I was very happy to see Cineaste, probably the most important American film magazine (along with Film Comment), run an extended interview with Želimir Žilnik in their Fall issue. Žilnik is a filmmaker that has been in need of “rediscovery” for more than 40 years now, dating back from when he won the Berlin Golden Bear in 1969 for his debut film Rani radovi/Early Works. Since then Žilnik has maintained his dedicated path through the history of cinema, turning out a number of powerful, socially-incisive works that have all but slipped through the cracks in the meantime.
Želimir Žilnik
The interviewer seems to know a great deal about Žilnik and the larger history of Yugoslav cinema; the introduction to this interview is a useful primer. Unfortunately the writer did not go into detail on the experimental “amateur” phase of Žilnik’s career in the 60s, though this segment is even more unknown than his larger career in general. Likewise, more attention could have been given to all of Žilnik’s documentary shorts of the 60s as they are key in understanding the growth of his “documentary approach.” Films like Pioniri maleni/Little Pioneers (1967) which exposed the condition of homeless children living on the streets of Yugoslavia and Crni film/Black Film (1971) which treated the same condition among adults (and also commented ironically on the notion of the “Black Wave”) would have been of interest here.
Also, more attention could have been given to Žilnik’s reception in his home country and the often controversial nature of his films. His Kenedi trilogy, on a Romani man of the same name, probably deserves a dedicated study on its own. These films are surely among the most sensitive and piercing cinematic attempts ever to render the life of the Roma on the big screen. It is a shame that these films are only mentioned briefly.
All things considered, this is a great interview. Hopefully Žilnik’s next film will be greeted in the press with the attention it deserves as the work of a true master of the cinema.
The interview can be found here:
http://www.cineaste.com/articles/emold-school-capitalismem-an-interview-with-zelimir-zilnik-web-exclusive