By: Ekrem Dupanović
Photo: Rade, Senad and Ekrem
It happened quite coincidently (if anything actually happens like that today) that in only two days I dedicate my diary entries to two people who have done something related to the communications industry for the first time in their decades-long careers. Yesterday, I wrote about the My Story film dedicated to BH Telecom, the only corporate film that Goran Milić has done so far. Today I write about the recording of a new spot for Sarajevski kiseljak, and I was present at the set on Wednesday in Bjelašnica. The spot was produced by Agency Fabrika, and was directed by Rade Šerbedžija, for whom Sarajevski kiseljak is the first and only client for whom he has agreed to record commercials. The first was filmed seven years ago. Goran, Rade and I – the old school – it feels as if we have over three hundred years between the three of us.
Yesterday I mentioned that I met Goran 43 years ago. Well, I’ve known Rade four years longer. We met in Belgrade when I was a young volunteer of Radio Sarajevo. Back then, I snatched the Swiss made Nagra tape recorder from our technicians, which at the time was the cutting edge of technology. Only experienced senior journalists could use it. I managed to bamboozle them to give it to me, telling them I was about to record something important “tomorrow”. I took the Nagra at the end of the workday and in the evening sat on the train for Belgrade, where I had an interview scheduled with Rade in the morning. Like every green, teenage journalist, I wanted to start my career with an interview with a famous person. And Rade was, and still is, a great artist. Besides Nagra, back then we used Uher recorders, but compared to Nagra, they were junk. And I wanted to appear before the great actor as a big shot. It was the first time for him to see this recording device, and it actually looked quite impressive.
We met at the arranged time, for breakfast at Hotel Majestic, where Rade was staying. He came with quite a hangover. It was obvious he didn’t have much to sleep the night before. The last thing he needed was me asking him why he chose acting as a career, what kind of experience he had gained in the plays he played, the colleague he most appreciates … and all the other nonsense that young volunteers characteristically ask. He stoically endured my questions, but when I finally asked him to recite a song for me in the microphone, I thought he would throw a plate at me. But he didn’t. He recited the song of Enes Kišović, which begins with the verse: “Last night, drunkards were falling together with the snow…”. That was the beginning of our acquaintance and friendship that has lasted for 47 years now.
Senad Zaimović and Bojan Hadžihalilović invited me to Bjelašnica. I was happy to accept their invitation, although the day before I had piled up a ton of duties for myself for that Wednesday, which I had to finish before going to Creative Republic in Bihać on Thursday. But this was an opportunity one really cannot pass.
The crew went to Bjelšsnica at 06.00 am because they wanted to catch the morning sun and record until eleven, then make a break until four afternoon. I arrived late at lunch at the restaurant Visočica, which is on the way to Umoljani and Lukomir, the villages that get completely cut off in the beginning of winter when the snow starts to fall, and the villagers can’t leave almost until spring. In the summer, the place looks like it came right out of a fairy tale. The ideal place for Rade to speak about the peace of the soul, and how important nature is for that, followed by his famous sentence: “Sarajevski kiseljak, that’s my secret.”
Veal with roast potatoes on the table in front of us. I immediately threw myself on the pies – burek, zeljanica and sirnica. I love homemade pie. As my granddaughter Tara likes to say: “Life is more beautiful with pita!”. Rade was accompanied by Bojan, Senad, Davor Čičić, Marketing Director of Sarajevski Kiseljak, and Jasna Mikačić from Agrokor. We talked and talked. Senad told a couple of jokes, rising the mood at the table. Rade told anecdotes from the sets of his movies and TV series in the US. Bojan was giving instructions to the crew every once in a while, making sure everything is just right. Rade and I went aside for a while for a short interview (which I will include in the end of this text), and after that I hung around with Jasna and Davor. I gave them the Creative Portfolio each. It includes an ad of Sarajevski kiseljak. Jasna diligently, over a coffee, went through all the 352 pages of the book, and I commented: “This is actually the first time for me as well to go through the entire book in one sitting.”
After lunch we went to the set, which was being sovereignly governed by Salem Kapić, director and production lead. Fabrika is famous for their production quality even beyond European borders. Salem is a child of the Fabrika. I followed his growth over these years. But there at Bjelašnica, it was the first time I was watching him in action. He’s great. Top professional.
And the set? Like any other set. Sound? Check. Roll camera! Action! And then repeat all that for about twenty takes, and that’s it. A couple of times, when the recording starts, Salem would say, “Cut, cut. The sun is going behind the clouds.” Half a minute passes. Then again: Action! And so on. Rade was in good mood, moving very swiftly a bottle of Sarajevski kiseljak from one hand to the other while saying the lines, leaning on an old timer.
After this shot, Rade sat into the Mercedes with a cameraman, and headed for Herzegovina to film the ride. Senad and I drove in his ten-meter long camper and returned to the base at the Visočica restaurant. I switched to my car and drove home, thinking along the way about this very beautiful and exciting day. And I almost couldn’t believe the location where the shooting took place is just 45 minutes away from my home, and I never developed a habit to go there. I’ll have to bring Tara there for some pita in Visočica.
For the end of today’s diary, here’s a short interview with Rade Šerbedžija.
What has motivated you to start doing commercials?
How can I put it? It was a totally unusual situation in some way. There are people – my friends – whom I cannot refuse anything. If Loša asks for a favor, if Bojan asks, I have to do it. Seven years ago, Bojan told me ‘Come on Rade, please do a spot for Sarajevski kiseljak, and they will push Ulysses as a sponsor.” And I accepted that. They helped me with the theater stuff.
How is Ulysses going?
Excellent. This year we did Bakhe, Euripides. Lenka directed. She made a wonderful play. Twelve actresses play. Just as, in the ancient Greece, 12 men played it, because only men played women, as acting was forbidden to them. Lenka has now made a play where only women play. She really did a wonderful play.
How are things with the sponsors of Ulysses?
Things are getting worse when it comes to sponsors, because there is less and less money for that purpose in the companies. But we’re managing. There are still people interessted in theatre art.
Do you think it’s just about the money, or is the problem in the heads of people who don’t understand it?
No, I don’t think there’s any other problem except money. People know that this should be done, but it simply comes down to making a choice, and they can’t be everywhere. We’ve lost a lot of sponsors for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of these economic ones. There are also some political reasons for that. When Zlatko Hasanbegović took the chair of Minister of Culture, he immediately reduced the amount we received to one tenth. The new minister increased the funding for us, but this is still really minimal. It’s not fair that we get so little money from the state. We have been existing for 18 years now, and we have managed to build a theater that is successful and produces stunning performances, has its own audience, is known in the world. We aren’t giving up.
Let’s get back to the advertising business. Your collaboration with Sarajevski kiseljak has been ongoing for seven years now. What is your experience like?
I do this for fun. Besides, I want to tell you that these are not your regular commercials. What Bojan and Fabrika create is truly art. They make it really nice, and I like that, and as far as I know, the viewers also like it. And I don’t work for anyone else, the only ads I’m doing are these for Sarajevski kiseljak. I also experience this as a beautiful story between me and Sarajevo, with which I have a deep friendship. I have a lot of friends in Sarajevo, and all this is connected to some attitudes of mine and the fact that from the beginning of the war here I organized the Wake up World together with Vanessa Redgrave, where we were trying to help people in Sarajevo with concerts and meetings. That’s something you don’t forget, right? It’s not a secret relationship.
What are the chances that Ulysses brings one of its plays to Sarajevo?
In coproduction with Mess we did the Antigone. I would love to continue working with Sarajevo, because it has fantastic actors and theatre workers in general, so we will certainly do more things.
What are you currently working on?
I did the Strange Angel series. It’s a CBS production, and the main producer is Ridley Scott. I have recorded ten episodes from 1 February to 20 June. I believe we will get the second season, so in late January I will have to go to the US again for five months, to record ten new episodes. I play a wonderful role of a Sephardic Jew, Professor Filip Mešulam, who is a native of our region. He studied in Vienna where he became a professor. In the early 30’s, when Nazi power was gaining more and more ground in Germany, he was one of the Jewish professors who were laid off. He then goes to America where he builds a career. The series begins with events from 1938 in the US. Then comes the war and it will be the theme of the next ten episodes. A very nice role.
Now you’re off to Hvar.
Yes, I will be filming a movie called Ribanje, ribarsko prigovaranje, in which I play Petar Hektorović. It’s a movie whose story takes place in the sixteenth century. A very interesting screenplay and an interesting role I need to embody. I will be filming that by the end of October, followed by two months of vacation, and then back to America.
When will you come to Sarajevo with the Zapadni kolodvor?
I don’t know, I would have to check that with Babo, my manager.
You should come. You haven’t come in quite a while?
Yes, I would love to have a concert in Sarajevo. Concerts have become really good. I have a lot of songs that the audience is used to. For the first time I see that people know my songs. I remember what Kemal Monteno once said to me. After a long time I was a guest at one of his concerts. I took the guitar and sang two of my songs. As the crowd applauded, he asked me: “Hey man, what are you singing there?” “I’m singing my new songs,” and Kemo says, “Screw new songs. A new song becomes good only when it becomes old.” And that is true, I have many old songs that the audience sings. I start the song that I wrote for Lenka, Hajde primakni se bliže, and the whole hall sings with me. It’s fantastic. Beautiful.
September 14, 2018.
