No distance in the film

Second-year student of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Film and Media program, Ana Ćulum in the past period she found herself in several different roles. Her short feature film "Dora" won an award at the International Film Festival "Adria Shorts" in Zadar, she herself was a member of the student jury at the 14th UnderhillFest International Documentary Film Festival, and since the weekend she has been volunteering at the Ponta Lopud Film Festival in Croatia.

In an interview with "Vijesti" Ćulum says that she perceives it all as an intertwined and unique experience that further motivates her to give her maximum and improve herself in the field of film.

In the selection for the selection of the film of the year at the Adria festival

"Dora" was declared the best short feature arthouse film (Best Arthouse Fiction May 2023) at the Adria festival, thus entering the selection for the selection of Film of the Year. The international short film festival "Adria Shorts" is designed so that every month it chooses winners in different categories, who become part of the selection of the festival's annual edition.

"Dora" was created as part of the workshop "IWILL" (Inspiring Women Initiative-taking for Lasting Leadership), which is realized in cooperation by the OSCE organization and FDU Cetinje, who recognized the specific approach to the story and the special quality of the film.

The synopsis states that "Dora" is the story of a widow whose lost dog helps her learn to deal with her pain and find a new meaning, while also talking about female support and (business) engagement.

"This is a story about loss, sadness, friendship, happiness and the rediscovery of a forgotten passion that brings a renewed sense of purpose, all of which is told in the form of a short drama starring a cute dog", they stated in the explanation from the Adria Short Festival film "Dora ".

Coping with life and a dog as a friend and comfort

In an interview with "Vijesti", Ćulum tells how the process of making the film went...

"It happened quite spontaneously, and it was very interesting and at the same time demanding to work on that project. The film was created under the mentorship of a directing professor Marije Perović and professor and director from Italy Serđa Base, who were engaged in the workshops as lecturers and mentors and helped me a lot. Some of the set frame of the film was to present a woman in business, an independent and strong figure, and the original idea was to include a dog in the story, which we did not want to deviate from, despite the fact that we know that it is challenging, that is, difficult to present the idea that we imali", says Ćulum and explains that the dog and children are considered to be the most difficult collaborators in the filmmaking process.

She emphasizes that she knew from the very beginning that she did not want to allow the film to lean towards pathos or to go into an atmosphere of sadness and depression, so she also included cheerful music, and she adapted the business model of a woman, which the theme required, to the action. .

"We had a very short deadline and the only thing we knew was that the focus should be the victory of women, but also the empowerment of women in the context of business, business engagement. The victory of our woman, which she plays Jelena Nenezić is that she finds some new joy in living despite everything that has happened to her, and through her we are not only portraying a female person, but any man who faces various challenges in life and goes through various struggles", reminds Ćulum.

She reveals to "Vijesta" that her protagonist will not find a job that most would wish for, where she would perform an (important) function from an armchair and earn a high salary, but will follow her aspirations and find herself in something that will contribute to her inner happiness.

"We wanted to provide her with something that would be a refuge for her and that would be helpful for her on a daily basis... We came up with a solution because we believe that a dog can help a person, ward off sadness and provide comfort, because a dog is a man's best friend... So we decided that she would open a salon for dogs", says Ćulum.

There was no casting for the dog, she adds, but she knew from the very beginning what she wanted from him... Ćulum herself is a caring owner of two dogs, and she portrayed one of them in the film, but it was difficult to find the main one.

"I knew how I could work with my dog, what commands he would obey, how to suggest an action, set up a camera and the like... Despite that, we somehow didn't have a main dog, but I was convinced that we would find him. That happened, by some luck, literally the night before the recording, and then everything still fell into place, and the dogs on the set brought us particularly good energy", reports Ćulum and adds:

"We showed the struggle of a man, facing the life of a woman who has lost everything and is looking for some meaning, fights and tries to stand up again, no matter how hard it is"...

The judging experience changed her view of awards

The film was shot, and the young director did not have high expectations, so the award surprised her. Shortly after the recognition, she herself found herself in the role of a jury, at Underhill, which further changed her perception of the awards.

"I was happy about the award at Adria Short from the very beginning, but only when I went through the jury process myself did I realize how complex it is, what is actually the background of all that and how much time the people in the jury spent together talking, thinking and commenting on the films of my colleagues, as well as mine, and because of that it became even more significant to me that my film was the topic of conversation for someone, but also the decision to receive recognition", says Ćulum at the beginning...

She adds that she especially likes the Underhill festival, and that the task of the jury is always more demanding when it comes to documentaries.

"Last year I volunteered at Underhill, which I enjoyed, because the whole atmosphere was great. When I was invited to be a member of the jury, I felt honored that I am not only commenting on the films of my colleagues, but I have the opportunity to decide on the awarding of awards in the category of short documentaries signed by accomplished professionals. It was a special experience for me, but also a very difficult job, because a documentary film is quite a free form and has a lot of different approaches... We made lists of what we especially like about films in the hope that it will make our decision easier, after that we talked a lot and in the end we made unanimous decisions when it comes to the 'Dandelion' award and the special recognition", explains Ćulum.

She also emphasizes that each film had a unique beauty and quality, and that she likes the fact that documentaries are intimate, honest and strong, which is what she looks for as an author in feature films.

"I like when some personal stamp and author's touch is introduced into the film, when there is no distance that viewers can easily feel," she says.

He adds that in the selection of "7 shorts" there were those films that left a strong impression on the young three-member jury, because they deal with topics that are important and close to them, but, as Ćulum says, they had to make up their minds and find a compromise solution. That's how they jointly set the criteria (from the theme of the film, its reason, message, frames, narration, creation process and general significance...), and then made decisions.

Volunteering as an opportunity for work, but also for rest

And just after one festival ended, Ana Ćulum is already at another, which officially starts today. This is the third edition of the Ponta Lopud festival, which gathers prominent professionals of the film industry, either in the roles of lecturers or participants, in order to gain experience and knowledge in the exchange of experiences, as well as inspiration for upcoming film projects.

"I arrived at the Ponta Lopud Film Festival on Saturday and there were only three of us from FDU Cetinje there, and I am very happy and proud to have the opportunity to be a part of it. I don't have any particular expectations that I'm thinking about, and I've fulfilled some by becoming a part of this. Although we all work here and have a lot of obligations, the festival is really fantastic, and the sea is there, so I look at it all as an opportunity to learn something new, learn and improve, and at the same time it's like I'm on vacation," says Ćulum.

Energy and desire to work

The multitude of different experiences, which she has not yet managed to process, awakened additional enthusiasm and motivation for further work in the young director.

"As soon as I finished the workshops, and then when the award arrived, I got energy and desire for new work and projects and started exchanging ideas with the screenwriter regarding the new film. Then Underhill, and now Ponta Lopud, and everything together is a great incentive for me, but also a reminder of why I chose film as my vocation," concludes Ćulum.