Emir Kusturica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emir Kusturica
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| Емир Кустурица | |
Kusturica in 2024
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| Born | 24 November 1954 |
| Nationality | Serbian, French |
| Other names | Nemanja Kusturica (since 1995) |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, musician |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse(s) | Maja Mandić |
| Children | 2 |
Emir Kusturica (Serbian Cyrillic: Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a famous Serbian film director, screenwriter, and musician. He has been making movies since the 1980s and is known for his unique style.
Kusturica has won many important awards for his films. He has won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, twice at the Cannes Film Festival for his movies When Father Was Away on Business and Underground. He also won the Best Director prize at Cannes for Time of the Gypsies. Other awards include a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Arizona Dream and a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival for Black Cat, White Cat. France has also given him high honors for his work in the arts. In 2002, he became a UNICEF ambassador.
Beyond filmmaking, Kusturica is also known for building special towns. His main home is in Drvengrad, a village he built for his film Life Is a Miracle in Serbia. He also published his autobiography, "Death Is an Unverified Rumour," in 2010.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Emir Kusturica was born in Sarajevo, which was then part of Yugoslavia. His father was a journalist, and his mother was a court secretary. Emir grew up as an only child in a family that was not very religious. He often described himself as Yugoslavian.
As a young person, Kusturica was very lively and sometimes got into trouble. When he was seventeen, he got a small part in a movie called Walter Defends Sarajevo. This happened because his father was friends with the director.
In 1978, Kusturica finished film school in Prague, Czech Republic. This school is called FAMU, and many famous Yugoslav directors studied there. After graduating, Kusturica started directing short TV movies in Yugoslavia.
His Film Career
Kusturica's first full-length movie was Do You Remember Dolly Bell? in 1981. This film was about growing up and won a special award at the Venice Film Festival. At just 27 years old, he also started teaching film at a new school in Sarajevo.
Success in the 1980s
His second movie, When Father Was Away on Business (1985), won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It also received five Yugoslav movie awards and was nominated for an American Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. In 1989, he won more awards for Time of the Gypsies, a film that explored Romani culture.
Films of the 1990s
Kusturica continued to make popular films in the 1990s. His first American movie was the comedy Arizona Dream (1993).
He won the Palme d'Or again for his film Underground (1995). This movie told the story of Yugoslavia from World War II through the 1990s. In 1998, he won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival for Black Cat, White Cat. This was a funny movie set in a Romani village. The music for this film was made by the band No Smoking Orchestra.
Projects in the 2000s
In 2001, Kusturica directed Super 8 Stories, a documentary about his band, Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra. He was chosen to be the head of the jury at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. His documentary Maradona by Kusturica, about the famous football player Diego Maradona, came out in 2007.
Since 2008, Kusturica has organized the yearly Küstendorf Film Festival. This festival takes place in Drvengrad, the village he built for his film Life Is a Miracle.
Work in the 2010s
In 2011, Kusturica was the head of the jury for a section of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. He also received another high French award, the Legion of Honour. In 2012, he was the head judge for the first Saint Petersburg International Film Festival in Russia.
Towards the end of 2013, Kusturica began filming a documentary about the life of Uruguayan president José Mujica. This film, called El Pepe: A Supreme Life, was released in 2018.
Recent Films
Kusturica has announced that his next film project will be in Moscow. This movie will be based on the works of famous Russian writers like Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy.
Acting Roles
Besides directing, Kusturica has also acted in several films. His first big acting role was in The Widow of St. Pierre (2000), where he played a prisoner.
In 2002, he appeared in The Good Thief as a security expert. He also played a KGB agent in the French movie L'affaire Farewell (2009). In his own film On the Milky Road (2016), he played the main character, Kosta, a milkman.
Musical Journey
In the mid-1980s, Kusturica started playing bass guitar in a band called Zabranjeno Pušenje. Even though he was already a famous film director, he joined the band and played on some of their songs. He also directed a music video for them.
In the late 1990s, Kusturica rejoined the group, and they changed their name to Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra. In 1999, they released a new album and a music video directed by Kusturica. The band has been touring all over the world since then. The famous composer Goran Bregović created music for three of Kusturica's films: Time of the Gypsies, Arizona Dream, and Underground.
Writing Books
Kusturica has written several books.
Death is an Unverified Rumour
His autobiography, Death is an Unverified Rumour, was published in October 2010. It was very popular and sold many copies in Serbia and other countries. It was later translated into several languages, including Italian, French, and German.
Hundred Pains
His second book was a novel called Hundred Pains, released in 2013. This book was also translated into French.
Other Books
Kusturica's third book, a diary titled Why Did I Need This, came out in 2018. In 2022, he published Vidiš li da ne vidim, which features himself and his friend, Nobel Prize winner Peter Handke. His fifth book, Kada mrtve duše marširaju (When the dead souls march), was published in 2023.
Other Projects
Drvengrad: The Wooden Town
Drvengrad means 'Wooden Town'. It's a traditional village that Kusturica built for his film Life Is a Miracle. It's located in Serbia, near the city of Užice. This town is also close to Mokra Gora and Višegrad, which is famous for the novel The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić.
Time of the Gypsies Punk Opera
In 2007, Kusturica and Nele Karajlić created a punk opera based on his 1988 film, Time of the Gypsies. The story is about a Romani youth who travels to Italy to earn money for his sick sister's surgery. The music was new, composed by Dejan Sparavalo.
The opera first opened in June 2007 at the Opéra Bastille in Paris and received good reviews. It has since been performed in other cities, including Belgrade and Banja Luka.
Küstendorf Film and Music Festival
Since 2008, Drvengrad has hosted the yearly Küstendorf Film and Music Festival. This festival shows films and music from all over the world and has a competition for student short films. It's known for being different from typical Hollywood festivals, with no red carpet.
Many famous actors and directors have attended the festival, including Johnny Depp, Monica Bellucci, Nikita Mikhalkov, and Audrey Tautou.
Andrićgrad: The Stone Town
On June 28, 2011, Kusturica began building Andrićgrad (also known as Kamengrad, meaning Stone Town). This town is located in Višegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was planned to be finished by 2014. Andrićgrad is a few kilometers from Drvengrad. It will be used as a filming location for his new movie based on the book The Bridge on the Drina by Nobel Prize for Literature winner Ivo Andrić. The town is named after him.
Personal Life
Emir Kusturica is married to Maja Mandić, and they have two children. They live in Drvengrad. He also has French citizenship.
He is greatly influenced by film director Živojin Pavlović and writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
His Background and Identity
On Đurđevdan (St. George's Day) in 2005, Kusturica was baptized into the Serbian Orthodox Church. He took the name Nemanja Kusturica.
Kusturica has often said that he sees himself as Yugoslav, rather than specifically Bosnian or Serb. He learned that his family's roots came from two Christian branches.
Political Views
Kusturica has shared his views on political matters. He has supported certain political figures and campaigns in Serbia. He has also expressed support for President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. In 2016, he received the Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In 2022, he signed a petition asking Serbia not to place sanctions on Russia.
Filmography
Feature Films
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Awards / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Do You Remember Dolly Bell? | Yes | Yes | No | Won four prizes at Venice Film Festival |
| 1985 | When Father Was Away on Business | Yes | No | No | Won Palme d'Or |
| 1988 | Time of the Gypsies | Yes | Yes | No | Won Best Director Award |
| 1993 | Arizona Dream | Yes | Yes | No | Won Silver Berlin Bear |
| 1995 | Underground | Yes | Yes | No | Won Palme d'Or |
| 1998 | Black Cat, White Cat | Yes | No | No | Won Silver Lion at Venice Film Festival |
| 2001 | Super 8 Stories | Yes | Yes | Yes | Won Silver Plaque at CIFF |
| 2004 | Life Is a Miracle | Yes | Yes | Yes | Won César Award |
| 2007 | Promise Me This | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated for Palme d'Or |
| 2008 | Maradona by Kusturica | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2014 | Words with Gods | Yes | Yes | No | Co-author, part of an anthology film |
| 2016 | On the Milky Road | Yes | Yes | No | Won Little Golden Lion Award at Venice Film Festival |
| 2018 | El Pepe: A Supreme Life | Yes | Yes | No | Won CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award |
Shorts and Television Work
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Guernica | Yes | No | No | Short film |
| 1978 | The Brides Are Coming | Yes | No | No | Television film |
| 1979 | Buffet Titanic | Yes | Yes | No | Television film |
| 1984 | Nije čovjek ko ne umre | Yes | No | No | Television film |
| 1996 | Bila jednom jedna zemlja | Yes | Yes | No | Television mini-series |
| 1997 | Magic Bus | Yes | No | No | Short film |
| 2018 | On the Milky Road | Yes | Yes | No | Television series |
| 2020 | Junaci našeg vremena | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
As Actor (Selected Films)
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Walter Defends Sarajevo | Omladinac | |
| 1993 | Arizona Dream | Man in Bar | Uncredited |
| 1995 | Underground | Arms dealer | |
| 2000 | The Widow of Saint-Pierre | Ariel Neel Auguste | |
| 2002 | The Good Thief | Vladimir | |
| 2004 | Strawberries in the Supermarket | General | |
| 2006 | Secret Journey | Harold | |
| 2007 | Hermano | Chomsky | |
| 2009 | L'affaire Farewell | Grigoriev | |
| 2011 | Nicostratos the Pelican | Démosthène | |
| 2012 | 7 Days in Havana | Segment "Jam Session" | |
| 2013 | Au bonheur des ogres | Stojil | |
| 2014 | Words with Gods | Monk | |
| 2016 | On the Milky Road | Kosta | |
| 2019 | The Balkan Line | Taksista |
Awards and Honors
Film Awards
- First prize at Student's Film Festival in Karlovy Vary, (1978) for Guernica
- Silver Lion for "Best First Work" in Venice Film Festival, (1981) for Do You Remember Dolly Bell?
- FIPRESCI prize at Venice Film Festival (1981) for Do You Remember Dolly Bell?
- Golden Palm at Cannes Film Festival, (1985) for When Father Was Away on Business
- FIPRESCI prize at Cannes Film Festival, (1985) for When Father Was Away on Business
- Best Foreign Language Academy Award Nomination, (1985) for When Father Was Away on Business
- Best Director award at Cannes Film Festival, (1989) for Time of Gypsies
- Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, (1993) for Arizona Dream
- Golden Palm at Cannes Film Festival, (1995) for Underground
- Silver Lion for best director in 1998 Venice Film Festival for the film Black Cat, White Cat
- Silver Plate for best documentary at Chicago International Film Festival, (2001) for Super 8 Stories
- Cinema Prize of the French Education System at Cannes Festival (2004) for Life is a Miracle
- Best European Union Film at César Awards, (2005) for Life is a Miracle
- Lifetime Achievement Award at the 26th Moscow International Film Festival
- Honorary Magritte Award at the 4th Magritte Awards, on 1 February 2014
- CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award, Venice film festival, 2018
Architecture Awards
- Philippe Rotthier European Architecture Award for his village project Küstendorf (also called Drvengrad – "wooden town") in Serbia, in 2005.
Literature Awards
- "Momo Kapor award" for his book Death is an Unverified Rumour (2011)
- "Tipar award" for satire (2011)
- 'Dejan Medaković' Award (2022)
- 'Radovan Beli Marković' Award (2023)
- 'Borisav Stanković' Award (2024)
Orders and Decorations
- Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France's highest honor for contributions to the arts
- Order of St. Sava, Serbian Orthodox Church's highest decoration (2012)
- Order of St. King Milutin, awarded in Andrićgrad by Serbian Orthodox Church (2014)
- Order of the Holy Despot Stefan Lazarevic (2016)
- Order of Friendship (2016)
- Order of the Star of Italy (2017)
- Golden medal Sergei Bondarchuk (2017)
- Order of the Flag of Republika Srpska (2018)
- Medal of Merit of the Czech Republic (2019)
- Sretenje Order (2021)
- Medal ‘Great Russian writer F.M. Dostoevsky 1821-2021’ awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation (2023)
- Order of St. Most Reverend Seraphim of Sarov, Russian Orthodox Church (2024)
Images for kids
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Mayor of Guadalajara, Alfonso Petersen, presents Kusturica with the keys to the city (2009)
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kusturica in the Kremlin (2016)
