As an opportunity for the audience to become familiar with something that was forgotten, but existed, and to experience animated film and learn about its roots in Montenegro, the documentary filmmaker Momir Matovic announces the Montenegrin premiere of his film "The Alchemist's Dream", which will be held today in Podgorica, at the Cultural and Information Center "Budo Tomović" at 19 p.m.
The documentary-animated film “The Alchemist’s Dream”, written and directed by Matović, was produced by MFILM Montenegro, and produced by Mirko Matovic, and the cameraman Relja Erakovic.
"This 60-minute production deals with the artistic oeuvre of Ranko Radovanovic, a talented and skilled cartoonist from Montenegro who, upon arriving in Belgrade, became a respected member of the famous animation studio Bikić. Radovanović stood out not only for his gift and sure drawing hand, but also for his specific calmness and quiet dedication to his work. His first film, with the symbolic title “The Alchemist's Dream”, inspired by the thought of Kazimir Malevich: 'I am the beginning of everything because worlds are created in my consciousness', reveals the mysterious connection between dream and alchemy, transforming animation into a poetic and almost hermetic form of expression", it was previously highlighted in the film's description, ahead of its world premiere at the March Festival in Belgrade, in 2025.
In an interview with "Vijesti", Matović explains how and with what motive the film was created.
“As a participant and author in Montenegrin cinema, during my many years of creative work, in addition to working on documentary films, I have continuously, from the side, encountered and had first-hand insight into certain archival segments from the heritage of Montenegrin cinema. I have met many, direct witnesses of the emergence, success and disappearance of Montenegrin film companies, Lovćen Film, Film Studio Titograd and until recently Zeta Film from Budva. I have conducted and recorded many confessions, scanned and systematized in my personal archive a large number of photographs, catalogues, inscriptions, original Finnish posters... In parallel with my, and now active work, on a number of film projects, I still find time to browse and watch this film legacy. So the task was imposed on me that this should not be just stored, i.e. buried material, so I decided to visualize it. Thus, several TV series and feature-length documentaries have been made in the past period. The production companies of the time, domestic and co-production films, cinematographic the fates of producers, directors, cinematographers, cinematography, film amateurism, known and unknown, all had their premieres. Those who remember that time, and there are few of them now, watched such a retrospective with emotion, and those who have already met, or are yet to meet, with amazement and disbelief", he continues the story:
“The film 'The Alchemist's Dream' is just one segment in this genre circle of new characters, because it talks about Montenegrin animated film and its beginnings. Little is known about this category even today, not only in our country, but also in the surrounding area. The beginnings were spontaneous, encouraged by the great enthusiasm of a small group of gifted cartoonists. Inspired by the first animated film 'Pill for...' by the painter Nikica Raičević and under his mentorship, that group of beardless boys within the cartoon school that worked within the then Youth Center 'Budo Tomović', very quickly with their first 30-minute cartoons, showing their talent, aroused great interest among the entire cultural public of the then Titograd. The first major fest was participation in amateur and Finnish festivals throughout Yugoslavia, where they were absolute winners in the animated film genre with a series of awards. This momentum was also supported by the then production company Zeta Film from Budva, which provided professional conditions for the production of original animated films", says Matović.
That's how, he notes, that production came to life, and four animated films were made in succession.
"Over time, Yugoslavia fell apart, cinematography in general was going through difficult times, the boys grew up, the school eventually closed down," Matović recalls, continuing the story.
“One young man who exchanged his home and all his time for drawing and its revival was Ranko Radovanović. A virtuoso cartoonist, a person of a good soul and nature, all in his dreams, he left for Belgrade and continued on in the first professional private studio Bikić. There his imagination reached its maximum. Animated films were created that, with their expressive drawings, received all the praise from the animation establishment, and of course awards, up to the grand prix at the famous Documentary and Short Film Festival in Belgrade. Even then, in Belgrade, he became interested in computer animation, which was in its infancy. He returned to Montenegro and was a pioneer of computer animation. He was the first author of computer animation films, worked for television and until the end of his life was an alchemist in handling his dreams,” Matović points out.
Radovanović's filmography is filled with many awards and recognitions, the most notable of which is the film "Memento Mori" (1994), for which he received the Grand Prix at the 41st Yugoslav Documentary and Short Film Festival in Belgrade.
In the description of "The Alchemist's Dream", it is emphasized that Radovanović stood out from the others with his modesty, talent, specific calmness, and sure drawing hand.
"In the domain of classical animation drawings, Radovanović, with a careful and gifted hand, draws us a catalogue of life forms, among which no particular relations are yet established," it is emphasized.
Matović's film premiered at the March Festival in Belgrade, which was held in October last year, and in addition to the animation in Montenegro and a tribute to Radovanović, "The Alchemist's Dream" was also a remembrance of Studio Bikić on that occasion.
"The premiere in Belgrade was a place where everyone gathered again, both those of us who know each other and today's authors. Everyone watched the film with great attention. Ranko Radovanović worked there, and in that studio Bikić made anthology films, so that premiere was also a retrospective of the Bikić Studio, which no one mentions anymore, whose owner died and when he died, the Studio died too," said Matović.
He also announces the next screenings for “Vijesti”, mainly abroad, and in Ljubljana in the spring. He proudly conveys the positive impressions of his valued colleagues and the comments of experts, among whom he emphasizes that “The Alchemist’s Dream” is a kind of “historical undertaking”. He reminds readers that he has been in cinematography for more than half a century, but that he does not plan to stop his work and research. Proof of this are the books he is working on, three of which he has already published, as well as significant audio material and a rich archive.
"Although I'm filming less and less now, and I had a lot planned, I'm still in that youthful mood to work, especially to present Montenegrin cinema and local heritage, which no one here deals with," says Matović.
Momir Matović was born in Titograd (Podgorica) in 1951. He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, film and TV camera group, in the class of prof. Nikola Majdak.
He is one of the most famous Montenegrin and world-famous authors in the field of documentary film.
He is the author of 10 documentary films produced by “Zeta Film” from Budva, he has participated in more than 160 film festivals in the region and the world, and he is the winner of many awards and recognitions. He is the author of documentary series in the field of Montenegrin cinema, theater, amateur drama, amateur cinema, the city heritage of Podgorica and feature-length documentary films with themes from Montenegro. Retrospectives of his documentary films have been organized in all major centers in the region and Europe.
Bonus video:
