Kontraadmiral is a film that brings unpopular interpretations related to the breakup of Yugoslavia, talks about events hidden from the public eye and is the opposite of all narratives that exist on all warring sides, says the author in an interview with "Vijesti" Mladen Ivanovic.
This Montenegrin film project, the documentary "Kontraadmiral", was selected for participation in the Balkan Documentary Center (BDC) Discoveries 2024 program, so it is part of the 67th Dok Leipzig Festival, one of the most important documentary film festivals in Europe, which started October 28.
Based on the script and directed by Mladen Ivanović, the project is produced by the company "Artikulacija film" from Montenegro and the Croatian company "Restart", with the support of the Film Center of Montenegro, the Croatian Audiovisual Center in the category for the production of feature-length documentary films, as well as for the development of projects , and it was also supported by Radio-television of Montenegro and Croatian Radio-television.
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The plot focuses on the story of the rear admiral Krsto Đurović who died in the Yugoslav war because he refused to shell Dubrovnik, according to the description...
"The unsolved murder of Krsto Đurović, a Montenegrin rear admiral of the Yugoslav People's Army, who refused to attack Dubrovnik in the 1991 war, exposes the story of unattainable justice in the Balkans in the 21st century, and exposes how society treats moral decisions when honor prevails over heroism." ..
Taking into account the topic that deals with transgenerational traumas and syndromes that occur in war zones, the research and production of this film so far will be presented at the Safer Spaces Roundtables. This will enable further analysis and discussion of the impact of war conflicts on the mental health of individuals and communities, with the aim of developing strategies to overcome these traumas, explains Ivanovic.
The director adds that the festival is just the end of the program where the authors have the opportunity to further present the film, attend round tables, network, meet potential partners and the like.
Ivanovic talks about the process of research and work on the film in an interview for "Vijesti", he also comments on the position of author's film in Montenegro and talks about the challenges that authors face.
"If there is no way out of the nineties, then there is no hope," says historian Dubravka Stojanović, adding that facing the past is a prerequisite for the future. How challenging is it to make a film about, as it says in the synopsis, unattainable justice, thus confronting the past and yet not being stuck in the 90s?
Intimately, psychologically and emotionally, it was a very challenging and difficult process. First, because I talked to a huge number of people who are participants in the events of the war, with whom I did one-on-one audio interviews. After that, I witnessed and recorded the process of working on the play "Death in Dubrovnik", which belongs to one of the phases of working on this film. The performance is based on the principle of verbatim theater, documentary theater, which also includes psychodramatic methods. The protagonists, the perpetrators of the war events, from the beginning of the 90s reconstructed and testified for the young actors about the events that took place at that time. I witnessed, both from the Montenegrin and Croatian sides, their difficult integration into society and post-traumatic stress syndrome. I also witnessed how the trauma of the war is transmitted to new generations, who did not even know anything about the war because of the "law of silence" that still rules in Montenegro to this day. Since I was a part of those processes, and now I'm looking at everything I recorded, I can say that I'm witnessing the traumas anew. From that point of view, all of this had a profound effect on me, as a human being, on many levels. The entire process of working on the film mostly trapped me in the 90s, but it also gave me the right glasses with which I can see the reality around me.
Will this film bring any new knowledge about the events of that time?
It will bring us something that is counter to all the narratives that exist on all the warring sides. It will bring us interpretations related to the breakup of Yugoslavia itself, which are not popular, are not part of the narrative. Some events that are hidden from the public eye.
Was it difficult to get archival footage, due to the fact that these events were hidden from the public eye?
The archive had mysteriously disappeared and, since the Montenegrin raid on Dubrovnik, almost nothing of the archive officially exists today. I found everything else that exists by searching archives in Croatia, Belgrade, Novi Sad... We found some of the most important things in the private archives of people who filmed during the 90s. Most of these people are members of the Liberal Alliance, who gave it to me at the time when the authoritarian regime was the most powerful.
What was the most challenging thing for you in the process of creating this documentary? Is there an issue that is less visible to people outside the industry?
Apart from the fact that Montenegro is still governed by the law of silence and that the war in Dubrovnik is thrown a few punches, and that's where all the talk about it ends, we as a society are not ready to face ourselves and our past. Those were serious challenges before me, how to get any information at all, how to talk to someone who would tell me something openly. How to get to the counterintelligence service, how to get to the eyewitnesses, how to get to the family - these were all big challenges, which we successfully overcame.
"Genocide, genocide, urbicide. Unfortunately, never in history has it been so clear that the destruction of a city is the destruction of life,'' said Borka Pavićević, playwright and anti-war activist on one occasion when she spoke about the wars of the 90s and the destruction of cities... How are you now, after research and work on film, do you see the attack on Dubrovnik?
One of the people I interviewed, a journalist from the Associated Press, who is the only foreign reporter, said: The city of Dubrovnik was built to defend against, I quote, "bows and arrows", when I saw a shell falling on it, it cut me off. I see that attack as culturicide, urbicide, one of the most shameful episodes since Montenegro existed, until today. Bravery and heroism, if it existed, were buried together with all the people who were there.
How do you see the current state of author's films in Montenegro?
Author's film in Montenegro is still in the development phase. Themes in Montenegrin auteur film provide an intriguing space of diversity of styles, approaches and experiments. It is this diversity that brings depth and complexity to small cinema, which could inspire even larger film industries. The author's film occupies an important place because it allows creators to explore personal and artistic freedom, freed from commercial restrictions. This freedom represents the core of film art and the direction of future cinema where directors, screenwriters and other creatives have the opportunity to shape their stories authentically, challenging conventional forms.
In our country, even among colleagues, the author's film is often perceived as "slow" and "hermetic." The fact that the author's film travels to prestigious festivals is ignored precisely because festivals are fortresses of contemporary film, offering a cross-section of the most important moments in world film production, which is not only a place for prestige and awards. Elementary logic dictates that our goal is to follow these trends and be part of a wider context, and not bury ourselves in conservative and safe contents that we believe are the only ones that the audience understands. We must appreciate and respect the audience. In addition, the audience needs to be educated and nurtured, but that cannot happen overnight. Just look at what Underhill Fest has achieved in its 15 years. When I show my colleagues in Zagreb the photos from the opening of that festival, the only thing I hear are words of praise and hope that the audience will welcome the author's documentary in the same way. This would not have happened if it were not for the people at the head of the festival who follow the trends of contemporary auteur films. They are proof that success is possible when people dedicate themselves to their work.
Which authors would you single out as the most significant?
There are several prominent authors who explore different themes and stylistic approaches. These authors show an interest in expressing themselves through intimate, often experimental works, breaking away from the usual commercial genres. They should be congratulated for that. They are: Ivan Salad, Ivan Copper, Dušan Kasalica, screenwriter Stefan Boskovic, and besides them, let's not forget the young authors Saru Stijović, Baby Pavicevic, the producer Jelena Mišeljić and many others...
Do you think that the author's film is threatened by the commercialization of cinematography?
Throughout the history of film, commercial films have often found inspiration precisely in avant-garde authors. Commercial film is important, but it also requires professionals in all sectors and funds, and we really lack those resources, especially when compared to much bigger ones. I think that is one of the key problems. We don't have the ability to be like Hollywood; one of their actors earns more for one production than we allocate for culture on an annual basis. We should not even compare ourselves with the region, due to the limitations of a small market such as ours. Instead, it would be more fruitful to compare with cinemas like Greece and Romania, which have overcome their limitations with creativity and persistence. Such cinematography should be our role model.
What are the biggest challenges that auteur films and authors face?
In film art and culture in general, commitment and a long-term vision are required. Education and public awareness, not to mention the general interest, have been systematically neglected. And until and from August 30. Culture is becoming an area in which people who are not from the cultural sphere and who have their own short-term, not to say selfish, goals are often employed in the highest positions, and their institutions should serve us, not us them. Therefore, they need the success of the culture in their one mandate, that is, as long as their government can last until there is some new mistrust of the government or brokering and ruin that we wrongly call transition.
In an auteur film, the opposite is important: innovative and challenging works that require time and commitment that transcend mandates and political interests. And that's why everything is up for grabs, for now and immediately, for photo shoots and red carpets, because some party commissar who appointed e.g. a minister of culture. It's as if culture is an apple that falls into someone's hands through party redistribution, without him even asking himself where he got the apple from. Narrative and facade are important, it is important that people (deliberately long A) say in the corridors and bars that: "He or she is working". What is important to authors is less important to them - genuine work and long-term contribution to culture.
In a country with limited resources and a nascent film infrastructure, expecting immediate commercial success for auteur films is not realistic. The priority should be artistic innovation and international visibility, which can pave the way for sustainable growth and international cooperation. Comparing Montenegrin cinema with global giants, the region or Hollywood leads to superficial discussions that can encourage nationalist narratives of all origins and isolate creative filmmakers. Progress lies in supporting those who push boundaries and challenge norms, because such authors often leave a lasting cultural impact, even if it means sacrificing momentary popularity.
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