Although he is a Bosniak, he did not support the Bosnians during the civil war and therefore became the subject of much controversy. But his directing talent has never been the subject of controversy:
Serbian director Emir Kusturica, born in Sarajevo in 1954, is also an actor, screenwriter, and musician. Kusturica, whose father was a journalist and whose mother was a court clerk, was born in a Bosnian family. The director, who met with the big screen in his youth, became interested in music before cinema. Emir Kusturica has signed many successful projects with his versatile personality; He has the "Best Director" award from award ceremonies such as the Palme d'Or, Cannes, and César.
Meet the White Screen
Emir Kusturica graduated from the Prague Academy of Performing Arts. After his graduation, he started directing short films for Yugoslavian television. He made his feature film directing debut with the movie "Do You Remember Dolly Bell?" released in 1981. This film won Kusturica the "Silver Lion" award in the "Best Director" category at the Venice Film Festival. The director started teaching at the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts the same year and continued his duty for 7 years.
Kusturica made his second feature film directorial debut with "When Father Was Away on Business" released in 1985. With this film, it was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival, the American Academy Awards, and 5 Yugoslav awards. The project that brought the director a global reputation was released in 1988: Time of the Gypsies. The fantasy crime drama about the culture and youth of the novel brought Kusturica César and Palme d'Or nominations and won the "Best Director" award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Emir Kusturica (born 24 November 1954) is a Bosnian-born Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship. Kusturica is one of the most-distinguished European filmmakers beginning in the mid-1980s, best known for surreal and naturalistic movies that express deep sympathies for people from the margins. He has also been recognized for his projects in town-building. He has competed at the Cannes Film Festival on five occasions and won the Palme d'Or twice (for When Father Was Away on Business and Underground), as well as the Best Director prize for Time of the Gypsies.
The successful director directed his first film in America, Arizona Dream, in 1993 and the Palme d'Or award-winning film Underground in 1995. He won the "Silver Lion" at the Venice Film Festival with his film "Black Cat, White Cat" released in 1998. The successful director was declared the National Ambassador of Serbia by UNICEF in 2002. Kusturica, who served as a jury in many film ceremonies, continued his directing and acting studies.
Musician Identity of Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica joined the gypsy techno-rock band "No Smoking" in 1986 and played as the bass guitarist in the band until 1988. The band changed its name to "Emir Kusturica & No Smoking Orchestra" during its active years. The members, who signed a contract with Universal in 1999, released their first studio album called Unza Unza Time. Having started to tour internationally, No Smoking also gave Emir Kusturica the chance to direct a video clip.
We have said that Kusturica, who arouses admiration with his versatile personality, is a multidisciplinary artist. So much so that his artistic journey with a passion for music brought the successful director together with the big screen. Emir Kusturica prepared his first documentary film inspired by his music group "No Smoking". His documentary titled “Super 8 Stories” won a silver plaque in the category of “Best Documentary Film” at the Chicago International Film Festival. Continuing his projects without slowing down, Emir Kusturica took part in the Cannes Film Festival with his movie "Life is a Miracle". The current official residence of the artist is the town of Drvengrad, which he partially rebuilt for the movie "Life is a Miracle".
Screenwriter Emir Kusturica: Time of Gypsies
In 2007, Kusturica and Nele Karajlić designed a punk opera of the same name, inspired by the movie "Time of the Gypsies". The first seeds of the project, which put Kusturica in the screenwriter's seat, were planted in 2002. The opera tells the story of a gypsy teenager who immigrates to Italy to pay for the treatment of his sick sister. Kusturica, who wrote the libretto of the opera, recomposed the original soundtracks composed by Goran Bregović with Dejan Sparavalo, a member of "No Smoking". The play, which premiered in Paris in June 2007, received positive reviews from critics.