Founders of KulturKraft, Saša Krmpotić and Arnes Hamzić, decided to share their stories and insights in production of KulturKraft, and the creative process behind "Djeca Tvoja".
"Djeca Tvoja" ("Your Children") is a crime series produced by KulturKraft, a diverse company engaged in producing audio-visual arts. The story of "Djeca Tvoja" starts when Vitos life tumbles down into an unfortunate encounter with a local organized crime group, whose leader Zera promises him concrete ways of dealing with his current problems, at the cost of his submission to the criminal world. The cast are Dino Bajrović as Zigi, Kemal Rizvanović as Zera, Kerim Cutuna as Dela, Muhamed Dupovac as Vito, Ana Tikvic as Noni, Edis Bilic as Guma, Senad Milanovic as Krpa, Lidija Kordic as Krpica, Adnan Goro as Agent, Sead Pandur as Doctor... Set decoration by Amila Terzic, and costume design by Monika Mocevic. Directed by Arnes Hamzić, written by Arnes Hamzić, Saša Krmpotić and co-writer Maja Jurić.
Series premiers on February 2nd, 2022.
Photo: Adnan Lingo
KulturKraft is a company engaged in producing audio-visual arts. As the founders, could you tell us when and how did KulturKraft start its journey?
Arnes: Sasa and I have collaborated on many film sets in different roles. As time went on and we kept crossing each other's path, we decided to create an organization as a platform for cooperation with everyone in the film industry and art in general. This gave birth to KulturKraft. After the production of two music videos (MC Smook – Another day in paradise, LLG – Zu Dir) and several other audio-visual projects with other artists and platforms (Humanity in Action, Bold Action, Eyelenda, etc.), we started giving focus to our initial project idea of the “Your Children” TV series.
Saša: Initially we started to develop “Your Children” from a single thought that says: “Our generation doesn’t have an identity”, which later on developed into a complete universe, through which we discussed moral and ethical standards of a political state, which seems frozen in time. As time passed on, the form of the project took on many shapes, which we had to deal with, in order to make the project a modern, dynamic and relevant story. To this day, we succeeded in forming a stable and socially engaging project that communicates with our society.
Photo: Adnan Lingo
Arnes, “Your Kids” is a series where a core story is a young man‟s journey into adulthood, who has succumbed to the criminal world in Sarajevo. As a writer and director, what were your focuses and choices when presenting such a story?
Arnes: In the pilot episode we focused on showing how an innocent life, Vitos life in particular, will inevitably at one point meet with unfortunate circumstances, as is the nature of things in his society. We wanted to show how someone can unwillingly be forced to start doing things that are against their morals and principles. But, this is only a fragment of the universe we have prepared, which in the future is of a much larger scope. I believe that very long uncut scenes add to the realism of our story and allow the audience to see how things unfold naturally in one fluid motion. Communication with the cast & crew was essential in order for everyone to be invested on the same level in the story we were all creating. Every artistic choice we made was made only when it was for the greater good of the universe and its expanding story.
Photo: Adnan Lingo
Pilot episode of “Your Kids” has just been finalised, and you’re fully invested in the next steps. Do you have an aim for the future, when it comes to investors and collaborations?
Saša: The pilot was filmed with an independent budget. Arnes and I decided that the timing for shooting the pilot episode was perfect at the given moment and so we acted accordingly. We’re now in search of funding with various possible investors and collaborators, with whom we will make the shooting of the series possible.
Arnes: To continue working on a professional level and deliver this to the audience in the quality they deserve, we would now require a budget significantly larger than what we can finance independently. The complexity and the size of the production would be massive, which would create a lot of jobs and professional experience for many artists in our region.
Photo: Adnan Lingo
Saša, you've graduated Acting on Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo. “Your Children” is your first project in the role of a producer. Did it meet your expectations? Did you come across any challenges?
Saša: I took on the role of a producer, as soon as we started KulturKraft's journey. Driven by the experiences I had earlier in my professional career, such as working in protocol of the Sarajevo Film Festival, I worked on minor projects under KulturKraft's name, such as music videos. I was very excited when the time came to engage in pre-production, production, and followed by
post-production phase, as all that was rich in experience. Obstacles were there, of course, but we managed, with the rest of the production team, to overcome them all, thankfully.
Photo: Adnan Lingo
What are your plans in general, when it comes to the development of KulturKraft?
Saša: One of the ideas of KulturKraft's foundations is to develop a strong network with artists locally, regionally and globally. Create a communication between young artists, who will express themselves in various art forms and with all kinds of different material. We believe the reform of culture begins in the youth.
Arnes: We wish to bring raw and realistic art that can keep up with the complexity of today’s world. We strive for international understanding, better communication and developing a culture that is in line with what we consider modern or futuristic and progressive at the same time. But while doing this we are to remain neutral and professional, to keep the view through our lens universal and relevant to all humans.
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Author: Hana Tiro