južnoj Africi.

EROS I VALKIRE

Današnje dnevne novine donose zanimljivu vest o jednom kinematografskom pioniru sa naših prostora koji je imao značajnu ulogu u Drugom svetskom ratu:

Roko Zifredi u Vršcu!

Pre nekoliko dana u Beogradu počelo je snimanje novog filma Eros i Valkire provokativne francuske rediteljke Katrin Breja koja je našoj publici poznata po bezobraznim filmovima Romansa X i Anatomija pakla u kojima je sarađivala sa čuvenim porno glumcem Rokom Zifredijem. Zifredi ponovo glumi kod nje, na radost svih Beograđanki koje su do sada igrale sporednu ulogu u njegovom životu i radu.

U kratkoj izjavi koju je nam je dao, Zifredi je izrazio oduševljenje tradicionalnim srpskim gostoprimstvom i potvrdio je da su domaća kuhinja i Beograđanke naši istinski izvozni brendovi. "Sigurno ću se vratiti u Beograd, nisam ni slutio koliko lepih žena imate ovde", naglasio je Roko.

Eros i Valkire je istinita priča o rodonačelniku savremene pornografije Vrščaninu Budimiru Đuroviću koji je istoriju Drugog svetskog rata želeo da ispisuje svojim pištoljem ali je kada su ga Nemci zarobili 1941. godine u Beloj Crkvi počeo da je ispisuje nečim drugim. Đurović (1918) je bio predratni komunista koji se kao student u Beogradu izdržavao zabavljajući imućne dame, a po nekim izvorima i gospodu. Sa početkom rata uključio se u partizanski pokret i zarobljen je u borbama u okolini Bele Crkve u avgustu 1941. godine. Tokom isleđivanja, zavodi oficira Gestapoa majora Ludviga Vinklera i njih dvojica započinju svoju izopačenu vezu. Vinkler mu je isposlovao da robija kao njegov sluga i mnoge od svojih nestašluka sa Đurovićem i ostatkom posluge snima amaterskom kamerom. Vinkler je dosta raskalašno prikazivao svoje snimke i oni dolaze do Berlina gde u centrali Gestapoa dolaze na ideju da snime seriju kratkih filmova sa Đurovićem koje će prikazivati trupama na frontu.

Ubrzo snimci Đurovića u zagrljaju sa zanosnim Arijevkama postaju pravi hit među trupama kako SSa tako i Vermahta i služe im za podizanje morala. Američka tajna služba OSS krajem 1943. Zaplenjuje neke od tih filmova tokom borbi u Africi i odlučuje da otme Đurovića.

Uz pomoć ilegalne mreže Pukovnika Fon Štaufenberga, Amerikanci uspevaju da otmu Đurovića i dovedu ga u Veliku Britaniju gde prilično lako nalaze momke sa kojima on snima nekoliko porno filmova koje zatim ponovo preko nemačkih pučista distribuiraju jedinicama Vermahta. Prizor Đurovića, svojevrsnog erotskog superheroja običnog nemačkog vojnika, u zagrljaju drugog muškarca izaziva šok i demorališe trupe na frontu.

Slučaj Buduimira Đurovića se i dan-danas izučava na visokim vojnim školama širom sveta kao vrhunski primer specijalnog i propagandnog rata. Američka armija je čak usvojila i tzv "Đurovićevu doktrinu" i sličnim postupcima vodila je propagandnu borbu u Nikaragvi, Granadi i Panami.

Do kraja rata, Đurović je sporadično snimao i konvencionalne porno filmove za zabavu američkih trupa, tako je da na kraju uz pesmu Lili Marlen, i on postao značajan deo intime vojnika na obe strane fronta.

Posle rata, Đurović je kao komunista napustio Veliku Britaniju i nastanio se u SSSRu. Vrlo brzo ga je vrbovao NKVD ali ne da snima filmove već da obavlja prozaičnije zadatke za njih, pre svega u formi zavođenja stranih diplomata, njihovih supruga i razne ucene. Poslednji značajan Đurovićev istorijski angažman bio je kada je od strane sovjetskih službi kao ljubavnik dodeljen Gaju Bardžisu, pripadniku čuvene „kemdbridžke četvorke“.

Vinkler je navodno preživeo rat i pobegao u SAD gde je nastavio da radi za njihove obaveštajne agencije, a jedan od uslova mu je bio da Amerikanci ponovo urede susret sa Đurovićem. Kada od toga nije bilo ništa, Vinkler je izvršio samoubistvo pod misterioznim okolnostima 1948. godine.

Sredinom osamdesetih godina, slavni jugoslovenski sineasta Lordan Zafranović pripremao je film o Đuroviću, po scenariju Mirka Kovača, sa Radetom Šerbedžijom u glavnoj ulozi. Do realizacije nije došlo zbog političkih pritisaka iako su nemački i italijanski producenti obezbedili sredstva i učešće takvih imena kao što su Silvija Kristel i Laura Antoneli a Vinklera je trebalo da igra Horst Buholc. Ugovori su bili potpisani ali je onda neko iz samog vrha sve obustavio i projekat se raspao. Dokumentacija o ovom nesnimljenom filmu danas je pohranjena u biblioteci Kinoteke.

Posle raspada SSSRa, Đurović se zbog ekonomske krize u Rusiji vratio u rodni Vršac i danas u svojoj 94. godini živi sam od skromne policijske penzije stečene u Sovjetskom Savezu. Komšije kažu da je vrlo omiljen te i dan-danas ume da se u prolazu vedro našali na neku lascivnu temu. Ipak, reklo bi se da komšije ne znaju baš sve detalje o tome kako je Đurović prelomio tok Drugog svetskog rata.

Zifredi i Breja su upoznali Đurovića a snimili su i nekoliko kadrova sa njim koji će biti ukomponovani na kraju ovog igranog filma. Snimanje će se posle Vršca i Beograda nastaviti u Budimpešti i Pragu.