Actress and director Mirjana Karanović has become the first recipient of the award for promoting regional film art internationally. The award was presented to her by the Artistic Council of the 17th Leskovac International Film Directing Festival (LIFFE) during the closing ceremony at the National Theatre in Leskovac
“Tonight, we have the special pleasure of honouring a lady in the history of the Leskovac festival, an exceptional actress, director, and wonderful person. Mirjana Karanović is an icon of promoting films from the region globally, from "Petrija's Wreath" by Srđan Karanović to the films of Paskaljević, Kusturica, Vinko Brešan, Andrea Štaka, Jasmila Žbanić, and Veljko Bulajić,” said Miroljub Vučković.
Marko Jocić, Award for promoting regional film art internationally
Ines Tanović, a member of the Artistic Council, believes that Mira is the perfect person for this award:
“I come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mirjana Karanović has played in iconic films from Bosnian cinema such as When Father Was Away on Business, Grbavica, and On the Path. These are all great roles, and they further prove that we are truly one region, that we share a common market, and that actors can perform in our shared language. I am honoured to stand next to Mirjana, who is truly a legend, and I congratulate her.
Mirjana Karanović, the recipient of the award, also gave an emotional speech to a full auditorium.
“My desire to become an actress was immense, but I never even dreamed I would become a film actress. My career started with film, and many people at the time convinced me that it wouldn’t last long because I received numerous awards for my first film, Petrija’s Wreath. They said: "You’ve got your role and that’s it." However, something miraculous happened; I was lucky that my career began in the 1980s when everything was blossoming and thriving—perhaps just before disaster strikes, life is at its strongest. Then I turned 40 and thought it would be the end, but then some beautiful roles started coming in. I’m lucky to live in a time when older actresses don’t just stay at home and look after grandchildren, but play roles of older women. I am very happy to receive this award, and I deserve it! I have really worked hard and travelled extensively around our region. Thank you so much for this award,” said Mirjana, who is currently working on a new film Mother Maru and preparing Narodna Drama.
Mirjana Karanović also had the honour of closing the 17th LIFFE, which she did by speaking about the director Goran Paskaljević, to whom the festival was dedicated.
“I worked on two films with him. Directors always instilled in me a sense of awe because they were always surrounded by a certain mystical aura, as if they carried some secret shield that no one could penetrate. They whispered on the side with the director of photography and their assistants... But with Goran, it was completely different. He felt like a boy playing with film alongside us and demystified the entire filming process. He socialised with us; he wasn’t distant or unreachable... I greatly admired the fact that he didn’t wait for funding or the state to give him a chance to make a film. He sought out the opportunities to shoot his films, which is difficult and rare. He even made a film in India, and when I heard that, I asked myself if it was really possible for him to manage such a project. He left behind a void,” said the actress.