Filip Mojzeš’ short film, “Angina Pectoris”, follows Zoran, an average man with a comfortable, petty-bourgeois lifestyle. One summer night, on the way back from work, Zoran makes an unplanned stop at a store. His reckless reaction to a sudden death will force him to confront the things he is most afraid of.
The film was featured at the Sarajevo, Zagreb and Leuven film festivals, as well as at the Filmski Front festival. Following his success, we got a chance to talk with emerging filmmaker Filip, to learn more about his cinematic vision and future ambitions.
➣ Tell us a little bit about your way as an upcoming filmmaker.
➤ I am a film director and screenwriter based in Zagreb, Croatia. I earned my BA degree in film directing at the Academy of dramatic art in Zagreb and an MA degree at the Film Factory in Sarajevo where my mentor was a Hungarian director Béla Tarr. My films have been shown in numerous domestic and international festivals winning several awards. I am currently shooting a feature documentary and my script for a feature film was supported by the Croatian audiovisual centre grant for script development.
➣ What was the process leading up to the making of your film?
➤ In my last three films, I dealt with upper-middle class families and explored how they cope with situations outside of their comfort zones. My working process is a bit atypical. I usually write just a synopsis or a short treatment and then immediately start rehearsing with actors so the screenplay is actually a joint product. I seldom write dialogues and instead actors bring their own ideas and thoughts. That’s often a very long process, but in my opinion, it makes it a very rewarding one as well.
➣ Tell us about a filmmaker you admire or look up to.
➤ There is only one filmmaker I truly admire. That’s Abbas Kiarostami. As Bertol Brecht put it: “Simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve” and only Kiarostami and maybe Bresson have come close to this, at least in my opinion, ideal of perfection.
➣ How do you hope T-Port can help you reach your professional goals?
➤ This is an amazing way to promote student films. I hope this platform will bring my film closer to the audience in this difficult period for film promotion and distribution.
➣ What are your main goals and hopes for the future?
➤ I’m planning to finish my documentary by the end of this year and hopefully shoot my feature next year.
