XXIII. Inspire like a girl, ep. 3
XXIII. Inspire like a girl, ep. 3
This is the end of our trilogy about the stories of Sarajevan women who are renewing the image of Bosnia. Nina Dumrukcic tells the story of the organization of the iconic Sarajevo Film Festival
Hi,
welcome back to BarBalkans, the Italian newsletter whose aim is to give a voice to the Western Balkans’ stories, on the 30th anniversary eve of the Yugoslav Wars.
We are in the middle of a journey throughout the stories of Sarajevan women who are breaking the gender walls and renewing the image of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the first episode, Džana Bašić and Rialda Spahić told us how it is to be a woman in the IT field (you can read it here).
In the second episode, Erna Šoševic shared her experience as a businesswoman (her interview is here).
In the third and last episode, we’ll discover how one of the largest film festivals in Europe is organized by a group of enthusiastic people: one of them is going to reveal the behind the scenes of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
But first, we need a short preview of this event:
The greatest Festival in the Balkans
The Sarajevo Film Festival was founded in Sarajevo on the 25th October 1995, during the siege of Sarajevo (maybe you remember the interview of the tourist guide Nenad Novaković: you can find it here).
During the 12 days of the 1st Sarajevo Film Festival, 37 movies from 15 countries were screened and, surprisingly, the Festival was attended by 15 thousand people.
Every year since then, it has grown more and more: today, the Festival is attended by an average of 100 thousand visitors and more than 200 movies are screened over 9 days.
Since 2001, the European Film Association chose the SFF as one of the 11 festivals that can nominate a film for the award of ‘Europe’s Best Short Film’. The 2001 winner of the ‘Best Movie Award’ (in 2004 named ‘The Heart of Sarajevo Award’), Danis Tanović’s No Man's Land, also won the Oscar.
In cooperation with the Berlin International Film Festival and Berlinale Talent Campus, in 2007 the Sarajevo Talent Campus, an educational and creative platform for up and coming young film professionals, has been added to the Festival.
The SFF also promotes CineLink, the most important international market place for new features from Southeast Europe: young filmmakers, producers and directors have the chance to present their latest projects to international distributors, TV-buyers and festival programmers.
The Sarajevo Film Festival is hosted at the National Theater: the Festival Square and the red carpet are located in front of the building, with screenings being held in theaters, cinemas and projection locations around the city. Every year the Festival is attended by many celebrities. Some examples?
Robert De Niro, Orlando Bloom, Daniel Craig, Morgan Freeman, Sophie Okonedo, Gillian Anderson, Tim Roth, Alejandro González Iñárritu and others that you will discover later on…
And now, after this short preview of the Sarajevo Film Festival, let’s discover something more about its organization with our guest, a young woman who spent many years on the core staff.
Nina Dumrukcic has just entered the BarBalkans.
She has the floor… and the red carpet!
Be part of this story
Nina, why did you decide to join the organization of the Sarajevo Film Festival?
“It was very personal. I was excited about the prospect of associating Bosnia and Herzegovina with something that wasn’t only the tragedy of war and conflict.
I wanted to be part of a positive story, that brings people together and celebrates talents and the beauty of our country. While working with some VIP guests, the biggest gift they could give me was saying: «I’ve been everywhere, but I’ve never felt this kind of warmth and hospitality».
I think that the Sarajevo Film Festival is a very helpful way to meet people, create connections, learn something new and share projects. It combines the networking and the cultural experience: here is where the magic happens, where you discuss films and at the same time you share experiences”.
What was your role in the organization of the Festival?
“I was an official staff member from 2014 to 2017 and in the following years I helped out with guest announcements for some of the live programmes.
When I was on the core staff, my title was protocol officer. I coordinated the red carpet events and I was in charge of the VIP guests: organizing the schedules during their stay and planning live appearances.
I was also in charge of the ‘Human Rights Day’, in cooperation with the Swiss government or, more recently, with the government of the Netherlands. Usually, there was a panel with the screening of films on a certain topic. For example, in the 23rd edition there was a panel called Women’s rights today: regression, stagnation or progress?
Another big events I was in charge of was the ‘Coffee with… Programme’, a Q&A session with actors and directors, and I helped out at the ‘Open Air Programme’, with thousands of people sharing the experience of watching a film and seeing some of the cast and the crew”.
Think quickly, enjoy the moment
How was your typical day?
“Well, it started with a meeting for the core staff in the main square, with the Festival director and the heads of departments: we checked if everything was under control and we discussed what happened the day before. It was really nice!
Then, right away, I was busy with the ‘Coffee with… Programme’ and I was usually a bit stressed out. Especially if any big star, like John Cleese or Benicio del Toro, was there. I was the person in charge and I checked if everything was alright: the security, the scheduling, the moderators.
It lasted more or less one hour, it was wonderful. Later on, I was at the Cinema City venue to help with some of the special screenings.
After lunch, I prepared for the red carpet events, reviewing all the schedules for the night: the arrivals, who had a photo call or a live interview. There were a lot of guests, my colleague and I had to be able to recognize all of them by heart to communicate the names for the overhead announcements.
A little break and then the second red carpet. At the end of the night, I used to go to one of the Festival parties to spend time with my team. I was awake from 8 a.m. to 1 or 2 a.m of the day after, depending on how long I stayed at the party. For seven or eight Festival days, it was very intense!”
What is your greatest memory of the Festival?
“One of the most amazing moments for me was when I met John Cleese. The first thing my boss taught me was that you have to keep your composure, because the guests trust you to take care of them. You have to pay attention: safety first. It was quite stressful and there was a lot of pressure.
I remember he was waiting in the VIP area before giving a live interview. He’s a famous actor and director: that day I was very excited, because I’ve always been a big fan of his work. He acted like a real British gentleman. He told me: «Don’t worry! Sit down, relax and let’s have a chat. I’m so happy to be here!» He made me feel at ease and we even took a photo.
There are also many other memories, where I had to improvise quickly how to solve a problem on the spot, especially during live events where mistakes are most apparent. When you are here, you have to think quickly on your feet”.
No place for ego
As a young woman, can you say how relevant the female presence is in the Festival organization?
“There are a lot of powerful women, like the creative director and the head of international relations: they’re both so inspirational, tough but warm and polite, they give credit where it is due. There are many women who are very creative and organized and also many female directors with amazing films, who have won awards not only at our Festival.
Moreover, the Festival often embraces the issue of female empowerment. In the ‘Human Rights Day’ there was a wonderful panel on women’s rights: the films shown portrayed a variety of different female experiences. It had a great impact”.
What would you say to anyone interested in the organization of the Sarajevo Film Festival?
“It’s a very dynamic job. It can be extremely fulfilling, but there’s no place for ego: you have to be ready to run around, bring chairs, get coffees. You’re in a team with many other creative men and women, who really enjoy arts, culture and film.
If you have the right mindset, if you want to learn and to know what the culture has to offer, you will find a wonderful team of people, you will work a lot and you will meet many wonderful people. It will be an experience you’ll remember for life!”
Pit stop. Sittin’ at the BarBalkans
We’ve arrived at the end of the third episode of this trip/trilogy.
We have to follow the traditions.
While we get some rest before we get back on the road, let’s listen to what our guest want to share at our bar, the BarBalkans.
So, Nina?
“If we were at the Festival, there would be lots of interesting local and international people around us. We would drink rakjia: we’re in Sarajevo, we have the best ones… cherry, quince, pomegranate, apricot, you name it!
We would probably be listening to some old school rock music, talking about the events we would go to the next day, the films we would watch and the people we would meet. It would be a really fun time!”
Let’s continue the BarBalkans journey. We’ll meet again in a week, for the 24th stop.
A big hug and have a good journey!
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting this far. I hope you enjoy this trilogy and you’d help me to make this experience grow.
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