MORE LIVELY, OF BETTER QUALITY, MORE MODERN, MORE EUROPEAN...

JANKO BALJAK, a director is finishing his first festival in the role of the President of the Council. What is the Festival like looking from the “other side”?

We have made a step forward and the people feel that, the audience and critics as well as the authors themselves, can notice that some “fresh blood” has entered into to the Festival. I don't say that I am to receive the credit for that. A good sequence of steps was made, we were working on preparation of the Festival for almost a year and we tried to change some big things and consolidate the whole Festival story, especially its international part. It is rather difficult, this is only the second year that the Festival is international. It is certain that another few years should pass before the people realize that not only the national but the international films are screened compete here. All the films are on an equal footing, and we make the best possible festival out of the national and the international selection. The choice is very good as it has proved already this year, that the national selection, to my greatest satisfaction and delight, is much stronger than last year. The people have become a bit more serious, they know that now they are competing with the foreigners and there is no kidding anymore. It cannot happen that some film gets “by accident” to the official programme. I intercede in favour of even stricter criteria for selection of domestic films. I hope that even more authors from abroad will sign up next year (although we received almost 200 applications thanks to both personal contacts and the sight). Thus, there will be less films upon invitation of the international programme selector, Mrs. Vera Vlajic. In my opinion that will bring more up-to-date, modern things ... First of all, I count on the support of the young people, my students. I suppose that with their support I will manage, during my mandate, to get this Festival on its feet, to make all the things much better until next year. The Festival is like a living creature; nothing can be done overnight. In that sense, I have taken this job with the best and very sincere intentions. In the recent years I criticized the things that were happening in the Youth Centre, I was one of the biggest opponents of such festival that had lost any sense. When the people form the Town Assembly sent me an invitation to chair the Council of that same Festival, I could not resist it. As it is one thing to sit at home and tell the journalists what is wrong, and the other is to take a broom in your hands and clean, first of all, your own courtyard. If you believe in something and if you have got a mission, and if you think that you will make for yourself and your colleagues something that next year will be more modern, more European, of better quality, then it is not difficult for you, either. But don't think that I don't have any remarks. I have a lot of them. When the festival is over, everything will be put on the paper, to see all that squeaked and was wrong. I am not euphoric, I am not too happy, and yet I do think that we did quite a lot in a short time.

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