Press Kit - See-ID

Press Kit
SEE.ID – In Dialogue with South-Eastern Europe
Märzstr. 52/18, 1150 Vienna, Austria
E-mail: office@see-id.org
Telephone Austria: +43 699 10504965
Telephone Germany: +49 179 5015891
Webseite SEE.ID: http://www.see-id.org
Blog about the film: http://seeindialogue.wordpress.com
No Country of our Time?
Documentary film, 94 min.
Austria/Germany 2010
Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, German, English
German and English subtitles
Mini-DV/HDV
A documentary directed by the film collective SEE.ID:
Aleksandra Vedernjak, Josefina Bajer, Daniela Mehler
Idea: Josefina Bajer
Cinematograher: Aleksandra Vedernjak
Edition: Branka Pavlović
Music: Nicolae Ene
Cast: Aida Dežić | Angelo | Boštjan Troha | Darko Janjić | Emir Đukanović | Fahrudin Kučuk |
Grupa Kombinat | Hasan „Haško“ Jusević | Ines Wurth | Irfan Beširević | Izbrisani | Jadranka
| Jasna Babič | Katarina Popović | Lana Zdravković | Lidia Saftić | Liljana Erić | Margareta |
Marko Kovačić | Teresia | Mirjana | Mirjana Dominović | Mišan Radenović | Nejc | Nenad
Puhovski | Niko Golubović | Rada Borić | Predrag Marković | Sandra Raznatović (Grubić) |
Svetlana Boym | Svetlana Broz | Tvrtko Jakovina | Zvonka Simčič | Ksenija Jus u.v.m.
The project was realised under the patronage of Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan (President of Viadrina
European University, Frankfurt/Oder, Germany)
Synopsis
In „No Country of our Time?“ people in Berlin, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo and Belgrade are
speaking about a land that doesn‘t exist anymore: Yugoslavia.
„How to deal with the remembrance and the memory of something, that doesn‘t exist
anymore?“ This is the question which leads a young woman with former Yugoslavian, today
Serbian citizenship during her journey with her suitcase in seeking traces of a sentiment. On
her way she meets different people, such as Svetlana Broz (NGO-activist, Tito‘s granddaughter),
Nenad Puhovski (Faktum Film Zagreb), ordinary citizens or scientists. At every place she stays,
she asks people to pack something in her suitcase, which is a symbol for their different voices:
the desire for travelling without borders, common experiences such as the YU rock scene or
common values as solidarity and fraternity/sisterhood („bratstvo i jedinstvo“). Some of them
are quite satisfied with their life after the transformation, refusing nostalgic feelings. Others
express a critical opinion towards nationalistic tendencies or are missing their childhood.
An acordeon player accompanies with his Balkan music the journey to post-Yugoslavian worlds
of memories which is more than that: it‘s about hunger for utopia. A documentary film about
post-Yugoslavian memories realised by the association SEE.ID.
http://www.see-id.org | http://seeindialogue.wordpress.com | mailtosee.id@googlemail.com
p.2
Intention and Production Process
„No Country of or Time?“ wants to make a peaceful future and more understanding for each
other more possible by initiating an intercultural exchange about the Western Balkan that is a
portray of people and places nowadays. The former Yugoslavian countries are of special interest
for Europe and the EU, but only little noticed besides the past wars and the conflicts. There is
much more to discover, many stories to be told, bizarre and interesting places and characters
to be found.
YU-Nostalgia takes place in everyday life, in between of remembrance and vivid occurrences.
The portrayed people are creating their imagined home between unfulfilled desires and the
revival of the „good old times“ of the socialist Yugoslavia under Comrade Tito.
On the one hand, the longing for a multi-ethnic living together in the spirit of „Brotherhood and
Unity“ (Bratstvo i Jedinstvo) can be found in almost all parts of former Yugoslavia among people
of all ages - in Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Sarajevo. On the other hand, it is a nostalgia that
lives in the young people aged 15-35 in the diaspora in Berlin and in Vienna – who might never
lived in socialist Yugoslavia. YU-Nostalgia is an expression of identity, culture and norms and it‘s
sending a clear message stressing the wish for a peaceful society that is more than capitalism
and ethnic defined societies.
© SEE.ID
The film was realised between 2007 and 2010 by the transnational cultural association „SEE.ID
– In Dialogue with South-Eastern Europe“. It was mainly shot in the capitals of former Yugoslavia
(Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Belgrade), but also includes the perspective of the diaspora and
focal points of YU-nostalgia such as Kumrovec. The interviewed protagonists in „No Country of
our Time?“ explain their relation to Yugonostalgia in different ways: from their personal point of
view, according to scientific theories or also in a critical way.
© SEE.ID
http://www.see-id.org | http://seeindialogue.wordpress.com | mailtosee.id@googlemail.com
p.3
The Film Collective
Mag.a Aleksandra Vedernjak
Film director and publicist. Media & Communication studies with focus on Gender studies,
Cultural studies and Philosophy, Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt (Austria): Master thesis
about Women’s Work at the University of Klagenfurt. Working on her doctoral thesis at the
University of Vienna (Austria) on „Gender, Violence and Agency in the Era of Globalization (GiK)“.
Josefina Bajer, B.A.
Master student of European studies/cultural studies (sociology, philosophy, European history
in the global context, project management) at Europa Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder
(Germany): Published bachelor thesis on YU-Nostalgia as phenomenon of the Transformation in
contemporary Slovenia. The film is based on her idea and she is the one who takes the journey
to meet all the people along the documentary.
Daniela Mehler, M.A.
Political science with focus on East-European history and Peace & Conflict studies, PhilippsUniversität Marburg (Germany): Master thesis on the Role and Dynamics of Civil society in the
Transformation of Serbia. Working on her doctoral thesis in the context of the DFG Research
Training Program at the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena (Germany) on „Cultural orientation
and social organizing structures in South eastern Europe“.
Branka Pavlović, M.A.
BA Film and TV Editing at the University of Arts Belgrade, 2009 MA Art in Context at Universität
der Künste Berlin. Film and TV Editing, art projects with intercultural groups in public space.
The Production Association SEE.ID
The association is composed of three women young women that are working together
internationally since their studies abroad in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2005/2007. To combine
existing competencies and perspectives and developing new ones and common projects the
three women team decided to found the association “SEE.ID – In Dialogue with South-Eastern
Europe” in January 2009. They work voluntarily and enhance their academic education in PhD
and Master Studies.
As an interface between academia and cultural work at international level, the association wants
to stimulate inter-cultural dialogue initiating projects around the subject South-Eastern Europe.
Topics from culture, society, politics and history are put up for discussion to support the process
of facing the past, to transform conflicts and to make a deep mutual understanding possible –
within Europe and especially within South-Eastern Europe. As a place for encounters we want to
give all those a forum, that are interested in the region by work or by personal intention.
The aspired projects will be realised in the form of documentary film projects, publications,
seminars at university and cultural centres, workshops with migrants, networks, internet
platforms and conference contributions.
http://www.see-id.org | http://seeindialogue.wordpress.com | mailtosee.id@googlemail.com
p. 4
Film screenings
„No Country of our Time?“ is very suitable to get a deeper insight in the topic of postYugoslavian cultures of remembrance within the setting of events. The documentary poses
questions and starts discussions and that‘s why we offer individually fitted screenings. We
kindly welcome your requests.
Selection of past screenings:
February 2012, Berlin (Germany): Screening during the Finnisage of „YOU & ME, MY
BELGRAD“, a photo exhibition of Boris Kralj at the Galerie Kollaborativ.
April 2011: Screenings at the Stony Brook Institute for Global & Local History, Stony Brook
University, New York and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois (USA)
April 2011, University of Utrecht (Netherlands): Screening within the seminar „The Future of
Yugonostalgia“ on the occasion of a series of lectures called „Transnational Memories“ about
the complex phenomena of Yugonostalgia and its ambivalences within a post-Yugoslavian
context.
February 2011, Berlin (Germany): Screening at a workshop concerning the topic „Yugoslavia in
the 1960ies“, organized by the Humboldt-University Berlin and the Freie Universität Berlin.
July 2010, Cinema Schillerhof in Jena (Germany): German premiere on the occasion of a
symposium with the title „Yugoslavia, place of longing? Yugonostalgia as a phenomena of post
socialistic culture of remembrance“
June 2010, Karl-Franzens-University Graz (Austria): World premiere in the context of the
international conference „Area Studies in a Globalized World“.
© SEE.ID
The film was realised with the financial support of:
Karl-Franzens-University Graz
Vice Rectorate for
International Relations
Sponsors
Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation
http://www.see-id.org | http://seeindialogue.wordpress.com | mailtosee.id@googlemail.com
p. 5