While looking for his lost dog, an artist holding some outlandish and unconventional attitudes finds himself in the middle of a modern absurdist comedy told through this work of docufiction, asking various philosophical, ethical and ecological questions. Director Luka Papić presents the current socio-political state of Serbia through some expertly chosen socially marginalised characters. This results in an exceptionally original film that questions the relationship between man and dog, man and art, as well as the meaning of art within the life of his contemporaries (as per the UnderhillFest jury).
After losing his dog, an eccentric painter from Belgrade named Aleksandar starts searching for his runaway pet. The search will lead him to many unusual characters and take the viewer on a journey through an outsider’s vision of Serbia. Aleksandar has a particular and somewhat absent way of being – seemingly caring only for that which is immediately in front of him. His identity is marked by absence – he has no family, no job, no obligations, no political correctness and no social norms. Wandering along these strange and aesthetically intriguing fragments, we discover the urban landscapes of Belgrade that also appear to be somewhat twisted and emptied out. Loners and lost walkers move along this ruined environment, meeting only dysfunctional architecture and temples as symbols of the retraditionalization of society and of the aesthetics of kitsch that lie so close to Aleksandar’s own. With a dose of Kharmsian humour, Papić follows his exceptional antihero along his pointless odyssey, touching on various philosophical questions about art, representation, identity, nature, history, ethics, and politics. (DP)
The projection will be followed by a Q&A with director Luka Papić and producer Srđa Vučo.
Awards and festivals:
Visions du Réel (2022) – world premiere, Grand Prix for best International Medium Length Film; Beldocs (2022) – Grand Prix in the national competition programme; Underhill Festival (2022) – Jury Special Mention
Luka Papić was born in 1989 in Vrbas. In 2011, he enrolled in film studies at the HFBK University of Fine Arts Hamburg. In 2016, he graduated in the class of Angela Schanelec. He was a recipient of the K.H. Ditze grant, was supported by the Freundeskreis project development fund, and was a recipient of the Nachwuchs grant for further scientific and artistic development after studies, as an award for best graduation film of generation 2016. His latest film Bez (Without) won the jury prize for Best Medium Length Film at Visions du Réel in Neon, Grand Prix at Belgrade’s Beldocs festival, and a special mention at the UnderhillFest in Podgorica. He is currently based in Belgrade.
