Serbian director Emir Kusturica expresses wish to make film in Russian

Celebrated Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica has stated his wish to make a Russian-language film.

The director made the statement at the Küstendorf International Film and Music Festival, which is currently taking place in Drvengrad (also known as Küstendorf and Mećavnik), a traditional village that Kusturica built for his 2004 film Life Is a Miracle.

“I had the idea to make a film about Dostoevsky, I have a million ideas — this is my biggest problem. I must make a Russian film. I love Russia, because I feel I have that blood flowing in my veins,” Kusturica said.

The filmmaker also shared his visions for the future development of Russian cinema. In his words, directors should not be influenced by Hollywood.

“In Russia the literary heritage is too great to believe that [its] themes and content have been exhausted and that it is necessary to imitate western models,” he noted.

Emir Kusturica is perhaps best known for his films When Father Was Away on Business (1985) and Underground (1995), both of which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and Black Cat White Cat (1998), which won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival.

Source: Russian Express and Lenta (in Russian)