After the summer pre-premiere tour, the film Tereza37 will be screened at Pula this evening as part of the competition programme at the Arena.
At the press conference, director Danilo Šerbedžija said he loved the screenplay, which is different from anything he has worked on previously. When asked what it was like to make a film based on a screenplay that he had not written, he said it was easy because the screenplay is very good. Šerbedžija thinks the theme of the film is extremely important, as it talks about the position of women in a patriarchal society.
Lana Barić, who had been writing the screenplay for 15 years, thinks that people will relate to the story because it is a true story. “It is my personal story, but not in all of its parts. It really happened, I have experienced a lot of it myself or have head about it or seen in other women in Dalmatia”, she said, adding that it is a story of loneliness in women in Dalmatia.
She says Split and Dalmatia are distinctively ‘male’, and that women in these areas carry a sadness of sorts, including herself. In these areas, she says, it is thought that the responsibility of a woman is reproductive, which is unacceptable. She also says the main issue in Dalmatia is communication, or the lack thereof.
It was not difficult for her to act based on her own screenplay: “I really love this part, and it was easy for me to do, as we worked in a truly family atmosphere, because we all know each other really well”, Barić said.
Ivana Roščić plays the role of Tereza’s sister Renata, and was offered the role ten years ago. “As is often the case, we met sitting at a bar and talked about it. I have never read a story like this before, and I really liked it”, Roščić said. She also said that the role of Renata is in no way similar to her, and that this was the reason she so enjoyed playing the character and working with Lana and Danilo. “I also grew up in Split, and I used to see women like her, and I understood them, and it was interesting to get inside their heads”, she added.
Goran Marković, who plays the supporting male character, is also from Split, and Lana wrote the character he plays with him in mind.
Nikša Butijer plays a small role in the important scene of the dinner, and is happy with it.
The film has already been screened at seaside towns and some islands, and has been invited to important international festivals. “If film festivals come alive again, it will be great. Online screenings break my heart. A film asks for its audience, people spending time together, talking, and celebrating the wonderful job we have”, concluded Šerbedžija.
