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After leaving Užice heading on the road towards Višegrad, the landscape gradually begins to transform into the mountainous Bosna, located relatively nearby. Your eyes become green, mirroring the slopes of mountains, while roads become increasingly curvaceous, like lines on a palm. The atmosphere, magnificent landscape, rich pastures, intoxicating air and chirping birds draw you into the visions of Kusturica's dream, which you begin to dream though perfectly awake.
Mokra Gora, on the western slope of Mt. Zlatibor, home of the legendary railroad "Šargan's Eight", was the set for the greater part of Kusturica's film Life is a Miracle. "The Šargan's Eight" is a part of a narrow-gage railroad that runs from Užice to Višegrad, Mokra Gora and Kreman, across Šargan's hill. The railroad runs across a great number of bridges and through 19 tunnels, the longest of which is Šargan's: 1660.80 meters. An ascent of 18 per mill makes this railroad unique in Europe, making it a great tourist attraction. As the steam locomotive is not able to overcome this rise, the railroad approaches the climb on a stretch of track in the shape of the number eight.
On a clearing known as Mećavnik there has emerged an oasis, within which the human hand and spirit has achieved harmony by not disturbing nature's course. They say that Emir, while screening on a spot at the foot of the gorgeous mountains, spent weeks waiting for sunny days to complete one of the scenes. For days, the mountain was the scene of a play between sun and rain, and then he noticed an elevation that was permanently sunlit. He chose this place as the site for an ethno Wooden-town, in keeping with the concept of preserving bygone times, a reservation in which we remember our roots and absorb life energy through creative work and in serenity.
Twenty two wooden cottages characteristic of this region include a cinema house, galleries, pastry shops, workshops that produce traditional homemade food, a space used by the film school, all of which create a fantastic jigsaw of memories about our carefree childhoods and a more simple time. While viewing the panorama, in our minds we recall scenes from past excursions, our summer or winter vacations, now preserved on yellowish postcards and photos.
The whole complex was built under the sponsorship of UNICEF, whose ambassador is Kusturica. In addition to its educational, therapeutic and recreational aspects, this project is also an attempt to preserve national heritage and an appeal to return to nature, return to one's self.
From this tranquil lethargy you are awakened by a bell from the newly built wooden church and then everything sinks into silence again. Emir Kusturica, one of the most eminent filmmakers in the world, sits nearby, sharing this silence with you, because nobody has yet succeeded in expressing beauty with words.
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The first international Kustendorf Film Festival, founded by filmmaker Emir Kusturica, was held January 14-21, 2008, in the Wooden-town on Mokra Gora. "The festival is conceived as a non-commercial manifestation dedicated to the author's film that will gather world-eminent film directors and students who have just entered the seventh art," said Kusturica at the news conference.
The Festival plans to assemble, according to Kusturica, from 150 to 300 film authors, among them students, famous film producers and film lovers, and is conceived so as not to be a "place for mass production". Among the guests expected at this Festival is Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov who will open the manifestation with his new film 12, Turkish director Fatih Akin, the Israeli Eran Kolirin, the winner of the "Palm d'Or" Cristian Mungiu from Romania and others.
The Festival also runs a competition programme for film students from twelve countries: Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Russia, Great Britain, U.S.A., Cuba, Spain, France and Serbia. The best authors are awarded with the Golden, Silver and Bronze Egg; the egg, according to Kusturica, symbolises the quintessence of the Cosmos. |
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