There is no reason why 2019 should not be more successful than the extremely successful 2018, when it comes to the work and achievements of the Film Center of Montenegro, said Director of the Film Center Sehad Čekić.
Although a young institution (FC was founded in 2017), in a short period of time, significant steps were taken in order to improve and develop Montenegrin cinematography, and this resulted in membership in the Eurimaž fund (Eurimages) at the end of the previous year.
Čekić, for "Vijesti", summarized the work and achievements of the Film Center and pointed out that he has high expectations for himself and the team he manages for the next period.
How would you comment on Montenegrin cinematography during the year that we watched?
In many ways, 2018 will be remembered as an exceptionally good year for Montenegrin cinematography.
Film premieres at significant festivals, including the premiere of Ivan Salatić's film "Ti imaš noć" at the Venice Film Festival, indicate a quantitative and qualitative shift and new positions occupied by our cinematography on the international scene.
The film center is expanding its fields of activity, and the increased budget has opened the possibility for more and more projects to be launched, thus focusing on production, which is the most demanding, but also on the preparation of projects.
Of course, the news about joining the Eurimaž fund marked the end of the year and completely legitimized everything we did as a film community in the previous period.
By joining Eurimaž, we completed the international framework for the proper development of our cinematography, which represents a reliable support for the future of Montenegrin cinema.
How much did Montenegrin films, directors, institutions progress and were noticed during the previous year?
Montenegrin films premiered at festivals in Motovun, Sarajevo, Montreal, Cottbus, Venice, Leipzig, Amsterdam, Thessaloniki, Lisbon, Seville, Vienna, and of course also in Zagreb, Belgrade, Skopje, Novi Sad and other cities, which definitely confirms their quality and reputation. of our films and directors.
The Film Center had an extremely successful year in terms of international cooperation and promotion, where I would single out cooperation with industry sections at festivals in Trieste, Sarajevo, Pula, Tirana, and a particularly successful one with Dok Leipzig festival.
There is also cooperation with Film New Europe platforms, Cineuropa.org, Locations magazine, membership in European Film Promotion, European Audiovisual Observatory, SEE Cinema Network...
We are especially proud of the cooperation with one of the most prestigious workshops - EAVE, with which we organized an excellent program and hosted the Danish producer Lise Lance Meller and the famous, always inspiring, Katriel Shori, longtime director of the Israel Film Fund.
Finally, this year the European Film Academy invited 5 new members from Montenegro to membership, which is enough to show the accelerated rise of both the visibility and the reputation of our cinematography.
The Film Center, although new, is an important institution in Montenegro, especially when it comes to cinematography. Are you satisfied with the support you receive?
The support we receive, for now, is at an exceptional level and has been so since the foundation of the institution. Proof of this is the progressive legal-normative solutions in our area, as well as the system of incentive measures that was recently improved.
Certainly, the Center is a complex institution and, in certain issues, special in the cultural system of Montenegro, which entailed additional clarifications and finding new solutions.
However, we have implemented most of the obligations in a very short period of time, among other things, because we are lagging behind in important segments to a large extent. I think we are on the right track, I hope I share the opinion of the sector.
What, in your opinion, would improve the situation in Montenegrin cinematography?
There are many things and procedures that we need to improve both as an institution and as a film community. Cinematography is a complex activity, conditioned by the technical and economic conditions in which it takes place, so a proactive role is intended for everyone.
I hope that we learned that lesson the hard way, at least we in Montenegro. My sincere recommendation is to introduce a new level of more thorough project preparation and reflection in the sector, in order to reduce the negative impact of capriciousness and ad hoc solutions, which left and continue to leave long-term consequences.
What are your plans and goals, as well as those of the Film Center?
In the next year, we will continue with the improvement of the competition, but also with the expansion of the areas that we will cover with the competitions.
In addition to film production, our goal is to focus on broader cinematographic issues such as film literacy and film festivals, in order to improve film culture in Montenegro.
We are also preparing new competitions, and we will also organize several prestigious workshops. There is no reason why this year should not be even more successful than the extremely successful 2018.
Cinematic repertoire to give a chance to independent films
What is the Montenegrin culture of watching movies, in your opinion?
Film festivals confirm the great interest of a wider audience in films that are not able to watch in the regular repertoire, which, as in other countries, is filled with blockbusters and similar films.
This points us to the necessity to make an effort and create the conditions to establish the regular operation of cinemas in all Montenegrin cities, with special attention to the repertoire that must provide the opportunity for so-called independent films.
Digital platforms and televisions enable a wide selection of titles, and one really gets the impression that the audience is developing very specific viewing habits and interests more and more quickly, but the film is, above all, intended for cinema halls and the big screen, where it becomes a very important social and aesthetic event.
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