Boris Hadzija’s Lighthouse-selected short YUGOTRANSPORT: WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME BUS draws on the experiences of those around him, having been born in the former Yugoslavia. We talked to the director about what it took to work with non-actors, and how it’s the limitations that make the magic happen.
Yugotransport appears on T-Port courtesy of our partners at AG Kurzfilm.
Hi Boris, would you please introduce yourself?
I am a filmmaker and musician born in 1990 in SFR Yugoslavia and currently living in Berlin.
What did it feel like to find out your film had made the T-Port Lighthouse Selections? How did you react?
I was very happy to find out about the selection. It helps the film’s visibility, as well as those involved in it.
What was the inspiration behind your film?
It’s hard to track just one; it was more of a cacophony of voices in my head, with questions dealing with identity, whether in relation to nationality, race, ideologies or gender.
How was the filmmaking process for you? Can you tell us about how you went about the production process?
Difficult, but at the same time very joyful.
What were the biggest challenges you encountered during making your film? What did you learn from them?
The biggest challenge was performing the musical parts and singing live on set. What I learned is that it was much easier than I thought. I guess I shouldn’t have worried so much.
How was it to collaborate with your cast and crew? Have you formed any particular meaningful connections?
Having worked mostly with non-actors and people who carry the certain elements of the story in their own private lives definitely creates a specific bond, both on and off camera.
Tell us about the visual choices in your film. What were your main goals and techniques in creating the visual style of your film?
I myself was not sure what would happen on the set. The nature of the production and the cast were in a very beautiful and playful way unpredictable. Therefore, I didn’t want to work with any preconceived concepts. It was very free, and things developed from day to day.
Tell us about the sound choices in your film
I worked together with composer Misha Cvijović on the score. Being a musician myself, I had never before used music in my films. Making a musical suddenly was definitely a “coming out” moment.
What did you find (or still find) as especially lacking in the process of distributing and promoting your film? What was especially challenging?
When we think of other media, whether art, literature, or music, short forms hold a significant place. Whether it is a smaller format painting, a short story, or a miniature composition, these works are highly valued. I don’t understand why short films don’t have a broader resonance.
In the medium of film and within the industry, they are somehow not treated as equal.
Arguably the world’s most famous panting is 77 cm × 53 cm, meaning that the size really doesn’t matter. In the film industry, it seems like it somehow does.
What do feel young film talents lack the most today, after graduating from film school? Where are the gaps in the film industry?
In the Balkans they say: “A small pond full of crocodiles”, meaning many films schools, many talents coming out, but not enough funds and opportunities.
If you were to have infinite resources – walk us through your fantasy film project
If I were someone with infinite resources, meaning I woke up one day as Francis Ford Coppola, I think that would be more of a disaster film project than a fantasy one. I am an Eastern European wishing to westernise, working within the frame of limitations is encoded in me. It doesn’t work otherwise.
What’s next?
I am currently awaiting the premiere of my new short film, Mother is a Natural Sinner, which I wrote and directed together with Hoda Taheri.
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