Srdjan Dragojevic’s The Parade is the region’s first bona-fide blockbuster, securing more than 550,000 admissions in the countries of the former Yugoslavia
ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS T
South East Europe has seen a boom in production in recent years, with regional hits such as The Parade, but the exhibition and distribution sectors still have to catch up. Vladan Petkovic reports
here are signs that South East Europe is in rude health as local talent gears up for the 18th Sara-
jevo Film Festival (July 6-14) and the tenth edition of its important CineLink co-production market. A development and financing plat-
form, CineLink has seen an impressive 60% of its projects realised as films, a figure that reflects the rising number of both co-productions and productions as a whole from the region. There has been steady growth between 2009 and 2011: films co-produced by at least one of the countries represented at the South East European Pavilion in Cannes, which includes territories of the former Yugo- slavia, plus Cyprus and Bulgaria, have increased from 24 to 33. The number of films co-produced by the wider region — with Austria, Hungary, Greece and Turkey leading the way — went from 19 in 2009 to 23 in 2011. But while production is growing, the distribution and exhibition sector still
n 16 Screen International June-July 2012
has to catch up. Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedo- nia, for instance, are underscreened — though the construction of new multiplexes should help. “The market in South Eastern Europe
‘The market in South Eastern Europe is maturing. Consequently, there is more competition for
arthouse films’ Jovan Marjanovic, Sarajevo Film Festival
is maturing. Consequently, there is more competition for arthouse films across the region,” says Jovan Marjanovic, head of industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival. “Those who manage to get out there need to put up a strong fight for atten- tion, and the Sarajevo Film Festival is their launch platform. This is where they get both press and trades coverage, find international sales agents, as well as sell to local distributors.” Here, Screen analyses the latest trends from the key territories.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Aida Begic’s Children Of Sarajevo, co- produced with Germany, France and Turkey, recently won a special distinc- tion from the Un Certain Regard jury in
Cannes. The country made four feature films (national productions or majority co-productions) in 2010 but none in 2011.
Seriously underscreened, Bosnia saw
the arrival of four new digital screens in 2011 but still has a total of just 40 screens for a population of 4.6 million. A five-screen cinema opened in the city of Mostar, but multiplexes have yet to make their presence felt in the territory. Lacking a strong local film such as
Danis Tanovic’s Cirkus Columbia in 2010, and with piracy still rampant, admissions tumbled from 720,000 in 2010 to 490,000 in 2011. But local box- office highlights included Montevideo: Taste Of A Dream (28,088 admissions) and The Parade (23,300). In a bid to prevent piracy, director
Pjer Zalica and production company Refresh decided to sell DVDs of docu- mentary Orchestra, about a cult Sarajevo band, for $3 a copy the day after its pre- miere at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
www.screendaily.com
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