Emir Kusturica

Emir Kusturica
Name	Emir Kusturica
Caption	Kusturica in 2013
Birth date	24 November 1954
Birth place	Sarajevo, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, actor, musician
Yearsactive	1978–present
Spouse	Maja Mandić (m. 2021), Maja Kusturica (divorced)

Emir Kusturica is a renowned film director, screenwriter, actor, and musician known for his visually exuberant and critically acclaimed cinematic works. Born in Sarajevo, he rose to international prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, winning major awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. His films, often characterized by magic realism and a deep engagement with Balkan history and culture, have cemented his status as one of Europe's most distinctive auteurs. Beyond cinema, he leads the No Smoking Orchestra and has generated significant discussion through his political stances and personal projects.

Early life and education

He was born on 24 November 1954 in Sarajevo, then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. His father, Murat Kusturica, worked as a journalist for the state news agency, while his mother was a court clerk. Showing an early interest in film, he attended the First Sarajevo Gymnasium before pursuing formal training. He enrolled at the prestigious Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo, graduating in 1978. To further his education, he moved to Prague to study directing at the FAMU, one of Europe's oldest film schools, where he was influenced by the styles of Federico Fellini and other masters.

Film career

His directorial debut was the television film Guernica in 1978. His first feature, Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (1981), won the Silver Lion for best first film at the Venice Film Festival. International acclaim followed with When Father Was Away on Business (1985), which earned the Palme d'Or at Canness and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. He won a second Palme d'Or for Underground (1995), a sprawling epic produced by Pierre Spengler that critiqued Yugoslav history. Other significant works include Time of the Gypsies (1988), which won him Best Director at Cannes, Arizona Dream (1993) starring Johnny Depp, and Black Cat, White Cat (1998), which won the Silver Lion at Venice. His later films, such as Life Is a Miracle (2004) and On the Milky Road (2016), continued his trademark style of chaotic, music-filled narratives.

Music career

A self-taught musician, he plays guitar, bass guitar, and accordion. In the late 1980s, he joined the No Smoking Band, which later evolved into the No Smoking Orchestra. He serves as the band's frontman and bassist, performing a energetic mix of rock and roll, punk rock, and Balkan music. The orchestra has toured globally, including performances at the Royal Albert Hall and Womad, and contributed soundtracks to many of his films, such as Underground. Their album Unza Unza Time (2000) gained international distribution through Universal Music Group.

Political views and controversies

His political stance has been a persistent source of debate. A former supporter of Slobodan Milošević, he has been criticized for his nationalist views regarding the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Bosnian War. He converted from Islam to Serbian Orthodoxy and changed his name to Nemanja, which he views as a cultural rather than religious shift. He is a vocal critic of NATO's 1999 bombing campaign and has expressed admiration for figures like Diego Maradona and Fidel Castro. His planned film city, Andrićgrad, in Višegrad, built in collaboration with the Republic of Srpska government, has been criticized as a nationalist project.

Personal life

He was married to costume designer Maja Kusturica, with whom he has a son, Dunja. He later married actress Maja Mandić in 2021. Since the Siege of Sarajevo, he has primarily lived between Belgrade and a private village he built called Küstendorf in Mokra Gora, Serbia. This ethno-village, also known as Drvengrad, hosts the annual Küstendorf Film and Music Festival, attracting international artists and filmmakers.

Awards and recognition

He is one of the few directors to have won the Palme d'Or twice, for When Father Was Away on Business and Underground. He has also received the Best Director prize at Cannes, a Silver Lion, and a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. France honored him with the title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. In 2022, he was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship by President Vladimir Putin, a decision that sparked further international controversy.

Category:Emir Kusturica Category:Yugoslav film directors Category:Serbian film directors