In 2016, Talents Sarajevo turned 10, only this time we were there to celebrate with our partners and friends! Apart from collaborating with the Talent Press section for fourth time in a row, this year our editor Yoana Pavlova as well as our godmother Dana Linssen were mentors of six young and bright writers from the Balkan region.
Guided by TS' motto In and Out of Light, we talked about visibility, ambiguity, hidden messages, even the digital world. Our editor held two lectures in Sarajevo: on the importance of social media in the work of film journalists / critics and on VR. Robert De Niro said hi, but most importantly - we had the chance to enjoy the perks of Sarajevo Film Festival's beat and exchange from morning till... well, morning.
So give a warm applaud to the six lucky talents and their contributions! As every year, their reviews will guide you to the heart of SFF, tackling shorts and features from various sections. And with the level of professionalism and engagement these 12 pieces are written, we can say only one thing: spotlight, please!
Andreea Mihalcea, Romania:
I've always had this rather Romantic take on the importance of being able to synchronize thoughts and feelings to the words people choose to express them. When I was about 18, I remember being very impressed on discovering that there are people who can eloquently translate for others a sort of a mental dialogue they've must have had with themselves while seeing a film and articulate both images and ideas into words.
FOX / ALEPOU (2016) dir. Jacqueline Lentzou - Shorts → TONI ERDMANN (2016) dir. Maren Ade - Kinoscope →
Andreea Pătru, Romania:
The challenge is to find a story's hook in blockbuster-driven publications that pay less and less attention and space to arthouse cinema. I feel that when a good film is discovered by the critics' community, there is a common consent that doesn't enrich the field and the risk of bias is almost implicit.
TRANSITION / TRANZICIJA (2016) dir. Milica Tomović - Shorts → CAMERAPERSON (2016) dir. Kirsten Johnson - Kinoscope →
Emre Çağlayan, Turkey:
Given the political turmoil affecting Europe these days, I think it is about time again that we discuss the relationship between cinema, politics, and aesthetics. A good and topical starting question could be: to what extent can cinema be a political tool? Does cinema have the potential to create political awareness or engage with our political consciousness? Can cinema engage with communities that were left alone by the political elite? What are the ethical implications of using cinema in this way?
4:15 P.M. THE END OF THE WORLD / 4:15 P.M. SFÂRȘITUL LUMII (2016) dir. Gabi Virginia Sarga & Cătălin Rotaru - Shorts → EVOLUTION / ÉVOLUTION (2015) dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović - Kinoscope →
Janka Pozsonyi, Hungary:
One of our most talked topic in Hungary, is the role of a film critic. Hungarian film industry have had its lows and highs in the couple of years, and when it comes to criticizing our own nation's films, some writers tend to be more harsh, more critical. Many distributors constantly blaming the critics that because of their bad reviews, viewers are not watching their film, and therefore it's completely failing at the box office.
LIMP LIKE THAT / CSOSZOGJ ÚGY dir. Petra Szöcs - Shorts → TONI ERDMANN (2016) dir. Maren Ade - Kinoscope →
Katerina Lambrinova, Bulgaria:
To turn art into a real profession, a real job has always seemed to me quite like what the Coldplay are singing in one of their popular refrains: "Nobody said it was easy / No one ever said it would be this hard." But the truth is that deeper you get, the more you want to learn.
FOX / ALEPOU (2016) dir. Jacqueline Lentzou - Shorts → TONI ERDMANN (2016) dir. Maren Ade - Kinoscope →
Petra Meterc, Slovenia:
I think Talents Sarajevo is, regarding the programme and the attendees of the seminar, an amazing opportunity for me to reflect on the continuity and the specifics of the contemporary film production of the region - the production which has a slightly marginalized, out-of-the-spotlight (sic!) position in the big Western cinematic Meccas: be it ex-Yugoslavian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek, or Turkish cinema.
