Two New Serbian Film Festivals Begin in Canada

Two festivals have begun in Canada's two metropolitan centers, Toronto and Vancouver, each showcasing a yearly selection of new Serbian film productions.

The opening in Toronto was dedicated to the memory of Dragan Nikolić, the great actor of Yugoslav and Serbian cinema, who had once been a guest of the festival as a lead performer in the films "Zona Zamfirova" and "The Labyrinth."

Also screened was "The Engine Driver's Diary," directed by Miloš Radović, a tragicomedy starring Lazar Ristovski in the title role. This film is also Serbia's official entry for the American Academy Awards.

Today, audiences in Toronto will be able to see the documentaries "The Magic of Set Design" by Slobodan Ivetić and "Hear Us, Serbs" by Goran Vukčević. The director of the latter film is expected to be a festival guest.

The film "Brothers by Their Father's Line" by Radoš Bajić will also be shown. On Saturday, the program includes "Burek" by Vladan Nikolić, starring brothers Sergej and Branislav Trifunović in the lead roles.

After the screening, director Nikolić will take questions from the audience. Later that same evening, "On the Milky Road" by Emir Kusturica will be shown. The non-competitive festival concludes on Sunday with a screening of the documentary about General Draža Mihailović, "Hero and Punishment," directed by Nebojša Pajkić, as well as the feature film "A Good Wife," written and directed by actress-turned-director Mirjana Karanović.

In addition to the Toronto festival, the most popular films will also be screened in Hamilton and Waterloo.

The festival is organized by the non-governmental organization "Culture Bridge," headed by Nenad Stanković, founder and publisher of the "Mi Magazin," a magazine of the new Serbian emigration in Canada, as well as "Tesla Magazine."

In a statement to Beta, Stanković said this year's festival is the 16th of its kind, and that more than 100 Serbian films have been shown over the previous 15 editions, seen by a total of 35,000 viewers.

This fact places the cultural event among the major promotions of Serbian culture in the diaspora. A similar, though younger, film showcase of Serbian films — now in its ninth year — has also opened in Vancouver. Until November 12, audiences in the Pacific coast metropolis will see several films, beginning with "Burek" by Vladan Nikolić, who is also a guest of the festival. In addition to Nikolić, festival guests will also include several members of the consular corps in Vancouver.

On Thursday, "The Engine Driver's Diary" was screened, and today's program features "A Stinking Fairy Tale" by Miroslav Momčilović, starring Žarko Laušević in the leading role. The Vancouver film showcase concludes on Saturday with a screening of "Humidity," directed by Nikola Ljuca, featuring a large cast including Miloš Timotijević, Tamara Krcunović, and other actors and actresses, mostly of the younger generation.

The founder and lead organizer of the Vancouver Serbian Film Festival is the Honorary Consul of Serbia in that Pacific metropolis in British Columbia, Predrag Vladiković, a native of Belgrade, a respected architect, and a graduate of the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Architecture.

Vladiković told Beta that audience interest has been outstanding and that virtually all screenings are expected to be fully attended. All films at both festivals are shown in their original Serbian, with English subtitles, so, as in previous years, part of the audience consists of other Canadian film enthusiasts in addition to members of the large Serbian diaspora.