site.btaOscar Winner Danis Tanovic: "I Like the Fact that Sofia Is in Ruins and That Is Very Cinematographic"

Academy Award winning Bosnian director Danis Tanovic says that to make a film in a country, one needs to spend time there, get to know the people and the culture. He has been to Bulgaria three or four times, and has filmed all over – in India, Italy, Norway – so he would film anywhere. "I like the fact that Sofia is in ruins and that’s very cinematic," he said as he spoke after the screening of his new film “My Late Summer” at the 29th Sofia Film Fest.

The story follows Maja (Anja Matkovic), who arrives on a remote island to settle a family inheritance matter. As long-forgotten emotions resurface and events unfold, she must confront unresolved issues from her past. The islanders live eccentric lives under the influence of Icho (Goran Navojec), the town’s mayor, and his business partner Nedilko (Mario Knezovic), who runs an eco-cannabis venture. As Maja grows closer to writer Sasa (Uliks Fehmiu), she begins to unravel the complexity of her family ties. What begins as a simple search for an inheritance evolves into a deeper exploration of identity, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

The challenge with this film was that it combines two genres: melodrama and a comedy, Tanovic said adding that in any film, the most important thing is the story.

Anja Matkovic co-wrote the script, so there was no need to audition her for the role, while Uliks Fehmiu was cast because of the intellectual presence he brings – something that many male actors lack, Tanovic noted.

He says that humor is a universal language: the Japanese – very serious people – laugh at the same moments as audiences in Bosnia or Brazil.

The importance of festivals today is greater than ever because European films no longer travel the way they used to, the director says. People used to go to the cinema and watch stories from all over Europe. But over the last 10–15 years, that type of screening has almost disappeared, so festivals are now nearly the only way people get to see these films. When a filmmaker starts traveling with a film, it can take months and months. Tanovic remembers that with No Man’s Land he started in Cannes in May, and that year he spent only 20 days at home and the rest was traveling around the world. Travel is time-consuming which is why nowadays he chooses his festival appearances carefully, he added.