Ana Lazarevic is a writer and director born in Belgrade, Serbia. She holds an MFA in Film from Columbia University. Her short film “The Runner” premiered at the New York Film Festival. “The Game” marks her feature directorial debut.
“The Game” will premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival today, September 9. The fest is taking place September 9-18.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
AL: “The Game” is a grounded portrayal of a smuggler and teen refugees who are ordinary people going through an extraordinary ordeal. They all long for a sense of normalcy and have different ways of trying to meet that need.
The smuggler, Strahinja (Branislav Trifunovic), wants to repair his broken marriage and daydreams about purchasing an apartment in a luxury building in Belgrade so he can prove he is a breadwinner. The teens he is driving live in the moment and are open-hearted in ways Strahinja is not. They long for normalcy and a sense of adventure after having to spend so much time hiding and repressing their desires for joy.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
AL: I am from Serbia and was interested in exploring a story about someone who is economically marginalized navigating unusual job when I heard about unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan who had been traveling through the Balkans. As I was developing the script over the years and interviewing people, in 2015 there was a migration wave. It was then that I met a group of teens who were charismatic and quickly became friendly with me and my colleagues.
I initially intended to interview them and inquire about their travel but our conversations quickly shifted to be more about personal anecdotes and stories like falling asleep at inopportune times. They were refugees, but first and foremost they were teenagers who were living in the present moment.
It was my connection with them, and our friendship, that allowed me to truly give myself permission to write this script.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
AL: I want people to see these characters as versions of themselves, their friends, and family — and not as an “other.” I think when we see ourselves in other people, we inherently care more about their situation and wouldn’t tolerate things like police brutality.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
AL: The biggest challenge was getting people to understand the intention of this film in its portrayal of both the teen refugees and the smuggler. In my research, both in first-person interviews and the articles I’ve read, an overwhelming majority of refugees and migrants refer to their smugglers as guides and allies. Likewise, the boys I met who inspired the film and the boys acting in this film are refugees but they are also teens who desire more or less the same things as any other teens in the world: camaraderie, connection, and adventure.
Because I am intentionally taking a different approach in telling this story and steering away from some of the danger and portrayal of suffering we are familiar with, at times it was challenging to sell the film to industry or film funds. I ultimately chose what I know to be an honest portrayal and focused on the personal stories within this bigger story of migration. I didn’t want to change the film so it would fit what people expected of this type of film.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
AL: We got some development funding from Film Center Serbia, but it was a very small amount. The rest was through investors. I am not really keen on sharing too much about this, but it was a really difficult road and I don’t have any fresh insights to share.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
AL: I realized that this was a medium that would allow me to explore everything I was ever interested in — sociology, psychology, history, attachment theory — you name it, all the while fulfilling the desire to express my creativity. As a child, I was very creative, but growing up as an immigrant, I didn’t think that I could be an “artist” — that this was allowed.
I took a world cinema course in my undergrad which exposed me to the work of Wong Kar-wai, Lucrecia Martel, Claire Denis, Lynne Ramsay, Abbas Kiarostami, and others. I was taken by the kinds of stories and characters films could explore and the way in which these filmmakers explored them.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
AL: The best advice, or the one that stands out at this moment, is “The cavalry isn’t coming.” Something I read Mark Duplass say. I think this quote defines how I got the film financed and made. I ultimately didn’t have a strong studio or production company backing me. Along the journey, I was given doses of moral boosts by organizations that supported this film and I had to take those wins and use them as momentum to keep moving forward.
It was up to me to get the film made and up to me to finish the film. There wasn’t anyone else who was going to care about this film and sacrifice as much I would for it and making peace with this early on allowed me to keep pushing.
The worst advice is maybe the various times throughout this process where people suggested I wait for something to make the film, either some fund or some recognition from somewhere. Those never came.
W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?
AL: You are the only person whose opinion of the value or worth of this film matters. I strongly believe in feedback, healthy feedback, and from multiple trustworthy sources. My MFA degree prepared me for listening to feedback and also knowing how to implement it.
I don’t mean that you should cut other people out of the process. However, you will meet others who are supportive and some who will undervalue your film’s potentiality or your competence. I would stay away from these people and any partnerships with them.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
AL: This is a tough one, but I think I will go with “La Ciénaga” by Lucrecia Martel. It is my favorite because the soundscapes and auditory textures envelop me in the world of its characters.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?
AL: I threw myself into the post-production of my film, editing, sound design, the score, and color grading. All of my creativity was funneled into this film. It was my obsession but it also gave me a sense of structure and something else to focus on. I have also been developing two other ideas, which are in different stages of development.
W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make it more inclusive?
AL: I think that these problems are symptoms of a bigger issue with the way the industry is structured. In the big picture, the industry tends to be about power and profit and it doesn’t seem fitting when you stop to think about it. Yes, films should be entertaining, but at their core, they are empathy generators and a medium for communicating ideas and expression to mass audiences.
When I think of industry gatekeepers and lists of “who’s hot” and some of the superficial aspects of the industry, it truly doesn’t seem right for this medium. I think that any program or rule that can be implemented will just be a band-aid as the power dynamics and the focus need to shift.
However, maybe there could be some good band-aids and some honest commitments made to allow diverse people with truly diverse outlooks and opinions to be in power. The industry has had several diversity programs that I am aware of, and some of them have not been taking applications since Covid. However, they have been around for a while, and although helpful, I am not entirely convinced that they are enough.
