Reminiscenses of Béla Tarr's film.factory

film.factory at the Sarajevo Film Academy was set up in 2013 by Béla Tarr. Tarr’s biggest objection against the traditional film academies is that they teach their students a set of rules, “while everyone knows that there are none”.

His ideal was a school in the form of a living laboratory, where makers and theoreticians, young and old, could meet and inspire one another. Owing to financial problems, the school only existed for three years and just two generations of students graduated from it – but nevertheless, it has legendary status.

Its students came from all over the world. Three of them now live and work close to Eye: Stijn Bouma, Bianca Lucas and Stefan Malešević. They reminisce about their time there through photographs, film sketches and short films. How did the film.factory influence their vision of what film is and what film can be?

One example of Tarr's didactic model: during the second year, they were given a literary work to adapt: the play Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. They then had to each choose a story from James Joyce’s Dubliners. During the making of their films, Tarr stood beside the students on the set. He then took on a different role.

Stijn Bouma: “At that moment, he was less a teacher and more like a producer. Obviously it depends a little on the phase of the process, but he slowly stops being a teacher and becomes a co-creator. He always says what he thinks, although sometimes he also plays devil’s advocate, to challenge you.”

Double bill with Love Dog (Bianca Lucas, 2022) at 21h15.