Three Montenegrin film projects in development were among the eight selected in the "Best Pitch" competition program of the Novi Sad film festival, which takes place from September 21 to 24. The following were selected: the debut feature film "15 and a Half", Milivoje Miša Obradović, "Nothing will be named after me", Đorđe Vojvodić and "Fruit", Maše Šarović.
In addition to them, the projects that were shortlisted and competing for the main prize in the amount of one million dinars (8.500 euros) are: "Levant" Una Radić, "Bike ride with Zoli Turčin" which he signs Sabolch Tolnai, "Sun, never again", David Jovanovic, "Winds, talk to me", Stefan Đorđević, "78 days", Emilija Gasic.
The jury that will "deliberate" on the decisions consists of a Hollywood actor John Savage who is both the president, and the members - director of photography Maja Radosevic and film producer Ida Weiss.
Obradović will start filming his debut feature film in October
The debut feature film, directed and written by Montenegrin actor Miš Obradović, is produced by Giggling Goat Production from Montenegro, the producer Marko Jaćimović. It will be filmed in two blocks, according to the announcement, and the first will already be at the beginning of October on locations in Ada Bojana, while the second is planned for the spring of next year in Podgorica.
The main roles in "15 and a half" are played by: Emir Ćatović, Kristina Obradović, Lara Dragović, Petar Burić, Ivona Cović Jaćimović and others.
"The idea for the film came about a few years ago as a need to talk about certain phenomena and occurrences in society from a personal point of view, in a cinematic way. "The starting point of the script, whose author is also Obradović, is documentary basis, but the plots and relationships are fiction, created on the basis of a "reworked" life experience," the producers state in a statement.
In terms of genre, "15 and a half" is basically a slice of life film with elements of an existentialist drama, they explained and briefly presented the plot:
"The main character Niko is a very successful actor who, fed up with the routine of everyday life, wants a change. It is reflected in the idea of becoming a film author. That is why, in search of an authentic film subject, he takes and records pictures from the lives of the people around him, his fiancee, parents, colleagues from the theater, and friends. Over time, he realizes that the only "filmic" subject that makes sense to deal with is himself. Because of this, he will turn the camera towards himself and become the protagonist of his film-life. In that 'film', the lens of which will dive into his inner landscapes, he will face great challenges that will pose a key dilemma for him: to set out to meet new horizons or to return home," the description reads.
About motherhood, family pathologies and alpha males
The feature film "Fruit" directed by Maša Šarović, is based on the script Sara Đurović, production company "Kino", and the film crew includes the director of photography Igor Lazic and female producers Marija Perović i Jelena Šoškić.
In an interview with "Vijesti", the young Montenegrin screenwriter Đurović said that "Plod" talks about motherhood, family pathologies, living as a response to the impossibility of adequately dealing with these pathologies. The film questions socially acceptable models of happiness, deals with patriarchy...
"The initial thought when writing this script was to deal with motherhood as a myth. It seems to me that it is a serious mythomania not to question motherhood and the maternal instinct, to trivialize it, starting from the idea that every woman is a born mother", Đurović said, among other things.
She also revealed that the main character of "Fruit" is a woman in the process of emancipation, but also that the film will feature female antagonistic characters, and the Film Center of Montenegro previously said that it deals with generational differences.
"'Fruit' deals with the themes of depression, infanticide and transgenerational differences, critically examines the themes of the destructive patriarchal narrative in which today's generations are growing up".
Montenegrin film project "Nothing will be called after me", directed by Đorđe Vojvodić, according to the script Maje Todorovic, is produced by Bitter Frames from Podgorica producer Miljan Vučelić. Earlier it was stated that it is a film about "successful deconstruction of alpha-male archetypes of a certain generation and its legacy in a small society".
All three projects that were selected for the Novi Sad Film Festival in the "Best pitch" segment were previously supported at competitions for script development and project development of the Film Center of Montenegro.
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