Alen Šimić ─ Distinctive Approach That Blends Intuition, Music, and Imagery

Alen Šimić is a theatre and film director whose work navigates themes of existentialism, pain, and human psychology. With a distinctive approach that blends intuition, music, and imagery, Šimić challenges audience to engage with questions rather than provide easy answers. Known for his sharp comedic touch as well as his dedication to authentic storytelling, he offers a candid reflection on creativity, society, and the evolving landscape of contemporary art. In this interview, he shares insights into his artistic process, inspirations, and thoughts on the current state of film and theatre.

Source: Al Jazeera Balkans

For years you’ve been active in theatre and film, and you keep creating original pieces. What inspires you to keep moving and creating? Hunger and boredom; hunger is not metaphorical but literal, one must live off of something. Boredom, because it “pushes” me to think about how to approach the topic.

When you direct, are you more interested in creating answers or posing questions?It's more about asking the question. I don't think I can give answers to myself, let alone to the audience.

When you begin a new project, do you start from image, idea, text? Mostly it’s a combination of things (image, thought, text), although if I would need to single out one element as the most influential, that would be music.

Do you balance structure with the chaos of creativity and intuition? I'm trying, with more or less success. Although, it all depends on the point in the process, at the beginning I'm more open to chaos, and in general, I rely more on intuition than on logic/calculation/thought.

You have directed a comedy series which has a big audience, and successfully portrays some caricatures. Does comedy show human core better than tragedy or other genres? I think the answer to this question is a big ‘yes’, though I wouldn't know how to explain the reason. I could offer some generalizations, but I think the best example is that silent films by Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, or Harold Lloyd are “understood” on all continents and in all languages.

Does your work seek to reflect the world, critique it, or escape from it altogether? All three of the mentioned things, although perhaps what I do the least is criticizing the world.

Some of your works are motivated by war and post-war themes, existentialism, and survival in Bosnia and Herzegovina? Do you feel there’s a unique artistic language that emerges from B-H? I think these themes are unavoidable, but they never can or should be, the central theme of a film, novel, or any other work of art. After all, these very concepts carry different meanings and interpretations in every individual work, whether it’s film, theater, or some other medium. So I believe that by accepting to deal with such themes, we push ourselves into the space of generalization. I think the audience feels sick to the point of throwing up when they read somewhere that a film deals with a “post-transitional society” (or some other theme written in “project jargon”). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, as is probably the case everywhere, the vast majority of things fall into the drawer of a homogeneous expression, dealing with subjects “while wearing gloves.” The motivation behind that is perhaps the desire to make things more accessible and simplified for the majority of potential consumers. As in other environments, there are individuals here who try to do things in their own way. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but in my opinion, there are too few of those.

Do you feel a responsibility to reflect social realities in your work? No.

Play “A Hunger Artist", adaption of Franz Kafka's short story, was well accepted by the public. What do you think audiences are truly seeking from storytelling in contemporary theatre?

I'll assume they're looking for things that interest them, or for texts and topics they haven’t had the chance to encounter before. I think the topics themselves aren’t as important as the approach to them, the audience responds more to the style, that is, the way someone approaches a topic, than to the topic itself.

Žižek claims that cinema reveals the unconscious structures. Do you view your work as revealing hidden truths? I think it would be pretentious to say that I do, but I hope that’s the case.

Of all the projects you’ve directed, is there one that feels closest to your heart? Why? Short documentary “B4.” Because it's the only film that wasn't approved beforehand by any committee or board, but something where I worked completely the way I wanted to.

Have you discovered a visual or thematic motif that recurs in your work? Noise and escape from it.

Would you say you prefer to show pain or pleasure in film and theatre? Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain…

Are you working on any new projects at the moment? Would you like to share something about them? I am supposed to direct a short fiction film in September, working title “Who to Summon When There’s No Inspiration?” and a play at the Sarajevo National Theatre, an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Were you ever a fan of Marvel or DC Universe, comics or films? Would you ever direct a play or a film based on their stories? Tim Burton’s Batman was my first favorite film, so I can say I’m a fan of the movies, and later, when I had access to the comics, I became a fan of those as well. I prefer DC comics over Marvel’s, though Marvel’s cinematic universe is far more successful and better. I recently watched James Gunn’s Superman and really liked it because it was the first time in a long time I saw a superhero movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously and stays true to the adapted material rather than trying to imitate a “realistic” film in the style of Christopher Nolan. Of course, I would love to direct an official film adaptation of Marvel or DC comics or from other publishers like Image or Dark Horse Comics. I don’t see why not, but I also don’t see why anyone would call me to do it.

Lately there is a rise of comedy series which aesthetically and through storyline work around rich people on luxurious travels whose relationships are more of a caricature of wanna-be have-it-all, than real relationships. One of the examples is 'White Lotus'. Have you watched any of these series? What do you think of them? I’ve watched several series and films with similar plots like 'Knives Out' and 'The Menu', which have similar storylines and treat the “metaphor” and “message” the same way, Rich = Bad, Poor = Good. Things are pretty black and white, so everything is more or less the same. My conclusion is that it’s all boring because, with that setup it’s impossible to say anything new on the subject. I think the current real-life situation offers crazier narratives about the debauch and lack of empathy of the rich than Hollywood can or wants to imagine.

Have you watched the Barbie (2023) movie? Any thoughts on feminism in the film industry? I watched the movie and quite liked it, it's better than Oppenheimer, and about feminism in the film industry I don’t think.

What would you change in Quentin Tarantino’s movies? I would shorten almost every one by 10 minutes.

Would you ever direct a cooking show? Gladly would, especially if it’s something like 24 Kitchen that involves traveling to various locations.

Artificial intelligence is on the rise, do you think it is creating an impact on the film industry? What I’ve noticed is that even when it’s used, the results are bad. I don’t mean in intention or “morally bad” but they are making generically poor example of what it’s supposed to create. For example, AI-generated posters for Civil War. Allegedly, they used AI in the film ‘Brutalist’ to improve Adrien Brody’s Hungarian pronunciation or accent, but that film is a bunch of Zionist propaganda crap, so I can disregard it.

Have you used artificial intelligence in your work, ever? Not directly in my work, but I can say it has helped me with many small things and allowed me to do quickly what would otherwise require several people or several days.

Would you ever direct a script or a drama, knowing it was generated by artificial intelligence tools? If it’s the best script I’ve ever read, of course I would.

What’s the first image that comes to your mind when you read a script, and does that image survive to the final cut? Usually, it’s the other way around: first comes the “image,” “mood,” “atmosphere,” “scene,” or something similar, and then the script is written according to that. Unfortunately, that initial spark often doesn’t survive in the final version of the script or play text.

Who's your favorite director/directress, and why? Lars von Trier, because his career is a continuous search for new ways to make films, while still staying within what defines him as an author.

Can you tell me about the first film you ever made? A film adaptation of a scene from William Shakespeare’s 'Othello', which was set on a film set as a student exercise where students adapt the scene from 'Othello'. In short, desperate.

What’s a moment in your career that you’re especially proud of? None. Pride is a deadly sin.

Have you ever thought about leaving directing, and why? Every day at least once, and there are a million reasons.

What do you do when you lack inspiration? I try not to force violently the “inspiration.”

If there is one particular aesthetic choice you would decide to follow for the rest of your life, which one would it be? Long takes or shot sequence.

What advice would you give to an up-and-coming artist? To learn to be silent.

Author: Hana Tiro