Director and screenwriter Vlatko Gilić has passed away at the age of 92, Kurir reports.
Gilić was one of the most significant authors of Montenegrin and Yugoslav cinema, and his work left a strong mark not only in regional, but also in world film art.
He was born on January 1, 1935, in Podgorica. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade, but soon directed his professional path towards film. His architectural education was also noticeable in his directorial signature, which was characterized by visual precision, carefully shaped shots, and a striking auteur expression.
Award-winning films around the world
From 1966 to 1973, in the production of “Dunav Film”, he shot a series of short documentary and feature films based on his own screenplays. His films won recognition at some of the most important international festivals.
He received the Silver Bear at the festival in West Berlin, the Grand Prix twice in Oberhausen, as well as main awards at festivals in Leipzig, Bellevue, and Melbourne. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe.
Among his most famous short films are “Little Light”, “Return to the Native Tree”, “Homo Sapiens”, “In Continuo”, “Love”, and “Power”.
He signed the screenplay and direction of two feature-length films – “Spine” and “Days of Dreams”. Both productions were screened at the Cannes Film Festival. “Spine” was in competition for the Palme d’Or in 1977, while the film “Days of Dreams” was screened in 1980 in the “Un Certain Regard” program.
Included among the greatest directors
In 1980, the American television network NBC included Gilić among the 50 most significant directors in the history of world cinema. On that list, he found himself alongside giants such as Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, and Andrei Tarkovsky. He was the only author from Southeast Europe to receive such recognition.
Despite his great international success, Gilić was prevented from doing further auteur work in film. After that, he dedicated himself to educating new generations of filmmakers and taught at universities around the world.
He was one of the founders of the Department of Directing and a full professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, where he was elected professor emeritus in 2011.
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Source: Kurir; Photo: UGC