Emir Kusturica is a film director, composer, and prose writer. Biography, creativity

Emir Kusturica is one of the few modern directors of independent cinema that balances on the brink of the mainstream and the underground. His paintings cause admiration for both critics and spectators. If you've seen at least one movie Kusturtsy, you'll surely agree that his work is a fascinating journey, opening up a whole world of Balkan culture, in which there is everything - happiness, fun, and sorrow. As a director, Emir Kusturica is very famous today. His best films are known and loved far beyond his native country. However, Kusturica considers her real calling not to direction, but music. He claims that only in his spare time he makes films.

Origin of the director

Emir Kusturica was born in Sarajevo on November 24, 1954. Sarajevo is a city that was at that time the capital of the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a part of Yugoslavia. Today it is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an independent state. The parents of the future director were non-practicing Muslims, however, according to the Emir himself, his distant ancestors were Orthodox Serbs. Murat Kusturica, Emir's father, was a member of the Communist Party. He served in the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Training, the first films

During his studies at the gymnasium, Emir was seriously involved in football. At one time he even wanted to play in a professional club. But the career of a football player because of illness of the joints had to be forgotten. Kusturica was interested in cinema at about the same time. He created a small amateur tape, which was unexpectedly awarded to him.

When Kusturica turned 18, he went to Prague in order to get an education. In this city at this time lived his aunt. As the Emir recalls, being in the center of European civilization was a real shock for him. The Emir decided to choose the Faculty of Film and Television of the Prague Academy of Performing Arts. This is a very prestigious educational institution. His graduates were at different times Jiri Menzel, Milos Forman and Goran Paskalevich. Kusturica created his first films during his studies in Prague. In 1971, appeared "Part of Truth", a short tape, and in the next year - "Autumn".

Graduate work

Graduation work Emir was a 25-minute tape "Guernica" (1978). It tells the story of a Jewish boy in the late 1930s. Kusturica's film is directed against anti-Semitism and Nazism. In this picture, the Emir was both a screenwriter, director and cameraman. The film received the main prize in Karlovy Vary, at the festival of student movies.

Return to Sarajevo

After returning to his hometown, Kusturica took two films for local television. In 1978, the picture "The Bride Comes" appeared. However, due to moral and ethical considerations, this film was never shown on the screen. Emir Kusturica later said in an interview that it was a very brave act to film this tape, since the topics covered in the film were tabooed in socialist Yugoslavia. After the creation of this picture, the Emir's cooperation with the operator Vilko Filach began.

Another television movie appeared in 1979 - "Cafe" Titanic "." It was based on the novel by Ivo Andric. The events unfold in Sarajevo, during the Second World War.

"Do you remember Dolly Bell?"

The full-length debut of the director took place in 1981 with the release of this film. Slavko Shtimats played the main role. This is the first Yugoslavian painting in the Bosnian dialect, and not in the official Serbo-Croatian language. The first major success brought Kusturica this work - the award for the best debut picture of the Venetian Film Festival and the prize of FIPRESCI. The Emir came to the official screening of this film directly from the barracks, since at that time the director served in the army! The picture tells of a young man from Sarajevo who just entered adulthood, about his childhood and growing up, about his first love, about the future, as it seemed to him in the early 1960s. The director repeatedly stressed that this work is an autobiography of several generations.

"Daddy on a business trip"

Only in 4 years Kusturica pleased the audience with the new film. In 1985, the picture "Dad on a business trip" appeared. This film is dedicated to the post-war period in Yugoslavia, which was seen through the eyes of the child. Marshal Tito at the time of the appearance of the picture was no longer alive, however, despite this, the quarrel with Stalin and the post-war repressions mentioned in the film were still taboo topics. In this work, Kusturica first shot Mirjana Karanovich, Predrag Manojlovic and Davor Duimovich. These actors subsequently participated in several other director's films. Kusturica received the "Golden Palm Branch" for his painting, as well as the prize of FIPRESCI. In addition, the picture was nominated for the Golden Globe and Oscar. Milos Forman, who gave the Emir "Golden Palm Branch", called it the main hope of world cinema.

The film "The Time of the Gypsies"

"The Time of the Gypsies" is the third painting of Kusturica. It was established in 1988 with the participation of Italian and British producers. The tape shot in Macedonia was the first appeal of the Emir to the Roma themes, as well as the first in the history of cinematography painting in the Gypsy language about the gypsies. Davor Duimovich starred in the title role - he played a teenager, Perkhan. To work on the film attracted Goran Bregovich Emir Kusturica. Music for the painting was created by him. Kusturica collaborated with Goran and in the next two films. The director was awarded for the "Time of the Gypsies" prize for directing at the Cannes Film Festival. Emir Kusturica around this time began to play in the punk rock band from Sarajevo Zabranjeno Pušenje on the bass guitar. However, she soon ceased to exist for a while.

Trip to the USA

Directed by Emir Kusturica, who already had a small experience at Sarayev Film School at that time (he was fired from it after he started playing in the group "Zabranjeno Pušenje"), he was invited by M. Forman to Columbia University for lecturing. He started teaching in America at the age of 36. The Emir decided to try to fit into the system of Hollywood, without losing his identity. In the US, he withdrew his new painting.

"Arizona Dream"

The script, written by David Atkins, a student of Kusturica, after minor revision formed the basis of the "Arizona Dream", the English-language film of the Emir. It was released in 1993. In this film, such American movie stars as Faye Dunaway and Johnny Depp have starred. It took a lot of time for the director to create a picture. Repeatedly postponed the date of the premiere. The film, which resulted in the end, failed at the box office and did not cause admiration of the critics. However, at the Berlin Film Festival he received the Silver Bear Prize. "Arizona Dream" was the first and probably the last Kusturica film shot in America. The director says now that he does not want to work anymore in Hollywood.

Kusturica returns to Yugoslavia

The Bosnian war began in 1992. The house of the Kusturica family, which was in Sarajevo, was destroyed. Murat died of a heart attack shortly after these events. The director's family moved to Montenegro. Watching what is happening in his country, the Emir returned to Yugoslavia to work on a new picture. This time it was a phantasmagical film-parable "Underground". This picture with elements of a black comedy is created under the script of Dusan Kovacevic, the famous playwright from Yugoslavia.

"Underground"

In 1995, this film appeared on the screens. Kusturica in the new director's work associated with the episodes of modern history (in particular, the first events of the war in the Balkans) the past of his country. The reaction to this picture was mixed. Critics compared this work to "War and Peace," and the Sarajevo administration began real repressions against the director's family. The tone of some reviews of the film was so terrible that the Emir stated that he was leaving the movie. The director decided that they did not understand him. However, "Underground" at the Cannes Film Festival brought him the 2nd "Golden Palm Branch". Thus, the Serbian director became the fourth, who won this prize twice. Prior to him, this honor was awarded to B. Augustus, F. Coppola and A. Sheberg.

"Black cat, white cat"

We continue to describe the films of Emir Kusturica. The list will be supplemented by the picture "Black cat, white cat". After 3 years, the Emir again returned to the gypsy theme. His new film, unlike the previous picture ("The Time of the Gypsies"), was a comedy. He appeared in 1998 and grew up from a project on gypsy music made for German television. In 1998, this painting at the "Venice Film Festival" became a favorite, but the main prize was not received, although Emir was awarded for the best direction of the "Silver Lion". Kusturica after the "Underground" ceased cooperation with G. Bregovic, so the music for the new painting was written by Nelle Karaylich.

The No Smoking Orchestra

Shortly before the beginning of his work on the "Black Cat ..." Karaylich created his version of Zabranjeno Pušenje, a Sarajevo rock band, and became a songwriter and vocalist in it. The band was called The No Smoking Orchestra and by the time the Black Cat was created, it had already recorded the album "Ja nisam odavle". It was dedicated to the victims of the war in Yugoslavia 1992-95.

A long break followed after this picture. During this period, Emir Kusturica did not create films, but was mainly occupied by The No Smoking Orchestra.

Stribor Kusturica, his son, took his place behind the drum set. In 2001 he made a film about her ("Stories on Super 8") Emir Kusturica. The songs of this group are pretty well known today.

Acting works of Kusturica

It can not be said, however, that Kusturica had no contact with the cinema world during this period. He starred as an actor in the 2000 film The Widow from the Island of San Pierre and in 2003 The Good Thief. In addition, Kusturica became the producer of the film Dusan Milich, his compatriot. It's about the 2003 film "The Strawberry in the Supermarket."

"Life as a miracle"

Emir Kusturica after a long break, in 2004, released a new film "Life as a miracle." The director again addressed the problem of war in the Balkans. The film was shot in the genre of a tragicomedy, loved by Kusturica. Slavko Shtimats played the main role. In addition, Mirjana Karanovich appeared on the screen (who also played in the film "Daddy on a business trip") and Vesna Trivalich, as well as the son of Kusturica Stribor and 2 musicians from The No Smoking Orchestra - Dejan Sparavolo and Nelle Karailich. This film was shown at the 57th Cannes Film Festival, but received only the award of the French education system. "Life as a miracle", however, was awarded the "Cesar" award.

In 2005, Kusturica himself became the head of the Cannes jury. Under his leadership, it awarded the film "Child" of the Dardenne brothers "The Golden Palm Branch". In the same year, Kusturica participated in the creation of "Invisible Children", a film almanac. He staged the episode "The Blue Gypsy", one of seven in this film.

"Covenant"

In May 2007, the premiere of the 8th full-length tape of Emir Kusturica under the title "Testament" was held. The director participated with this work at the 60th Cannes Film Festival and for the first time in 5 years of participation did not take a single prize.

In 2007, on June 26, the premiere of "The Time of the Gypsies" - punk opera, was created based on the same name by musicians from the group The No Smoking Orchestra. The documentary film "Maradona" was released in 2008. He is dedicated to Diego Maradona, the famous football player from Argentina. At the 61st Cannes Film Festival held its premiere show.

Life Outside the Cinema

Emir Kusturica, whose films have gained worldwide recognition today, has not been doing much shooting recently. He mainly tours with The No Smoking Orchestra. He has a wife Maya and two children - the son Stribor and the daughter of Dunya. Stribor, in addition to participation in the rock band, starred in two paintings of his father - "Life as a miracle" and "Testament".

Director Emir Kusturica in 2005 adopted Orthodoxy. According to Emir, he simply returned to his origins, as the ancestors of Kusturica were Orthodox Serbs. The director is fond of playing football (he likes to drive the ball) and music projects, as well as architecture. For the draft village of Drvengrad, he even received the 2005 Philippe Rothier Prize. It is built entirely of wood in the mountainous region of Serbia. This village is not a settlement. It is a tourist site. As Kusturica says, he wanted to create it in memory of his native village.

Many condemn the director for radical views and excessive political activity. But he never cared. Kusturica simply can not be away from the events. There is a known case when the Emir summoned Vojislav Sesel, leader of Serbian nationalists, to a duel. This happened in 1993. Kusturica offered him a duel in the very center of Belgrade. Sheshel, fortunately, refused.

"One hundred troubles"

Most recently, in 2015, he presented another surprise to admirers of his talent Emir Kusturica. "One hundred troubles" - a collection of short stories, which became a real sensation of the European literary season. It seems that in his prose the Emir resurrects the magical atmosphere of such films as "Life as a miracle", "Dad on a business trip", "Black cat, white cat". The fabric of life with traditions and foundations, family rituals is torn. This happens under the pressure of political events, as Emir Kusturica points out. "One hundred troubles" - a collection of stories in which through the holes flashed then drinking milk snakes, the sheep exploding in the minefield, then flying lovers. In the comic, absurd, burlesque, and sometimes tragic situations in which the heroes of novels turn out, the author's reflections on the fate of the homeland, on the collision of youth with the cruel world of adults, about the pore when childhood leaves off reflected. These stories revealed the author's explosive fantasy.

As you can see, Emir Kusturica is a versatile talented person. Books, direction, acting skills, music - all this is subject to his talent. Who knows what else will the Emir please us in the future?