BARK

Short Talk with Branislav Milatovic (director)

BEST SHORT FICTION FILM Category

22nd IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2025

Montenegro, Fiction, Montenegrin, 00:16:47, 2025

Synopsis: Father and son wander through a white wasteland covered with snow. The son was wounded, while The father tries to take him to safety, fighting against the winter and the forces of nature.

Biography: Graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Cetinje, Department of Film Direction. His shorts All of That (2012) and A Head Full of Joy (2018) have been screened at over 50 film festivals around the world. His film All of That has been screened on ShortsTV from London. His short documentary Obrad premiered at Camerimage Film. He is the co-producer of the film Guardians of the Formula, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival 2023, where it won two awards.

Branislav Milatovic, director

Toma Manov: Since the film was clearly shot outdoors in what looks like a pretty harsh environment, did you encounter any difficulties with the equipment?

Branislav Milatović: Yes, we were shooting in one of the coldest and cruelest regions in Montenegro, the highlands of Mount Durmitor. There were many challenges. We didn’t have a proper base or any facilities for the film set, and the only way to reach the location was by snowmobile. So during all four days of shooting, we were completely in the open.

Toma Manov: That sounds intense. Was there any particular moment that stood out as especially difficult?

Branislav Milatović: Yes. On the very first day of shooting, our executive producer broke his leg.

Toma Manov: Oh no, was that during a scene?

Branislav Milatović: No, it wasn’t during filming. He just slipped. It was a bad fall.

Toma Manov: That must’ve set things back. Did it delay the production?

Branislav Milatović: Actually, no. He was taken straight to surgery, and we just kept shooting. It was tough, but the whole team was very dedicated.

Toma Manov: The story unfolds almost entirely without dialogue, and then ends with a monologue by the main character. What made you choose that narrative approach?

Branislav Milatović: That was my intention from the beginning. The father, the main character, doesn’t speak throughout the entire film. I wanted to build that silence into the relationship between the father and the son. It creates tension, distance, and then it all culminates in the monologue at the end. That was the emotional engine of the script from the start.

Toma Manov: And speaking of the ending, it’s the only moment where music appears in the entire film. Until then, it’s just ambient sound. Can you tell us how that came about?

Branislav Milatović: That decision came very late, actually, during the final stages of editing. I felt like something was missing in the ending. It felt a little empty. So I called a friend of mine who’s a film composer, and he created that piece specifically for the final scene. It’s the only music in the entire film.

Toma Manov: So the music was composed after the footage was already edited?

Branislav Milatović: Yes, exactly. He watched the footage, and then composed music to match the emotion and rhythm of the scene.

Toma Manov: And your crew, you mentioned earlier it was a small team?

Branislav Milatović: Yes, we were less than 15 people. We didn’t have the budget for a big crew.

Toma Manov: You also said there was no base on set. How did you manage accommodation and logistics?

Branislav Milatović: We stayed in a hotel nearby during the shoot, but during the day, we were out in the open the whole time. It was around zero degrees, very windy, very difficult conditions.

Toma Manov: And in just four days of shooting?

Branislav Milatović: Yes, four days. And it wasn’t just the executive producer, on the third day, our first assistant director also had an accident and couldn’t continue. So we had to manage all that on top of the weather. It was really challenging.

Toma Manov: Sounds like a tough but pioneering experience.

Branislav Milatović: Yes, we were really the first in Montenegro to try shooting in that kind of terrain under those conditions. There was no existing model for us, we were figuring it out as we went.

Interviewer: Toma Manov

Editor: Martin Kudlac