In cooperation with the Slovenian Cinematheque, a restored version of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian film classic “Woman with a Landscape” by Ivica Matić was screened at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema.
Ahead of the official opening of its 32nd edition, the Sarajevo Film Festival presented its audience with a special film experience on Thursday, August 13th at 8:30 PM. In cooperation with the Slovenian Cinematheque, a restored version of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian film classic “Woman with a Landscape” by Ivica Matić was screened at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema. The importance of this achievement was discussed before the screening by festival director Jovan Marjanović, Amir Muratović on behalf of the Slovenian Cinematheque, and director of photography Karpo Godina, a close associate of Matić.
“‘Woman with Landscape’ is a film about art and life, which begins its third life with tonight’s screening. The first began 50 years ago as a television film produced by TV Sarajevo, when it was seen by the whole of Yugoslavia and when it was awarded in Portorož and Monte Carlo. Its second life begins in 1989, when it was transferred to 35-millimeter film and reached cinema audiences. Then Ivica Matić was posthumously awarded the Special Golden Arena in Pula for directing, and his film was screened at numerous festivals. Today, thanks to the efforts of the Slovenian Cinematheque and the Matić family, the film begins a new life in the digital era. We sincerely thank them for recognizing our film heritage as part of our common cultural heritage,” said Marjanović.
In his speech, Amir Muratović referred to the very essence of Matić’s film: “It was originally supposed to be a film about an actress who comes to a remote village. The more Ivica ‘cleaned’ the script of banality, the more the film captured the essence of this country. It is not only the landscapes that Ivica loved, but also the people, customs and ethnology. He also wrote down traditional songs for years. That is why it should have been a big film on 35 millimeters. Since that could not be realized then, television saved the idea and the film was shot on 16 millimeters.”
Finally, Karpo Godina shared his memories: “Together with Ivica, we fought to shoot this film on 35 millimeters. He wanted to express his poetics through a wider format and better image quality. However, we encountered great misunderstanding from the producers. They said that it was the first film and that they could not risk money on a newcomer. In the end, they gave us a camera with a broken zoom. We fought with technology and nature, but we managed to do what we did.”
The film “Woman with Landscape” is a personal allegory of the director and a reflection of his desire to renew cinematography. Through a simple story, this exceptional achievement tells about the conflict between a sensitive individual and the environment. The main roles were played by: Stole Aranđelović, Božidarka Frajt, Uroš Kravljača, Zaim Muzaferija, Jadranka Matković, Špela Rozin, Miodrag Brezo, Ratko Petković, Adnan Palangić and Halima Mušić.
The Sarajevo Film Festival will officially open tomorrow, August 14, with the screening of Paweł Pawlikowski’s latest film, “The Fatherland”.
