Bosnian-Herzegovinian film director and producer Ademir Kenović stated today that he sees the future of regional cinematography as a peaceful environment.
„This is a space where there will be peaceful communication, where neighbors will respect the quality that can help you, your children, and everyone else,“ Kenović told Tanjug at the European Film Festival in Palić.
The director, known for films such as „That Little Bit of Soul“ (1986) and „Kuduz“ (1989), said that it will be a „space where a decontamination of consciousness will take place, and within such an environment, everyone would live more comfortably.“
According to him, such artistic work existed in the 1970s and 1980s and was very pleasant for communication.
As one of the laureates of the „Aleksandar Lifka“ award for contribution to European cinematography at the opening of the Palić festival on Saturday, Kenović noted that directors Živojin Pavlović and Aleksandar Petrović would be among the creators to whom this lovely award would now be posthumously awarded.
Kenović was informed about the award by the director of the Palić festival Radoslav Zelenović and program director Miroslav Mogorović, and he received the news with surprise because he never even thought he could become part of such a society.
„Zelenović and Mogorović are my old friends. They sent me a list of people who received this award over the past 30 years, and then I felt the way I rarely feel. I felt comfortable in that society. I never even thought that I was part of that society,“ the director said.
Before the award ceremony on Saturday, visitors had the opportunity to watch a clip from the film „Kuduz,“ so Kenović highlighted that he does not watch his films and often is not aware that he is part of a great film achievement.
„While shooting a film with the late (cinematographer) Vilko Filač in London, we agreed to watch ‘Kuduz’…I watch it and I can’t believe it, and I feel like I never watched this film,“ Kenović said.
Although he does not have the patience to watch his films, Kenović added that when he sees some inserts from „That Little Bit of Soul,“ he realizes that he has no problem with that film.
„It’s not embarrassing for me, it’s like watching some old classic films,“ the director explained.
Kenović emphasized that he is proud that there is a „young group of authors who have emerged in the environment of Bosnia and Herzegovina.“
„There are twenty or more people who are serious filmmakers who function seriously in this Balkan and world environment. I don’t think that’s my career, but I’m proud of it,“ Kenović added.
According to him, film is a medium in which „parts of the environment in which we live can be registered.“
„Movies coming from Hollywood are not dealing with that but with an attempt to gather as many people as possible to watch them,“ Kenović assessed.
After „The Secret Passage“ (2004), Kenović is ready to direct again, and he said that it will be a film and a series that will talk „about hell, about liquid iron from which a small flower of positivity is created that prevails over horror.“
„I was attracted to this topic because it is fantastically written. It is something we are working on and will be completed next year,“ Kenović said.
