Jasmila Zbanic’s “On the Path” will have its Serbian premiere at this year’s Cinema City Festival in Novi Sad. The film is selected to be in the programme of “Balkan Box” selection. Through one love story it gives a complex portrayal of Islam in today’s Bosnia. The film had its world premiere at Berlinale where it was screened within main competition programme and soon won the hearts of both critics and audiences around the world. At Berlinale Jasmila Zbanic already proved her film-making abilities with her first feature film “Grbavica” for which she received the Golden Bear. In her new feature she chose a controversial subject of orthodox Islamic communities and researched from woman’s point of view the level of influence ideology has upon love and whether love allows authorities such as God.
“On the Path” is a story of a young couple who go through deep emotional transformations, which lead from sincere infatuation to a moment of complete alienation with dawning comprehension that one never really knows another. Luna (Zrinka Cvitesic) is a stewardess who is bitterly surprised when her life partner Amar (Leon Lucev), flight controller temporarily suspended due to his latent drinking, decides to hold a computer course for children at Wahhabi camp near Jablanica Lake. Luna gradually loses contact with him and, after she is allowed to visit him in the camp, it is clear Amar discovered his faith and that he is at a crossing of his life.
For this role Zrinka Cvitesic received a place among top ten actors and actresses within “Shooting Stars 2010” program at Berlinale. Alongside Zrinka, film’s excellent crew consists of: Leon Lucev, Mirjana Karanovic, Jasna Beri, Nina Violic, Ermin Bravo, Marija Kohn and Jasna Zalica.
“I wanted to explore changes in Bosnia, changes in relationships between people, inside society, increased piousness and women’s position within all those changes. Everything started when one day a man wouldn’t shake my hand because he doesn’t shake hands with women”, said Jasmila Zbunic, film’s director and screenwriter.
Since its Berlinale premiere, “On the Road” participated in numerous festivals around the world and Cinema City’s screening is going to be this film’s Serbian premiere.
