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The crew of the film "Majka Mara" in the programme Grand with: There are people in Sarajevo who like to go to the movies

As part of the Grand Coffee with... programme at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival, on August 22, an interview was held with the crew of the film "Mother Mara".

Director and actress Mirjana Karanović, film producer Snežana van Houwelingen and actor Vučić Perović took part in the conversation.

Mirjana Karanović, who found herself in the director's chair again after the film "The Good Woman", after last night's premiere pointed out that she was delighted with the audience's reaction. Regarding the choice of Sarajevo as the place where he will premiere his film, he points out:

"Sarajevo is the crown of festivals in this part of the world, a festival that has very strict criteria regarding the selection and screening of films not only in the official program, but also in all other programmes. Sarajevo is unique because the people who live in Sarajevo like to come to the movies, it is not a festival where only experts and people who watch movies watch movies. Students are clamoring for tickets for documentary films, you can see how much interest there is in screenings, that's what makes everyone happy, to be at a festival where the halls are full. It is understandable why people like to come here, because the whole city is a festival here."

Snežana van Houwelingen emphasized that "Mother Mara" is part of CineLink, that they started their first meetings at the Sarajevo Film Festival and encouraged co-productions made up of five countries.

"Besides Serbia, there is Switzerland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This project has a lot to do with Sarajevo from the very beginning. As for the co-production, we looked to surround ourselves with friends, we had authors and actors from these countries, that was both an advantage and a challenge, because Mirjana had to collaborate with people she had never met before, whose work she did not know. She had the desire to no longer make a film about some poor, tortured woman who lives in some dilapidated apartment where the entire film takes place, but to present one character, Mara, as a different, atypical character for these areas, and therefore this film is also atypical ", said van Houwelingen.

Karanović connects the idea for the script and the story to the play she did a long time ago in Zenica called "We are the ones our parents warned us about", and the character of Mara, who also lost her son and the happiness of a young man, and that this is what she became very connected.

About his collaboration with Mirjana Karanović, actor Vučić Perović points out that he is very familiar with her work, and that this is not the first project on which they have collaborated.

"I don't think I had any problems filming sex scenes, I somehow consider it part of my job, I'm not afraid when these things need to happen. The professional relationship I had with Mirjana, not only in this project, made things a lot easier for me. Some things were created on the set itself, some things we agreed on the fly. It was a great experience for me to be part of this project and I would like every young person to work with Mira, because I think it is very important. Cooperation with her has always benefited me and will always benefit me, said Perović.

Regarding his plans for the future, the actor points out that he is currently involved in the theater, and that he has one film that will be released soon, but that he is still not part of the hyperproduction of series that are filmed in Serbia.

"I think that this path I am choosing is perhaps more difficult, but it is more beautiful and longer. We'll see how long we can last."

The film "Mother Mara" had its world premiere at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival, and it was shown as a special gala screening within the Competition Programme - Feature Film, out of competition.