Interview with Ademir Kenovic
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How was this story born?
The story of this film is quite a long one. The shooting of a first script which I had written, was supposed to start in the spring of 1992. Some weeks before the beginning of the production the seige of Sarajevo began; it was the beginning of the war. We had to hide in order to remain alive. So a few months after we started to film all was happening around us.
Later on, I read that first script I had and I understood that such a story written before the war was not corresponding to our reality any longer.
Something very precise was taking place in Sarajevo, something which absolutely should be shown in the film - we had to preserve and describe the atmosphere, the state of spirit, the exceptional events which we were facing and living in Sarajevo.
Why did you choose to tell your story through a poet, two kids and a dog?
It took a long work of investigation to find the best way to create a reality in a very particular ambiance. Initially, we wrote the story of two old men but later it turned into the story of a poet, two kids and a dog. These characters became stronger and just imposed themselves, with this survival story becoming a love story between a poet and two kids.
The story of the dog is one of the experiences of this war. In any other place in the world this dog would never have survived, but in Sarajevo it was alive with its rear legs rolling along! This is a precise example of the unusual spirit of Sarajevo.
How did the preparation of the film develop?
It is always difficult to make a film, but when the country is at war it is even more difficult. I could never have imagined that one day I should ask from the UN authorities permission to shoot in the city where I was born. Permission which, by the way, was not easy to get. I could never imagine either that I would call on an anti-sniper unit to help with my film nor a demining firm before the location scouting.
But no matter what difficulties we encountered, the energy during the shooting of the film was extremely strong and unique. For me, not a technical nor a financial obstacle could have stopped me from making this film.
How did you choose the main actors?
Our film is about the life of the people in Sarajevo, so we had to find actors who could understand the atmosphere in which we were living. Much of the actors left Sarajevo during the war and our options were limited by that fact. We decided to call all the actors who we considered could play, no matter if they were professionals or not. I was very happy that Mustafa Nadarevic accepted to play the role of Hamza, the poet. He is an excellent Bosnian actor living in Zagreb. He prepared for this role during a year and he helped me a lot with the work with all the rest of the actors of the film.
The most difficult task was to find the two kids, because the success of the film would depend on them. We needed not only talented kids but also they should be able to deal with the very difficult conditions of shooting.
I auditioned more than four thousand kids. The two boys I chose came from very remote villages and they had never seen a film in their lives. After choosing them we found out that their real life stories were quite similar to the story of their characters.
How do you see your future projects?
My only wish is not to be again in the position of having to change my script because it does not fit the reality anymore. I want to make a normal film in a normal city about 'normal life'.
Interviewers - Corrin-Alize le Maoult and Dominique Bursztejn