Bosnian director Danis Tanovic, director of prize winning “No Mans Land”, said he would like to direct a picture on religious co-existence with many great examples in the world today.
Recently awarded an Oscar for his film, Tanovic said pictures are a means to instill principles and morals through an engaging and entertaining medium.
Tanovic told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that he is also interested in cooperation with Arab artists and directors. “The cinema, he stressed, must be utilized as the great international language, it is to express all issues relating to mankind.”
Tanovic said that he was puzzled that Arab cinema still did not cross its regional boundaries, especially since it is Arab and Islamic culture that most profoundly affected all other cultures for so many centuries. “Arabs could, he stressed, regain their superiority in arts through best utilization of their great potential within the new conditions of globalization.”
The director pointed out that he has an idea for a picture on peaceful coexistence of many religions and cultures and a particular incident in mind. He said that it involves Muslims protecting minorities in Spain, including Jews, who sought the Ottoman Empire’s protection at that time. He remarked that such a project needs superior script, acting, cinematography if it is to gain international success.
As to his Oscar winning “No Mans Land”, Tanovic said that it sarcastically depicted the war in Bosnia and the story was set in a no-fighting area. The film’s message was expressed through regular fighters expressing the absurdity and meaninglessness of seeking to destroy the other. He pointed out that while this clearly defines Bosnia’s tragedy, it applies to any war elsewhere when the sole objective is destruction and harm with no higher end.
As for other projects he intends to pursue, Tanovic said he is currently working on a picture documenting the Srebrenica catastrophe that killed around 10,000 Muslim Bosnians. He said that the UNESCO and other international culture and arts organizations offered to cover the costs of the production of the film which called “The Eleventh Minute”.
Danis Tanovic who lives between Sarajevo, Paris and Brussels, has 47 different cinema awards in his name so far. His most prestigious awards are a golden frond award from Cannes last year and the Oscar for best foreign film director for “No Mans Land” – Albawaba.com
