{"id":8584,"date":"2025-03-27T10:38:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T09:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/?p=8584\/"},"modified":"2025-03-27T10:44:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T09:44:22","slug":"premiere-of-the-film-balkan-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/premiere-of-the-film-balkan-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Premiere of the Film “Balkan War”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The premiere of the film Balkan War<\/em>, the latest cinematic achievement by director Stojan Stoj\u010di\u0107, will be held on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at the Sava Center (Blue Hall). The Belgrade premiere, attended by the film crew and a large number of public figures, is scheduled for 9:00 PM, while the pre-premiere screening will take place at 6:00 PM.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Continuation of a Cult Saga<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

The film Balkan War<\/em><\/strong> follows historical events from 1900 up to the beginning of World War I, depicting a turbulent period on the Balkan Peninsula filled with uprisings and war conflicts. It is a continuation of the cult saga Impure Blood<\/em><\/strong>, which Stojan Stoj\u010di\u0107<\/strong> first introduced to audiences back in 1996. The original film starred Rade \u0160erbed\u017eija<\/strong>, Maja Stojanovi\u0107<\/strong>, and singer Svetlana Veli\u010dkovi\u0107<\/strong> in the lead roles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In this continuation of the cinematic story, filmed nearly three decades later, audiences will, for the first time, have the opportunity to see certain scenes that were not included in Impure Blood<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

“Bora Stankovi\u0107 wrote in a very intriguing way, and you have to read between the lines. I used Stankovi\u0107\u2019s literature, but the one between the lines. The Balkan War would not exist without impure blood. Impure blood has been present in the Balkans for more than five hundred years. From the fall of the Nemanji\u0107 dynasty to the present day, we have been in constant uprisings and wars, with only temporary truces in between,”<\/em> emphasized the film\u2019s director, Stojan Stoj\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

Bojana Pekovi\u0107 Makes Her Film Debut<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

The film Balkan War<\/em> marks the debut role of the multi-talented artist Bojana Pekovi\u0107<\/strong><\/a>, who is the first and only student to have studied the gusle<\/strong> at the Music Academy in Helsinki. Pekovi\u0107 portrays the character of Sofija<\/strong>, the daughter of the tragic beauty Sofka<\/strong> from Vranje.<\/p>\n

\"Balkanski<\/p>\n

The film’s storyline follows the life and fate of Sofija<\/strong>, one in a long line of victims of impure blood<\/em>, which continuously boils and passes from generation to generation. By playing the gusle<\/strong>, she brings to life on the big screen the tragic story of her mother and ancestors.<\/p>\n

\n

“I never expected to end up on the big screen, but it truly made me happy. This was a challenge from which I gained a lot. I found this role very interesting because it combines my love for the stage with an essential element of gusle performance\u2014acting. It was both a challenge and a great inspiration to take on this role, as my character, through the narrative of the gusle, evokes memories of her mother, grandfather, father, and everything they endured. Through this role, I discovered new aspects of myself, and it has helped strengthen my artistic expression,”<\/em> said the film\u2019s lead actress and gusle<\/strong> player, Bojana Pekovi\u0107<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

Music as a Symbol<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Bojana Pekovi\u0107, together with her brother Nikola Pekovi\u0107<\/strong> and Relja Jakovljevi\u0107<\/strong>, is also responsible for composing the music for the film Balkan War<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Balkanski<\/p>\n

\n

“The music in this film incorporates the sounds of the gusle<\/strong> and accordion<\/strong>, instruments deeply rooted in our folk tradition. We wanted to use these instruments predominantly to depict that era and the war. At the same time, we aimed to introduce a touch of novelty and freshness to present an older historical picture through both new and traditional sounds. The biggest challenge was bridging the time gap, and we hope we succeeded. We have unified the past while also bringing a new, contemporary sound,”<\/em> emphasized Nikola Pekovi\u0107<\/strong>, co-composer of the film\u2019s music and professor of accordion at the Music Academy in Ni\u0161<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

Petar Bo\u017eovi\u0107 Returns to the Big Screen<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Renowned Serbian actor Petar Bo\u017eovi\u0107<\/strong> delivers an outstanding performance in the film, portraying Patriarch Lukijan Bogdanovi\u0107<\/strong>. The role of Tom\u010da<\/strong> is played by Filip Gaji\u0107<\/strong>, while Rade \u0160erbed\u017eija<\/strong> and Svetlana Veli\u010dkovi\u0107<\/strong> reappear in evocative flashbacks, bringing the audience back to the atmosphere of Impure Blood<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

“The most profound impression I had during filming was working alongside a young and talented actress, Bojana Pekovi\u0107<\/strong>. By elevating our national instrument\u2014the often-disputed gusle<\/strong>\u2014to the level of a Stradivarius<\/strong> with her skilled hands, she moved me to tears. I deeply felt that connection, that vertical line that binds us all together,”<\/em> said actor Petar Bo\u017eovi\u0107<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Balkanski<\/strong><\/p>\n

Impure Blood<\/em> (1996) is a film based on the novel of the same name by Bora Stankovi\u0107<\/strong>. The lead roles in the first film were played by Maja Stojanovi\u0107, Rade \u0160erbed\u017eija, Ljuba Tadi\u0107, Filip Gaji\u0107,<\/strong> and Svetlana Veli\u010dkovi\u0107<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In Balkan War<\/em>, in addition to new material, audiences will also see never-before-released footage from the original film. These scenes serve as the memories of Sofija<\/strong>, Sofka\u2019s daughter, who relives her mother\u2019s past through these stories, experiencing everything Sofka once went through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The premiere of the film Balkan War, the latest cinematic achievement by director Stojan Stoj\u010di\u0107, will be held on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at the Sava Center (Blue Hall). The Belgrade premiere, attended by the film crew and a large number of public figures, is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[123,117,116],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8584"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8584"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8586,"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8584\/revisions\/8586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstmedia.group\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}