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ZORAN DANILOVIK
Back in May
1959 Branko Perak and Aco Gjurcinov ,until then members of the Academic
cinema club ACC- Belgrade ,came in Skopje with the intention to form an
academic cinema club by joining the already present, interested, mainly
students that were working within the frameworks of the amateur
activities in the Constructional Workers' Center in Skopje. These
activities varied from watching selected films to lectures held by the
film workers (Sasa Markus, Branko Gapo e.t.c.).
Then, in the
second half of May (I remember it was end of May, since right after the
twenty-days course the films "Pots" and "I give pebble first" were
filmed in the swimming pool in Saraj, where people were sunbathing),
that first course was held, for which scripts from Belgrade were
brought. The lectures were mainly held by Branko Perak, while in some
areas of the basic film knowledge he was assisted by Aco Gjurcin. As
much as I remember, the course was attended by the following members:
Zivko Popovski, now assistant professor at the Faculty of Architecture
in Skopje, Sveto Velkov, architect, who died in the 1963 earthquake,
Tomislav Zografski, now composer and professor at the Music Academy in
Skopje, Dragan Suplevski, now conductor of the choir "Mirce Acev",
Bogomil Gjuzel, writer and playwright in the theatre of drama, Pero
Stojanovski, me, Zoran Danilovik and 5-6 more friends, whose names I
don't remember because they didn't take part in the filming of the above
mentioned films later on. The names of all the members of that first
course can be seen on the title of these films where we appear as
collective authors.
After the
course to which they didn't attend, other members joined who probably
found out about the course late, but were interested from earlier, such
as Bozidar Todorovski-Bodle, Gjoko Vasilev, Vlada Urosevik e.t.c. This
first group numbered about twenty of us. The course was held three to
four hours every day, about three weeks, in a classroom at the Faculty
of Law. This four-floors building which was demolished after 1963,
covered the area of the present opened parking lot opposite to Grand
Hotel "Skopje".At the course, in that massive building, we heard
everything about the film: from learning about the film camera,
film-strip to film language, script , editing and direction. The
listeners were willing to learn about the abundant film technology.
Within the frameworks of the course we also watched films by the
Belgrade amateurs that were brought as additional lecturing material.
They were: "Metamorphosis", "White scarf" and "World War Three" in
which, to our satisfaction ,we could see Gjurcin.
In the days
following the course, we were practicing the script material in the city
park and then officially and seriously sat before the two comrades. We
all passed because we showed knowledge and studied the material with
love, and they also promised us diplomas. In the last class we were
given an assignment to write scripts for feature, documentary and genre
film and then to choose one of them for collective realization. I
remember the script by Bogomil Gjuzel, which is shortly as follows: one
early morning a boy from Skopje wakes up and rubs his eyes with a lack
of trust- Skopje is deformed, "broken into pieces". He can't recognize
his own street. After this he tries to find a reason why all this is
happening to the city. The deformations require to be filmed through
prisms and other effects.
It is
interesting the fact that the author got this idea four years prior to
the earthquake in 1963. Dragan Suplevski proposed the following: some
fisherman is fishing and fries the fish immediately on the pan, but the
fish return to life and the fisherman imagines different things
connected to his cruelty and greed. Pero Stojanovski proposed something
similar to an American burlesque:
formally
dressed man walks through Skopje and the wind is pushing his hat off his
head, he is slipping on a banana skin e.t.c.
There were
also other ideas. It's too bad they haven't been preserved, because they
could be realized by the following generations.
I think it
was the idea of Tomislav Zografski and Aco Gjurcin to film "Pots", as a
documentary film, and as a feature film my script for "I Give Pebble
First", made like a comic with drawings and text, which I will present
if I find it. First we realized "Pots" at one potter's place in Topaana:
from stirring earth to baking in the kiln in his yard. Tomislav
Zografski had the camera, and the others were working all kinds of
works. Tome was assisted by Sveto Velkov. Tome also recorded "I Give
Pebble First", he somehow chose the camera. Aco Gjurciniv and I agreed
to make a filming book for the feature film from that comic-script. One
beautiful morning we all arrived in Saraj, mostly by bikes, and I was
driving on my bike that little girl from the last scene. The poor girl
was numb, and I was surprised that my neighbors gave her to me, the
choreographer from Tanec, Atanas Kolarov. This girl, now a mother, has
never seen herself acting in that film. It seems to me that we filmed
the whole film in one single day. As I said, Tome was behind the camera
having his assistants, and the direction was entrusted to Sveto Velkov,
Ziko Popovski and to me. The others helped in everything. Branko Perak
and Aco Gjurcin were supervisors. As artists were selected the three
boys: Aleksandar Dzambazov, Milislav Krstik, journalist, and Mahi, now
sculptor. The girls were somebody's friend, brunette, the blond girl is
married to Nospal and my little girl Juli. It is interesting, the whole
swimming pool, I mean the people that were sunbathing, were continuously
helping us always listening to our wishes. I can't remember where we
edited "Pots", but me and Gjurcin edited "I give pebble first" in his
apartment on a manual montage table of 16mm.
We sent
these two films at the next amateur film festival in Belgrade. I, Ziko
Popovski, which I think was the first president of the club and Sveto
Velkov were sent as delegates. The festival was held in the Yugoslavian
film library. The first place was won by "Wall" by Kokan Rakonjac. Our
films arrived the last day , although we sent them by mail much earlier.
Since they were late for the established period, they were played on the
program the last day, but out of competition. The both films received
surprising applause in the overcrowded hall, and in the last number of
NIN, Adamovik wrote that a new center of the amateur film is born , so
everything was in superlative about our films. He even predicted awards
for them.
Our stay in
Belgrade was very interesting. We saw large number of amateur film such
as: "Periphery Street" by Zivoin Pavlovik, who was at the time, amateur
as well, "Monument" e.t.c. I remember how Aleksandar Petrovik, at the
time leading camera in the amateurism, debated about mounting the handle
of iron to the camera to be able to run up and down the stairs recording
interesting cadres from "Wall".
After these
two films, there started mass authorship film production, with more than
ever ideas and scripts, and really good ideas were not realized. But,
these were not beginnings now and we faced various problems: from lack
of premises to film technology and strip. At the time we were financed
by the University and The Technical Assistance Association, where we had
our laboratories and the editing in the building which is now
demolished, and on its place now stands the library "Braka Miladinovci".
March 1979
,Skopje, Zoran Danilovik
B.T.BODLE
ACC,
WE AND I
Today, or
more precisely tonight between 4 and 5 March (I apologize for my bad
memory about what happened twenty years ago), I am trying, who knows
what time in a row, to bring back my days years ago, for the beautiful
time of our enthusiasms, for our love towards the amateur film, for our
beautiful dinners at the Skopje square abounding with creative dialogs
about what is to be realized in the Academic cinema club and about
everything that we started in the year of 1959.
The memories
leap to our minds, but they are like blur water that overflows the
fertilized field and, I say to myself, it will not be that easy to
clarify the water, to see the colorful pebbles of the past, to gather
them at one place and to make from them the chain of our time, of our
work at the club. And, as it usually goes, the blur flows withdraw,
clear jets of memories stay and under them the pearly pebbles ready to
be recognized. In the document that I have in front of me is an article
in "Nova Makedonija" from the spring in 1961 signed by Ilhama Emon, the
following being clearly written:
header- FILM
EVERYDAY LIVE; title- THE AMATEURS ARE ASKING US TO MEET THEM and then
:FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS ABOUT TEN FILM-AMATEURS FROM SKOPJE HAVE BEEN
ORGANIZING SEMINARS ABOUT LEARNING THE SECRETS OF THE SEVENTH ART AND
LEARNING THE TECHNICAL FILM TERMINOLOGY. THEN THEY MAKE FILMS ON
EIGHT-MILIMETERS TAPE. THEY ALL WORK WITHOUT REALIZING THAT THEY ARE
CREATING ART. BUT STILL- THEY ARE. AND THEY HOPE TO SOMETHING, IF
NOTHING ELSE, THEY HOPE THAT THE PUBLIC WILL SEE THEIR MODEST
ACHIEVEMENTS. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE ACADEMIC CINEMA CLUB IN SKOPJE,
FOUNDED IN 1959 BY SHEER CHANCE, WHEN AFTER SEEING "OTHELLO" BY
JUTKEVIC, IN FRONT OF ONE CINEMA IN SKOPJE, SEVERAL ENTHUSIASTIC FILM
DEVOTEES MADE AN AGREEMENT, FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF OTHER YUGOSLAVIAN
CENTERS, TO FORM THEIR OWN CINEMA CLUB.THEY WERE SUPPORTED FINANCIALLY
BY THE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION AND THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
ASSOCIATION….ACO GJURCIN, VLADA UROSEVIK, ZIKO POPOVSKI, SVETO VELKOV
(I'm reading and looking the photo in the newspaper in which Sveto is
behind the camera as a camera man filming my second or third amateur
film "Chapter Second" and here, in front of the camera, as an
artist-amateur Stefan Demirev and me next to Sveto as a screenwriter and
director, and I can't hide my feelings when I see this photo because of
that great comrade Sveto whose heart stopped beating in the Skopje
earthquake and Demirev who died later on suffering of a deadly disease,
so I am standing now before that piece of paper, and I bring back the
time when there flourished their lives as well as our love, and I feel
burden on my soul, and I stand like this silent for a while, lighting a
cigarette who knows what time in a row this night, this night pleasant
but sad and unpleasant as well): I read further:
TOME
ZOGRAFSKI, ZORAN DANILOVIK, BOZIDAR BODLE, KRUNI VETEROV AND OTHERS,
COLLECTIVELLY CREATED THE AMATEUR FILMS: "I GIVE PEBBLE FIRST", "POTS",
THREE SONGS", "MEN", TIME ROSE", "BRICK"," THE LITTLE DETECTIVE",
"TOWARDS MYSELF", "ON PELISTER", "HOLIDAY", "MOZAIC OF LITTER", FILMS
ABOUT THE FREE TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES, AND THE MAY-DAY PARADE IN 1960 IN
SKOPJE, THE LAST COMPLETED FILM "CHAPTER TWO" AND OTHER MATERIALS…
AND MUCH
MORE WRITTEN IN THIS MEMOIR OF I.EMIN, and many more memories of those
our days, sad and joyful , back in that hut in the Students Dormitory in
Avtokomanda, in that spacious premises stuck with posters and
photographs of our work, with loud music and an action for decorating
the Club, with hot talks about the already made films and about what is
yet to be filmed; and the memories for the sunny day on which we filmed
“Mosaic of Litter”, that crazy film about even crazier boy who can write
lyrics, paint and recite Hamlet, but not study for University.
Actually, it was a film about me, I myself played my part, while Sveto
Velkov was behind the camera. I remind myself of “Brick” or “Tile” and
for our last (Sveto's and mine) “Chapter Second”, film-comedy, about a
man that seeks a public toilet in the city, which exists somewhere far
away, and about the policeman that chases him for crossing on red light,
and because no one knows why he (the main character) runs so fast,
because he caches diarrhea while reading in the newspaper that the
killer of the bank clerk is wanted, and everybody is chasing him, and at
the end he breathes out as he enters the only public toilet in the
city. And while he was entering the toilet, loosening his belt from
earlier, the policeman, on the contrary, was tightening his belt as a
mark of anger thinking that at the end he has no place to run to…We
filmed this in 1961, when we met the journalist-writer I.Emin on the
street, who wrote a short reportage for us in “Nova Makedonija”.
I still keep
my sorrow for my unrealized film project, the one-minute film “Three
Drops”, in which an old man who is sitting in the park, experiences
erotic passion while watching in the dark one young lady undressing
behind the window right opposite of him. But, the poor old man, as he
watches this the first drop starts to extinguish-the lady, the
second-his heart and the third- from the leaf above him, a little water
drop lands on his dead forehead.
The
Projects, due to deaths and separate paths in life, remained unrealized
and there also remained the huge love for the amateur film and the
Academic cinema club to which we added something as well.
THANK YOU.
Bozidar
Todorovski- Bodle
ZIVKO POPOVSKI
That was a
time when one generation in growth felt stronger and stronger the needs
of deeper and wider knowledge out of the bear existence, seeking
personal realization as well as people's realization.
We gathered,
like-minded friends, provoking each other in joining the idea, seeking
the first foundations of the development. Aco Gjurcin, through the
examples of the amateurs from Belgrade, talked about their love for the
film, about the same age and the big enthusiasm, Vlada Urosevik talked
about the conceptualist possibilities of the generation, I (Zivko
Popovski) about my decision and determination to organize the
possibilities, about the wish to be helped by the Technical Assistance
Association of Macedonia, about the understanding of the Managing
Committee of the Students Association at the Skopje University, about
our friends-film lovers.
Then, Aco
Gjurcinov agreed with some friends from the Academic cinema club in
Belgrade, to organize propaganda projections in Skopje by showing their
selection of films. The Technical Assistance Association helped us with
technology (projector), the University committee helped financially.
Arsa
Milosevik arrived from Belgrade with a bag full of films. The
projections were to be shown in the hall of the national University
(former French club). The interest was above the expectations, we had
numerous audience. Before the projections, in the introducing speech we
informed about the foundation of the Cinema club, and we had admission
of new members. We announced that we were starting a course for cinema
amateurs which will be completed by making one collective film.
The club was
organized within the frameworks of the Skopje University as an ACADEMIC
CINEMA CLUB. Club's management was selected, and Zivko Popovski was
elected its first president. At the same time it was registered in the
Technical Assistance Association of Macedonia. In the spring of the year
1959 the first course for cinema amateurs started.
There were
gathered: Sveto Velkov, Zoran Danilovik, Mile Krstik, Tome Zografski,
Dragan Suplevski, Bozidar Todorovski e.t.c. Branko Perak, the famous
amateur of Belgrade, was lecturer and instructor at the course. After
the completion of the course, which lasted for a month of everyday
activities, several scripts that were proposed by the listeners were
reviewed, and there was selected the synopsis for the film “I GIVE
PEBBLE FIRST” (16mm).
With the
arrival of the first summer days after the preparations , we started
filming at the swimming pool in Saraj. The Technical Assistance
Association helped us with film-strip and camera. The members developed
the film themselves in the improvised laboratory of Technical Assistance
Association. The film was edited in one lobby of Aco's (Gjurcin)
apartment , and pieces of the film could be seen all over the apartment.
The film was ready, and the first projections- joy and stimulus. The
film was rolled through the projector at public and private projections,
the number of the interested was growing, and the trust in possibility
of realization confirmed itself. In the meantime, the members filmed the
second film "POTS" (16mm) documentary by genre.
In 1960 the
Club organized second course for cinema amateurs, and as listeners once
again appeared the students from the Skopje University and several
high-school students.The course was also completed by making several
films, with authorship treatment with respect to the script, camera,
direction, as a result of which several authorship films in the Club
emerged. There emerged and distinguished themselves the cinema amateurs
for which the film became life occupation , and now the club gets
progressive form of a school that will later be attended by:
Zoran
Danilovik, Bozidar Todorovski-Bodle, Kole Malinov- all directors in TV
Skopje, Aleksandar Gjurcinov, Kiril Cenevski, Zoran Mladenovik-Okan,
Stevo Crvenkovski, Mile Grozdanoski- directors in Vardar-film from
Skopje, and others who work on films professionally. |
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With the
foundation of most of the University clubs, among which the Academic
cinema club, a step forward has been made towards the development of the
culture and art among the students at the University and among the youth
in general.
The Academic
cinema club from Skopje, acting in the student environment, spreads the
film culture among them, having a huge influence in educating the staff
necessary for the continuous working of our film and television houses.
In the
course of its uninterrupted, twenty-year activity, many young people
were part of the Academic cinema club, who are still working today
having established reputation in the film as well as other arts in
Macedonia.
In 1959 a
group of young film enthusiasts founded the Academic cinema club, first
amateur cinema club in Macedonia, and among the first ones in
Yugoslavia. These young people, at the time students at the universities
in Skopje, set this club's foundation which supports twenty years of
continuous growth.
During these
twenty years, many young structures were part of the Academic cinema
club, but still the students were most numerous. Today, many of the
Academic cinema club's former members are famous and acknowledged film
and social and political workers, who give their contribution to
building our socialist society: Kiril Cenevski, Aleksandar Gjurcinov,
Zivko Popovski, Dragan Suplevski, Zoran Danilovik, Bozidar
Todorovski-Bodle, Tihomir Bacovski, Ilindenka Petruseva, Mile
Grozdanoski.
Today, the
Academic cinema club numbers about 150 members, mainly students at the
University, but pupils and workers as well.
The club's
activity is directed mainly towards spreading the film culture among the
young, not only in the city but in Macedonia as well, and also in
Yugoslavia. For that purpose, every year the club organizes seminars in
the field of film and film art, which are attended by up to 150
listeners at one seminar. After the seminar ends the listeners have the
possibility to continue their work at the club. The lectures at these
seminars are held by film workers from Vardar-film and Television
Skopje. Among the more significant events organized by the Academic
cinema club from Skopje is the traditional OSFAF (Common-Yugoslavian
Student Festival of Amateur Film), which is of competitive character and
which is attended by cinema amateurs from all over Yugoslavia, with
their own projects.
The club
maintains active cooperation with the other cinema clubs and social and
political organizations from Skopje and the Republic, which help the
club around its working and organizing festivals. During the last year
the club took part in the realization of an amateur cartoon and an
experimental film), in ASTROFEST (astronaut festival) and in other
events.
The Academic
cinema club, together with the other clubs and associations at the
University and out of it, such as: The University conference of the
Students' Holiday Association of Macedonia , The club for international
friendship between the youth and the students, The Youth Center “25 May”
and other organizations. Thus, in cooperation with the club of
international friendship between the youth and the students, the
Academic cinema club realizes the project “Student Film Monday”. Namely,
every Monday (lately Tuesday), in the students dormitory “Goce Delcev”
the Academic cinema club shows professional film projects by Yugoslavian
and world authors. The overcrowded hall of this dormitory speaks of the
great reception that this event had among the youth and the students. As
part of the cooperation that the Academic club has with the University
conference of the Students' Holiday Association of Macedonia , the club
organizes seminars about film and film art in the Students' Holiday
Resort in Pretor.
Within the
frameworks of its regular club activity, the club's members make amateur
films which are later sent to the festivals through Yugoslavia and
Europe and they almost always come home with some award or recognition.
These amateurs, developing themselves as complete authors, make films on
subjects related to our socialist self-government society and in such
way contribute to its development. The cases overloaded by plaquettes
and diplomas received at various festivals of Yugoslavian amateur film
are one more proof for the quality of the films. Among the more
significant awards and certificates are: the fist, second and third
place at the Republic's festival of animated films, cartoons and
documentary films; second and third place at the federal festival of
amateur film in the category of animated films; first place for
experimental film at the III FJACEF; third place and special award at
the same festival. Let's also mention that the film “Consumers
Psychology” was proposed to take part at the UNICEF festival which is to
be held in Moscow.
This year ,
when the University celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of its
foundation, the Academic cinema club from Skopje joins in it, showing
films from its own production as well as “Films about Tito”. The
Academic cinema club will also film the celebration and contribute to
make it memorable.
The Academic
cinema club from Skopje, as an organization which serves to nurture and
promote the amateur film and film in general, fully justifies its
existence within the frameworks of the cultural life in the city and in
the Republic.
In this
jubilee year the Academic cinema club will increase even more its
activities expanding the cooperation with the other clubs and cities.
Apart from this, the club plans to show its films in the faculties,
colleges and schools all over the Republic. This year the Academic
cinema club will organize seminars at some of the projects in Macedonia,
contributing to the expansion of the film culture among the youth. The
Academic cinema club will take part in the “Young authors' week”, which
is organized by the Republic conference of the Socialist Youth
Association of Macedonia.
In order to
mark all it has achieved over the last twenty years of constant growth ,
at the already traditional OSFAF, the Academic cinema club will organize
a celebration with a festive academy and a comrade night- meeting of
generations and members of the club. At this meeting guests from the
social and political organizations and clubs will be invited with which
the club has cooperated in the course of its work ,as well as
individuals and organizations that made the biggest contributions to the
existence, the working and the results of the Academic cinema club in
Skopje.
At the same
time with the celebration of the jubilee of the Academic cinema club, we
also celebrate the jubilee of the Macedonian amateur film.
Skopje,
1979 |
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