A new generation of actors brings Yugoslav cinema’s most iconic scenes back to life

Jugoslavenski crni val donio nam je filmove toliko kultne da se roditelji i danas ljute ako njihova djeca ne znaju nabrojati barem tri najpoznatija filma u kojima glumi Bata Živojinović (barem je tako bilo u mojoj obitelji). Filmovi nastali u Jugoslaviji tijekom 1960-ih i 1970-ih ne samo da su ostavili neizbrisiv trag na našoj kinematografiji, već su dokazali da na ovim prostorima žive umjetnici vrijedni svjetskog priznanja. Mnogi filmovi snimljeni u tom razdoblju nagrađivani su prestižnim nagradama poput Grand Prixa na Filmskom festivalu u Cannesu ili Srebrnog medvjeda na Berlinaleu, a među njima su se našli i kandidati za Oscara

No crni val nije postao kultan samo zato što je odjeknuo širom svijeta, već i zato što su ti filmovi bili izrazito hrabri i revolucionarni. Redatelji poput Živojina Pavlovića i Aleksandra Saše Petrovića nisu se libili pomicati granice, propitivati seksualnost, međuetničke odnose i mnoge druge teme koje su tada, kod nas ali i globalno, bile tabu. Film je za njih bio svojevrsni revolt, medij kroz koji su iznosili svoje stavove i osvjetljavali očite društvene probleme koje su mnogi pokušavali gurnuti pod tepih. Rečenica Dušana Makavejeva iz intervjua iz 1965., u kojem je govorio o svom filmu Čovek nije tica, savršeno dočarava tendencije autora crnog vala: “Smatra se da je dobar onaj film kroz koji se jasno gleda u život, kao kroz otvoren prozor. U stvari, film treba biti kao vrata, na koja možeš ući u život. Ili, da bude san o životu, pa kad se sve završi, da ne znaš točno, što si stvarno vidio, a što si sam izmislio!”

Studeni broj Vogue Adria posvećen je filmu, zbog čega smo smatrali da je ovo idealan trenutak za okupljanje nove generacije regionalnih glumaca koji danas oblikuju scenu. Hana Selimović, Andrija Kuzmanović, Judita Franković Brdar, Slaven Došlo, Matej Zemljič i Jovana Stojiljković u tu su se svrhu našli u ulogama protagonista filmova crnog vala, rekreirajući njihove kultne scene. Ali, kako zapisuje Teodora Jeremić, nije riječ o tome “da bismo gledali nostalgično unatrag, nego kritičnije razmišljali unaprijed i podsjetili se da je uloga umjetnosti probuditi nas iz učmalosti, samoprezira, samozadovoljstva, ali i samosabotaže”. U današnje vrijeme posebno se vrijedi prisjetiti da umjetnost može i treba biti oblik otpora.

U nastavku izdvajamo sve scene koje su sjajni regionalni glumci rekreirali zajedno s fotografom Branislavom Simončikom.

The Yugoslav Black Wave gave us films so iconic that parents still get annoyed if their children can’t name at least three of Bata Živojinović’s most famous roles (at least that’s how it was in my family). The films made in Yugoslavia during the 1960s and 1970s didn’t just leave an indelible mark on our cinema — they proved that this region has artists worthy of global recognition. Many of the films produced in that era won prestigious awards such as the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival or the Silver Bear at the Berlinale, and several even became Oscar contenders.

But the Black Wave isn’t legendary only because it resonated worldwide. These films were courageous and revolutionary. Directors like Živojin Pavlović and Aleksandar Saša Petrović weren’t afraid to push boundaries, to explore sexuality, interethnic tensions and other subjects that were taboo both here and abroad. For them, film was a form of rebellion — a medium through which they expressed their views and exposed the social problems many preferred to sweep under the rug. A quote from Dušan Makavejev in a 1965 interview about his film Man Is Not a Bird perfectly captures the ethos of the Black Wave: “They say a good film is one through which you can clearly see life, as through an open window. In fact, a film should be like a door — something you can walk through into life. Or a dream of life, so that when it’s over, you’re not sure anymore what you really saw and what you imagined.”

The November issue of Vogue Adria is dedicated to film, which is why we felt it was the perfect moment to bring together a new generation of regional actors shaping today’s scene. Hana Selimović, Andrija Kuzmanović, Judita Franković Brdar, Slaven Došlo, Matej Zemljič and Jovana Stojiljković stepped into the roles of Black Wave protagonists, recreating their iconic scenes. But as Teodora Jeremić writes, the goal isn’t “to look nostalgically backward, but to think more critically forward, and to remind ourselves that art’s role is to wake us from apathy, self-contempt, complacency but also self-sabotage.” Today, more than ever, it’s important to remember that art can — and should — be a form of resistance.

Below, we highlight all the scenes brilliantly recreated by these regional actors together with photographer Branislav Simončik.