Not So Friendly Neighbourhood Affair (Deset u pola)
Ajyal Competition, Ajyal at Vox
Danis Tanović / Feature Narrative / Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey / 2021 / 94 min / Colour / DCP
In Bosnian / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Women, Documentary, Drama, Middle Eastern, Politics, Biography, Remake, Social Issues, Disability, Family, Identity, Comedy
MENA Premiere
Synopsis
Enis and Izo are two friends living in the picturesque Old Town area of Sarajevo. Running similar restaurants across from each other, they don’t seem overly concerned that they are business competitors. On the contrary, Enis wants Izo to join him in his latest venture. But as Izo warns—if you do business with friends, you either mess up the business or you mess up the friendship. One day, everything changes for the pair when a seemingly harmless courtesy thrusts Izo and his now-famous “Cevapi”—a grilled dish of minced meat—into the national spotlight.
Izo does not welcome the increased attention or even the extra business. He’s far more concerned about the pandemic and having time to spend with his daughter and potential new grandkids to chase newfound success or wealth. Enis does not share his same worldview, already drowning in debt and used to flashy cars, he borrows the money for his new business from some unscrupulous gangsters. What follows is a deadpan series of comedic misunderstandings that leaves the whole town in turmoil and wondering who does have the best Cevapi in Sarajevo?
About the Directors
Obada Yousef Jarbi is a Jordanian resident of Qatar who holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Broadcast Journalism from Qatar University. He made his directorial debut with the documentary ‘Addicted to Alienation’ (2016). His second short film ‘The Fishermen’ (2017), created through Doha Film Institute’s documentary workshop, screened in several international film festivals. In 2016 he started developing his documentary ‘Okht Rjal’, going through the development process at Qumra 2018 and beginning filming in 2019 as a part of DFI’s documentary workshop with ‘Rithy Panh’.
Danis Tanović is a Bosnian director, screenwriter, and producer. This is his second time showing at Ajyal, and he was also a Qumra Master in 2015. ‘No Man’s Land’, which he directed and wrote, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards. He is also a two-time winner of the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for the films ‘An Episode in the Life of an Ironpicker’ (2013) and ‘Death in Sarajevo’ (2016). At the 20th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2014, he received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award.
Credits
- Director
- Danis Tanović
- Screenwriter
- Danis Tanović, Nikola Kupresanin
- Producer
- Mirsad Purivatra, Amra Bakšić Čamo, Jovan Marjanović
- Editor
- Redžinald Šimek
- Co-Producer
- Emrah Kilic
- Music
- Brano Jakubović
- Cinematographer
- Damir Sagolj
- Sound
- Samir Fočo
- Cast
- Branko Đurić, Izudin Bajrović, Helena Vuković, Kerim Čutuna, Almir Palata Prle, Anja Matković