Today is a day when Ostoja, a legendary piano mover from Belgrade gets a special delivery.

Interview with Writer/Director Sandra Mitrovic

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I always wanted to make a film about Belgrade. What makes Belgrade so unique are the people who live there, and in Ostoja Will Move Your Piano we meet all different sorts of people.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This is a story about an ordinary man leading an ordinary life.

Sometimes, we are not in charge of our own destinies. On the contrary, it’s circumstances that happen around us that can change the direction in which we are headed, and it’s these moments that make us grow.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

As I said Ostoja is an ordinary man with an ordinary job, that I think everyone can connect with. It is a lighthearted comedy, showing different parts of society through the protagonist, Ostoja, who is trying to get rid of the piano that no one wants.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

We were working on the script for almost a year. It went through many developments and huge changes from the first to the last draft. In one of the very first versions it was supposed to be a tragic drama where Ostoja dies at the end. After 6 months I started bringing parts of the script to class, and once actors started reading it, I realized that it has a big potential for a comedy, so we pushed it in that direction.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I have to say that I would never imagine the great reactions we got from the audience, especially in the US. It’s always hard and risky trying to translate humor (especially Eastern European), but luckily we didn’t have any problems with it so far.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Ostoja Will Move Your Piano was in competition in many festivals world wide, winning 2 Best International Short Film Awards in San Diego International Film Festival and Santa Fe International Film Festival. We also got First Prize for Best Screenplay in Rhode Island International Film Festival. Honestly, we were thrilled to receive this kind of feedback.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I think wearemoviengstories.com is an incredible platform to gain more exposure and make the movie more visible for a broader audience.

Ostoja Will Move Your Piano - Behind the scenes

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Everybody! Probably at this stage of the movie’s journey, sales agents and distributors would be the most crucial in amplifying the film’s message.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

If whoever comes to see this film, leaves with a smile on their face while feeling better and uplifted, Ostoja Will Move Your Piano will have its mission accomplished!

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

In every society, there are multiple social classes, and each of them has their own attributes and beliefs. Ostoja Will Move Your Piano distinguishes between all these classes and presents differences on funny but yet, very realistic way.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am in the post production of my new short movie. It is the story about character from Roy Lichtenstein’s painting, who exits her world in order to find herself in ours.

Interview: January 2018

_______________________________________________________________________________

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

_______________________________________________________________________________

Ostoja Will Move Your Piano

Today is a day when Ostoja, a legendary piano mover from Belgrade gets a special delivery.

Length: 15:00

Director: Sandra Mitrovic

Producer: Verica Djukic, Vesna Boskovic, Carver Diserens

Writer: Sandra Mitrovic and Masa Clark

About the writer, director and producer:

Sandra Mitrovic is an award winning screenwriter and director from Serbia. She is currently living in New York, where she is completing her MFA in film directing at Columbia University.

Key cast: Slobodan Boda Ninkovic, Dragan Sekulic, Marko Gvero, Tamara Krcunovic

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): distributors, sale agents

Social media handles: #ostojashort

Facebook: #ostojashort

Made in association with: PFI Studios Belgrade

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Chandler International Film Festival