Private Project

ZEITGEIST

ZEITGEIST is creative yet educative documentary short telling the story of Istanbul, Ankara, Belgrade and Sarajevo after World War I, based exclusively on fascinating, rediscovered press photography from reporters of the large Turkish and Yugoslav daily newspapers of the time. Director Lordan Zafranović and Swiss researcher Nataša Mišković add the magical voice of Bosnian artist Božo Vrećo to develop an emotional tale of joy and sorrow, wealth and poverty, on the Ottoman past and national modernity in urban Southeastern Europe after the Great War.

  • Lordan Zafranović
    Director
    Occupation in 26 Pictures; The Fall of Italy
  • Nataša Mišković
    Writer
  • Nataša Mišković
    Producer
  • Alfred Kolombo
    Editor
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ZEITGEIST / DUH VREMENA / ZAMANIN RUHU
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    History, creative
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Switzerland
  • Country of Filming:
    Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Turkey
  • Language:
    Bosnian, English, German, Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Martovski Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival29.
    Belgrade
    Serbia
    March 29, 2019
    Serbian Premiere
    Special Screening
Director Biography - Lordan Zafranović

Born in Maslinica, island of Šolta, Croatia (Yugoslavia) in 1944, Lordan spent the first two years of his life in the refugee camp of El Shatt, Sinai. After the war, the family settled in Split, where he studied ship-engineering, literature and fine arts. From 1960 onwards, he was a member of the Kino klub Split, first as an amateur of experimental films, from 1965 as a professional. He completed his education at the Czech Academy of Film and Television (FAMU) in Prague as a master student of Academy Award winner Elmar Klos, 1967–1971. From the late 1960s until the break-up of Yugoslavia, Lordan lived in Zagreb. Since 1995, he lives and works in Prague.
Lordan received numerous awards for his work from 1961 onwards. His best known films are the feature trilogy ‚Occupation in 26 Pictures‘ (1978, Best Film Pula 1978, Séléction de Cannes 1979, Academy Award Candidate 1979), 'The Fall of Italy' (1981, Best Film Pula, Selection of Venice, Grand Prix Valencia) and 'Evening Bells' (1986, Best Director Pula); his short ‚Afternoon (Rifle) (Grand Prix Oberhausen 1967); and his documentary 'Blood and Ashes of Jasenovac' (Academy Awards Candidate 1985). He received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Yugoslav Film Archive in 2019.

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Director Statement

I attended the opening of the exhibition "Cities on the Move – Post-Ottoman" quite accidentally and was fascinated. Nataša had invested a large amount of energy and love in the research of these historical photographs, and she showed remarkable responsibility in their handling and the preparation of this large and beautiful exhibition. It struck me that it would be a pity to shelve all this after only a few weeks show and I proposed to make a film. It was a pleasure to work with her, however modest the budget, and balance my cinematic vision with her historical accuracy. This is my 100th film – and her first.