One Hvar-Belgrade summer

In less than two weeks, Serbian cinematography will receive the fifth feature film for children in this century - The summer when I learned to fly. There is no acceptable answer to the question of why only the fifth. Perhaps, from pounding our chests and swearing that our children are the reason why we build roads and fountains, we forgot that they also need a film. And that children really like to watch movies. And that they are the future film audience. And that the film is a receptive teacher. And so on, and so on.

For the sake of accuracy, The summer when I learned to fly is not the fifth film in this century, but by Miloš Radivojević's Čavka, which was filmed in 1988. They followed him Love of Ana Morava Mihailo Vukobratović, which was never completed but counts, then Agi and Emma (2007) Milutin Petrovic, Paper prince (2007) Marko Kostić, The fifth butterfly (2014) Milorad Milinković i Sloganje (2018) by Raško Miljković. In the last century, the situation was incomparably better: after Vojë Nanovič's Miraculous Sword from 1950, the very next year it was filmed Kekec subscription Jozet Gale, in order to continue at that pace until the end of the seventies. And then it stopped.

How was the movie 2 made?

Movies The summer when I learned to fly, and the previous one, Sloganje, were filmed based on Jasminka Petrović's books. The script for this latest one was written by Ljubica Luković, it was directed by Raša Andrić, and the main role, teenager Sofia, is played by Klara Hrvanović. That Sofija goes with Grandma Maria from Belgrade to her aunt Luca on Hvar, for the summer vacation, which of course is extremely tiring for her until new friendships, family secrets, and various sea adventures turn that summer into one to remember.

Jasminka Petrović describes her novel as "an anti-war story that raises various questions - about identity, growing up, forgiveness, broken family ties, war casualties, the relationship between the old and the young, the first kiss, love..." and says that "she dived into herself the deepest when writing this novel". It was published by the Creative Center back in 2015, it was translated into several languages, a theatrical play was realized based on it, produced by FDU, it is part of the school reading for the seventh grade, and after so many years since its publication, it is still a bestseller.

"At the end of February 2016, I received an email from a person unknown to me at the time, and that's how the film version of my book began," says Jasminka Petrović. "The email said that SENSE Production is interested in making a film based on the novel The summer when I learned to fly. I went to the meeting, said 'yes' and our cooperation began. The very beginning of that email was actually crucial for my decision: 'I am writing to you on the recommendation of a mutual friend, Ljubica Beljanski-Ristić, whose student I was in Školigrica.' That sentence meant more to me than any professional biography. Ljubica Beljanski-Ristić is responsible not only for the development of drama pedagogy and drama in teaching, but also for the foundation of local culture for the youngest. So it is no coincidence that she gave this novel of mine to young producers and thus became the godmother of the film of the same name. With great attention, our mutual friend followed the entire process of making the film, and these days she provides us with strong support as we await the premiere with great excitement."

how was the movie 1 made

She only met the director of the film, Raša Andrić, when filming began, but because of his iconic films Lightning i When I grow up I will be a kangaroo she had the impression that she always knew. "In addition, I cooperated and socialized with his wonderful parents. Vladimir Andrić, my fellow writer, also worked on the script Leta, which I am especially glad about. From the moment he got involved as a supervisor, I stopped reading all those new versions because I had complete confidence in his work. Bojana Andrić, Raša's mother is a television historian, TV editor, director and author of the famous show Trezor on RTS, so because of all that, it is understandable where I get the feeling that I have always known Raša", says Jasminka Petrović.

The film was shot on Hvar, in the middle of the corona, but despite that in a relaxed and creative atmosphere. Apart from Klara Hrvanović, the main child heroes are played by Luka Bajto and Ema Kereta Rogić, and the team includes children from Belgrade, Split and Zadar. Olga Odanović and Snježana Sinovčić are Sofia's grandmothers, and Žarko Laušević plays grandfather Nikola. "The children are not only magnificent in front of the cameras, but also in their private relationships they have shown how mature, open, direct and endlessly charming they are. A smaller team took care of their acting, but also their nutrition, rest, safety and good mood", says Jasminka Petrović. Due to the risk of infection, she did not have the opportunity to socialize with them during the filming, those who came to Hvar from the mainland were isolated and separated, because no interruption of the filming was out of the question.

"There is a small anecdote about that: when I first came to the recording, Klara and I spontaneously ran towards each other with open arms, and then from all sides we heard: 'Nooooo! Corona!' The two of us froze at the same time and stood in that crazy pose for some time," says Jasminka Petrović. "Recently, promotional materials for the film were filmed in Belgrade, so all the children gathered together. Then I saw them together. There was a lot of noise, shouting, laughing, and I would say falling in love. For those few days, we were together almost non-stop. When the filming was over, they went for a walk around the city. Among them was Emma, ​​much younger than all of them. She plays the character Anna from the book. I really liked how attentive the whole team was to her.”

During the filming, says Jasminka Petrović, it was particularly interesting for her to follow "the work of costume designer Momirka Bailović and her assistant. Sometimes just one detail was enough - a belt, a hat or a turban - to change the mood of the hero or heroine. I also observed how characters are built with the help of scenography. In little Ana's room, there are no Barbies, but dinosaurs, the bedspread is not pink like many of her peers, but in a patchwork style, there are beads and paper decorations hanging on all sides, considering that Ana inherited originality, creativity, imagination and dexterous hands from her nonna Luca. . When I entered Nonna Luca's house, tears of excitement began to flow from my eyes. Each object was in function of the character. Set designer Tajana Čačić Stanković and her team not only revived that one house near the Old Town, in the village of Dol, but also revived a neglected garden. Given that nona Luce loves nature and grows fruits and vegetables, the stage designers brought fresh soil and planted the necessary plants. I recently watched the film and I am completely enchanted by how the director Raša Andrić and his crew unobtrusively, cheerfully, emotionally and wittily captured the idea of ​​the book."

Belgrade premiere Leta is on February 16, and Novi Sad one day later. It should be seen, who knows when Serbian cinematography will have the opportunity to add a sixth feature-length feature film for children to its list.