Your conversation with your friend Milena presents a stark contrast to your parents’ reaction to the times — her parents actively opposed Slobodan MIlošević’s regime from the beginning, which led to them suffering great consequences and ultimately losing their jobs. Even though you tell Milena that she should be proud of her parents, how do you stand in relation to these different approaches? You do not seem to judge your parents.

My family never voted for Milošević and they thought that this was all they could do, that there was nothing they could do beyond that. Though the question of whether they could do more or not remains. Of course I don’t judge anyone — I think it’s completely wrong, especially when it comes to cinematography. Films tap into emotions and they’re supposed to arouse empathy — passing judgment is the opposite to that.

Personally, going back to the previous conundrum, I shift back and forth, but I’m saved by the fact that I’m making films — so I think that I can engage myself through filmmaking. I understand both sides, although I lean more towards Milena’s point of view. I do think we have the power to change some things.

To what extent do you believe that the decision to isolate yourself from a war is a conscious one if it’s not fought directly in the space where you’re living?

I can fully understand that many people in Serbia didn’t know a lot about what was going on at the time, but I believe there’s no excuse for them to stay ignorant — and not only for them to stay ignorant, but also to be in denial and point fingers at other people, saying: “Yes, we did that, but what did they do to us?” That kind of approach won’t get us out of anything.

How did you arrive at the decision to collaborate with cinematographer Ivan Marković? He has a very specific and distinctive style that appears to have fit in well with how you conceptualized the film.

Everyone who worked on this film did so because they were the right person for it — not a single thing was provisional. I work very intuitively — I saw some of the things Ivan filmed and I also got some recommendations from a colleague of mine. I remember that some things Ivan did were very emotional, so my gut feeling was telling me that Ivan and Jelena Maksimović, the editor, were the right people for this film. Ivan may have been my closest associate because he was the first one to be involved in the production. He is a phenomenal director of photography and collaborator.

Why did you decide to shoot in 16 millimeter film? That is not a common practice in contemporary cinematography.

This was the first time I shot on film. The main shots are on 16 mm film since the whole movie is like a collage of memory, I wanted to present this memory visually. For me, celluloid film constitutes a certain materialization of memory. I enjoy working with visual counterpoints like the big 16 mm shots Ivan filmed on a tripod, including the ones of nature and food interspersed with the more “disorderly” shots filmed with a Super 8 camera, which should reflect my memories.

Nataša Urban: There’s no excuse to stay ignorant

The award-winning director talks solar eclipses and how wars repeat in the Balkans.

Milica Joksimović

Nataša Urban: There’s no excuse to stay ignorant

The award-winning director talks solar eclipses and how wars repeat in the Balkans.

Milica Joksimović