Emir Kusturica is one of the best directors in recent years. It was especially acclaimed for his films from the 80s and 90s, but it is also one of the most controversial due to its political tendencies.
Born Bosnian and Muslim, Kusturica has publicly declared himself Serbian, even taking a pro-Serbian point of view in the Yugoslav Wars and supported Slobodan Miloševi?, and converted to Orthodox Christianity in 2005.
He studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he shot the short film "Guernica" in 1978, a year before finishing his degree. This was his first audiovisual work and for him went on to win an award at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
His feature film debut would not come until three years later, in 1981, with "Do you remember Dolly Bell?", While he made a TV Movie for Yugoslav television as "The Brides are coming."
"Do you remember Dolly Bell?" It was a huge debut feature, foreshadowing what the career of this great filmmaker would be. Presented at the Venice Film Festival the film won the FIPRESCI award Awarded by the International Critics Jury.
His next film was made to wait a bit, "Dad is on a business trip" did not arrive until 1985, but it was worth the wait, Emir Kusturica showed that the talent shown in his debut was not a single day flower, and if that film It was of great quality, this one was even better. The film was chosen by Yugoslavia to represent the country at the Oscars and managed to reach the gala, despite this it did not obtain the statuette that went to Argentina "The official story" by Luis Puenzo. What he did get is to get hold of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Great merit is that of Kusturica, who with two films had already won two major competitions such as Venice and Cannes.
But if so far he had made great films, his best cinema was yet to come. And one of his best movies came in 1988, it's about "The time of the gypsies ”, a drama with touches of magical realism that we have only been able to see with a certain quality in Jean Vigo. Again Emir Kusturica conquers Cannes, although this time the award is received by him and not by his film, the award for best director. In addition, the film won the Guldbagge award for best foreign film, awards given in Sweden.
Learn more | Film Masters: Emir Kusturica (Early and 80s)
Source | Wikipedia
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