“Celebration”, an interview with director Bruno Anković

July 5, 2024

Bruno Anković, director of "Celebration", explains how he sees his character as "the protagonist and the antagonist of the movie"

"Celebration", an interview with director Bruno Anković Bénédicte Prot

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Bruno Anković tells us more about his debut feature, “Celebration” (original title: “Proslava”), adapted from Damir Karakaš’ novel of the same name, published in 2019, and screened in competition at the 58th Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

The Croatian director explains why he wanted to show how easy it was for the Ustaše Militia – established by the fascist, anti Yugoslavia regime called Independent State of Croatia, a nazi puppet state – to recruit in poverty-stricken, religious and superstitious rural environments, and how this century-old story unfortunately still resonates today.

Bruno Anković tells us more about the non-linear way in which he chose to recount the story of Mijo, starting after WW2 when has to hide in the woods to escape punishment for his fascists alliances, through criss-crossing flashbacks to his childhood and teenage years around several determining traumatic moments.

We also discuss Mijo’s animality and actor Bernard Tomić‘s commitment to obtain this portrayal; the intrinsically good nature of the child and young man he was; life in the countryside and the shape of relationships (between humans, and humans and animals) in this environment; the use of light and darkness; the film’s soundscape and the only two songs which can be heard in his 86-minute running time.

Plot

"Bruno Anković’s feature film debut is set in an impoverished Croatian village between the years 1926 and 1945. The constant deprivation, repeated changes to the regime, and war pervaded the forests and shrouded the place in a miasma that obscured all visions of a better future. Village life was also tough for Mijo: His young, innocent soul was burdened by the outside world and troubled by inhumane orders, and he then fell prey to the false sheen of right-wing ideology. This film adaptation of the successful novel of the same name by Damir Karakaš presents us with wonderful shots of the rural landscape, but it is also a testimony of commonplace brutality and demonstrates the reasons why innocent people become easy quarry for ideological crusaders." Vojtěch Kočárník for KVIFF

Written by: Bénédicte Prot

Guest

Film

Celebration

Festival

Karlovy Vary Film Festival

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