Filmmaker Vladimir Blazevski Says Punk’s Not Dead

Vladimir Blazevski | Photo by Samir L Juma

Q:How did you feel after scooping up two important awards this year at the Tirana International Film Festival for your movie, "Punk’s Not Dead"?

A:We believe that only with regional cooperation can our cultures become interesting and attractive on the world market. The Balkan region has a lot of energy and our artists have a different, special kind of aesthetics compared to their colleagues abroad. I guess it is a question of DNA.

Besides A [rated] festivals abroad, our opinion was that we should make an effort to participate in regional festivals, mainly because “our” people will have a different understanding of our film’s theme than the global audience.  So TIFF was on our agenda several months ago. Of course we did not expect the awards. We just wanted the audience to see our film.

Q:TIFF, like many other cultural events in Albania, is struggling to survive and could not back up its prizes with financial rewards this year.

A: This is absolutely familiar. But, I would like to point to the strength and will of the TIFF authorities. I have never met them, but to continue stubbornly when everything is falling apart....full respect. These people are heroes. I am sure someone from the state will understand the heroic action these people took and they will solve the problems for next year’s TIFF.

 Q:“Punk’s Not Dead” is a runner up for a nomination for the Ocsar for Best Foreign Language Film. No small feat for a low-budget Macedonian movie!

A: First of all, we are still not running for the Oscars, we are only on the long list alongside 63 other movies. If we manage to get on the short list of nine movies, well that will be a real success. But, to get nominated [5 movies only]... hm... that is the real goal. But it takes a lot of lobbying and very expensive publicists and PR managers. But, trust me, there is a huge personal satisfaction in making it even onto the long list.

Q: What is your perception of the relation between art and money today in the Balkans? As a producer, can you tell us what would be the best way to make it possible to keep festivals running and how can we keep them independent from politics and institutions?

A: If I had a plan for how to make art independent from politics I would have been a politician, or a minister. But, I am not. Maybe an example would be helpful: I play in a band called Superhiks. The band has existed for 17 years with the same members. Do you know how many governments changed in these 17 years? I don’t know exactly, but I believe it is more than 10. The band has released four albums and held more than 230 concerts outside of Macedonia in the last 10 years. And we have never received any kind of support (financial or technical) from the country.

My point is that if you really love something, if it makes you happy and if you are stubborn enough, no one can distract you from your path.  Our region is not well developed, so of course [as a politician] one would leave art aside and deal with more economically based issues. But, that does not mean that the “art people” should stop doing what they do. They just have to have a bit of managerial thinking.

This article is funded under the BICCED project, supported by the Swiss Cultural Programme.