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Renowned Serbian film director vows to make movie in Russia before calling it quits

Serbian movie director Emir Kusturica intends to shoot a film in Russia

MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Serbian movie director Emir Kusturica intends to shoot a film in Russia, as he himself said in an interview with TASS.

"I will definitely make a movie in Russia before I retire [from filmmaking]," he vowed.

According to Kusturica, he draws his inspiration from classic Russian literature. "Actually, it would be possible to make a movie based on Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time, and dedicate it to, say, the Syrian Civil War," he noted.

The Serbian filmmaker is currently working on a book about modern China, which has also been influenced by Russian literature. "It is a very interesting story that talks about moral collapse; it’s a mixture between Dostoevsky’s Idiot, and Crime and Punishment. It is a story that was typical for the 1990s all around the world. Nonetheless, good is in fact triumphant at the end of this tragedy," Kusturica emphasized.

TV series to make movie theaters ‘a thing of the past’

Traditional movie theaters are bound to become obsolete because of people’s obsession with TV series, Serbian film director Emir Kusturica said in an interview with TASS.

"Cinematography will remain, but it will take on another form. I think that conventional movie theaters will become a thing of the past as TV series that people watch at home will replace movies," he specified.

In the filmmaker’s view, traditional movie genres will persist. "There will still be fantasy and realism, but the way people watch films will change," he stressed.

However, in Kusturica’s opinion, these changes will not occur in the short term, which is the reason why he continues to work on projects for the big screen. In particular, he plans to make a movie based on Soviet and Kyrgyz writer Chyngyz Aitmatov’s White Cloud of Genghis Khan and shoot a picture in Russia.

Emir Kusturica has participated in more than 30 pictures as an actor, scriptwriter and film director. His movies include Time of the Gypsies (1988), Arizona Dream (1993), Underground (1995), Black Cat, White Cat (1998), Life Is a Miracle (2004) and On the Milky Road (2016). He has won numerous awards throughout his career at top European film festivals, and in particular, he won two Palme d'Or awards at the Cannes Film Festival.