"Everything is bad in Anor, except Yura Borisov"

Borisov can get an Oscar, with which a lot of money will come, but this is not the main thing in the life of a cinematographer, says Serbian director Emir Kusturica. The classic shared with Izvestia the details of his film about Crime and Punishment, where Borisov will play the main role, and also talked about what to expect from the Spirit of Fire International Film Festival, of which Kusturica has been president since 2022.

"Two years ago they didn't want to come to us, but now they do"

— On March 5, the Spirit of Fire Film Festival starts in Khanty-Mansiysk, which will be held very soon this year. He is known for the fact that celebrities are always brought there. Who can we expect this year? And what will be the most interesting part of the program?

— The most interesting thing, and this applies not only to the Spirit of Fire festival, is to show films that were shot without big budgets, without a lot of money. And so that their authors can meet and tell each other what they are working on right now.

In fact, it's very good when a cinematographer doesn't have a lot of money. Then he can concentrate on telling a story, on how to do it exactly.At the festival, he can see how others have done it. There are a lot of new themes in cinema now. For example, that technology, how should I say... has become the subject of human life! And so many young people want to say that there is a soul there. There is a field for experimentation here, which is very interesting. This is the platform that the Spirit of Fire Festival has become. Last year I saw the movie "Cuba, Marina" there, and it won in the end. This film was not expensive to produce. It's an ordinary love story, but the form in which it was done was very, very interesting, be sure to check it out on occasion! And I think there will be great movies this March too.

— Maybe we should expect some global movie stars this year?

— There is a possibility that one very special guest will arrive, but we will not speak yet because we are not sure. Two years ago they didn't want to come to us, but now they do. And many Western companies too. But I think Russia is more open to the East. I also have a film festival in Serbia, and the best films came there from Iran, Thailand, and the Philippines. Beautiful paintings, no worse than Western ones. Look at which movie won at Cannes, "Anora". Everything in this movie is bad, except for Yura Borisov. This is the first time I've seen a bad picture win at Cannes.

— But, look, the film with the participation of Russian actors won. You say that those who didn't want to come two years ago are ready to come to us. What has changed? So, it turns out, there is no abolition of Russian culture? Has the attitude towards Russia somehow changed?

— It seems to me that we need to think not about this, but about making strong cinematography. Remember the 70s, when American cinema was divided into Hollywood and New York cinema. A great movie, it became the main thing in the end. Let's recall the German new wave, the Hungarian wave. There are such waves in Iran and the Philippines now. We need to think about Russian cinema, and it will never be if we try to make adaptations "for Hollywood", to indulge Hollywood taste. Moreover, these can be commercial films, if they are good, only good ones. You have them, there are a lot of them, look at how much was done last year alone. It's ideal when there are both commercial films and copyrighted ones, when they all work together. Then it's cinematography.

— How important is the business program of the festival, what does it give the participants?

— When I won in Venice for the first time in my life, Sergei Solovyov, one of those who later made The Spirit of Fire, was in a competition with his painting. And I asked him then that I have a "Golden Palm Branch", is it enough for one human life? He replied then that, of course, it was enough, but we must continue to make good films.I remembered that. And I believe that this formula is the basis for the business side of the festival. I am continuing what Sergei Solovyov created, and I believe that my help can be effective.

"I'm afraid that Russians love me because I'm Serbian"

— You are currently working on a new film, and Yura Borisov will play the main role there. And he will play Emir Kusturica, as far as we know. How did you find him, where, and why did you choose Yura?

— Oh, it's very dangerous to say that it's Kusturica. The main character is fictional. He is a Serb, but he graduated from VGIK. He lives in Russia and wants to film Crime and Punishment. He has a friend who is a big womanizer. And this friend arranges for the main character to meet with a rich man who lives in Los Angeles. The protagonist shows the rich man his short film. And then a rich man tells him: if you want $5 million for a movie, you have to kill my wife. And then our story begins, a film that is not only a look at Dostoevsky's novel, but also such a modern tragicomedy.

— Yes, but why Yura Borisov?

— Because Yura Borisov can play a cat, a dog — everything can play. In my opinion, he is an actor of the same level as the best actors in the world.Someone who doesn't have to work in the frame, you can just sit, and all the attention will be on him anyway. I think he'll play great.

— What is the current stage of work?

— I have already signed a contract with Moskino, and most of the film will be shot in his studios. We need to start now. The preparatory period starts on April 1.

— Everyone is asking you this, and we can't help but ask. How are you doing with obtaining Russian citizenship?

— I don't know why everyone is asking.I'm afraid that Russians love me because I'm a Serb. If I take Russian citizenship, they will say that it's just one of us, not Kusturica. No, no, everything will be fine. Everything will be fine.

— Is it clear when?

— Quickly.

— The Oscars are already on this Sunday. Will you be rooting for someone?

— I was nominated for an Oscar once. Everything there is tuned to a TV, to broadcast for the live emir. That's why everything happens there for a very long time. I was there, I went outside to smoke all the time. And there I met people who were supposed to pretend to participate in this event. It's a show.

But not just a show, but a very important show for actors and directors, because they will have more work and money as a result. However, now I think that the Oscar is not the most important event in the world of cinema. Definitely not for me. And most of the Oscar-winning films are not as good as they say they are. It's great if Yura gets an Oscar, I think it's quite possible. But I think that this is far from the most important moment in the life of a person who works in cinema.