Serbian director Emilija Gašić will observe Worldwide Movie Pageant Rotterdam premiere “78 Days” with the “atmospheric and tense” psychological thriller “Witches,” she reveals to Selection solely.

“I’ve at all times been drawn to scary components in movies — particularly if there are moments of comedian aid. Rising up in Serbia, I used to be surrounded by tales and legends. There are such a lot of superstitions and traditions that date again to pagan occasions.”

Her new movie will give attention to a girl going by way of menopause, with out assist from her family members or the healthcare system. Determined, she turns to an aged lady for assist, a people healer from a close-by village. Quickly, she is requested to carry out a collection of rituals with a view to elevate a supposed curse.

“In some villages, there are nonetheless these revered healers. I’m curious about tapping into this heritage as a result of it’s so wealthy and actually in contrast to the rest we’ve seen,” says Gašić, desperate to discover her nation’s “distinctive traditions” whereas additionally echoing the likes of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “The Double Lifetime of Veronique” and Michael Haneke’s “Hidden.”

“I like movies that invoke an eerie environment and make you a bit uncomfortable. That’s why I discover the work of Ruben Östlund significantly inspiring. He could make a household drama really feel like horror after which make you chuckle,” she provides.

“Serbia has such particular mythology and folktales. Its tradition is a fertile soil for some of these movies. I wish to merge genres to inform untold tales — similar to in my debut characteristic [’78 Days’].”

In “78 Days,” Gašić — who studied at NYU Tisch Faculty of the Arts — goes again to the 1999 NATO bombings of Yugoslavia through the Kosovo Battle.

“I’m curious about telling native tales and offering them with a common flare. I would really like them to be seen outdoors of the nation as properly,” she stresses.

“I’ve lived by way of these occasions myself. I began by writing down what I knew after which shared an nameless questionnaire with different folks. By way of that, I discovered that tenderness and togetherness nonetheless existed, regardless of that state of affairs. It’s so human to attempt to bear in mind solely joyful issues. Or, within the case of my movie, to report them on digital camera.”

Enjoying with the idea of a discovered footage documentary, “78 Days” — though utterly fictional — was shot on Hi8 tapes, with cinematographer Inés Gowland utilizing gear from the late 90s.

The movie exhibits the every day actions of three sisters (performed by Viktorija Vasiljević, Milica Gicić and Tamara Gajević), who begin a video diary of their countryside house; we see them killing time in-between air raid siren blasts, preventing and placing on a present, all of the whereas ready for his or her father to return.

“There was positively a studying curve to the expertise as a result of it’s a dated expertise. We spent numerous time researching and speaking to completely different technicians in New York, however I loved each second of it. We at all times had to consider who’s behind the digital camera at each given second after which attempt to replicate their ‘fashion,’” says Gašić.

In an effort to put together, she turned to outdated house movies — together with her personal.

“I noticed that when kids filmed one thing, they might often come near their topics versus zooming in. Additionally, as spontaneity was one of many key features due to this ‘discovered footage’ aesthetic, we’d usually give the cameras to our actresses.”

“We might experiment rather a lot and we had been actually free on this course of,” notes Gicić, who performed one of many women. “They actually grew to become my sisters and my household. It was enjoyable to develop up with them.”

Gajević provides: “Through the shoot, I saved listening to the music from that point. However I didn’t even know this movie was purported to appear to be a documentary. My father went by way of conflict, too. Due to the stress of it, he misplaced all his hair.”

“Emilija exhibits kids having enjoyable, taking part in with their pals throughout this terrible time. I preferred that she determined to protect these harmless moments,” Gicić says.

Produced by Andrijana Sofranić Šućur and Ivanović Miloš for Set Sail Movies, the movie is bought by Lights On.