Having received great attention at the festivals in Pula and Sarajevo, 'The Blacks', the provocative film about the war crimes committed by Croatian army will have its Zagreb premiere at ZFF. We asked the film directors about their inspiration, filmmaking collaboration and the controversial subject on which the story is built.


What inspired you to make 'The Blacks'?

Juriæ: In 2004, I realized that we had a great generation of young actors and that it would be good to write a story with them and Ivo Gregureviæ, and war is a male story, at least on the surface. That’s how we decided to make 'The Blacks'.

Deviæ: It was simple, Zvonimir offered it and I thought it could be entertaining and useful. Probably, when I was offered to work on it and when I accepted it nobody even thought that we would end up working together for three years.


Did you have different ideas about the approach?

Deviæ: We never had fundamental, strategic differences, but we did fight about micro-solutions, which is normal, and useful for the film.

Juriæ: The shooting was rather smooth, we had a few fights, but it is interesting that the other one is actually your materialized other I. When you’re working in a couple, you actually have someone who embodies your doubts, questions and answers, of course, in his own way. And that’s why it is sometimes easier and sometimes harder, because you no longer have voices in your own head but a person opposite from you who speaks up.

 
Did you start shooting with clearly defined characters or did you develop them during the shooting with the actors?

Juriæ: We had a solid script which was altered during the rehearsals and shooting. After all, it’s a collective work which is influenced by many people and it would be odd not to take that into account.


'The Blacks' surprised many by its references to the controversial case of the “Garage”. How much is the reality around the film important to understand the film itself?

Deviæ: Not more or less than in any other film. The problem emerges when you don’t make the film in the center, but in a corner. Choosing what to say and what to leave out is a strategic decision of any film and there shouldn’t be any compromises. I hope I will never make a film by which I will orientalize myself.

Juriæ: I hope that it is not important for understanding the film. Because once this specific situation out of the film disappears, I wonder whether the film itself will disappear. I appreciate films with a message and a clear political position, but this film doesn’t have it.
 

How did you work on the visual identity of the film?

Deviæ: To get a result you first need a lot of talking, and then, let the creative guy you trust do his job. That part of the job is in a way the most abstract and it’s good to have the same points of departure. I am very satisfied not only with the result, but also with the way we reached it.

Juriæ: Both Goran and I like new Romanian films based mostly on long frames. I’ll now risk a generalization: in long frames you are more truthful, because time and space are not cut, you let them coexist. We wanted our film to have this truthful quality.

 
Have you seen Perišiæ’s 'Ordinary People'? How do you comment the fact that at the most important regional festival there were two films dealing with war crimes of their countries in a rather similar fashion?

Deviæ: That film is excellent. There’s nothing much to say, simply, two films which met the selection criteria were there.

Juriæ: I comment it as good news. And I haven’t seen the film. I’ll watch it somewhere.

 
How important is for you the award for best director that you received at the festival in Pula?

Juriæ: To win an award in a small, often weak competition is not the top. But every award is good because it draws attention to your film at least a bit and maybe opens a few doors for the next project. If you compete, it is better to win than not.

Interviewer: Mario Kozina