Marijana Janković’s debut feature film, Home, will have its world premiere at IFFR and was handled by TrustNordisk and sold to Bulgaria (Beta Film), the Baltic States (Estin Film OÜ) and Singapore (September Film).
The trailer premieres here:
Janković, a Montenegrin-born Danish actress, previously portrayed the story of an immigrant family in Maja, which won Best Short Narrative at Tribeca.
“That’s how it all started. I played my own mother in ‘Maha’ and it was completely based on my own life. ‘Home’ was just inspired by that. I don’t want to be in the spotlight this time, because this movie deserves the spotlight,” she told Variety.
In “Home”, six-year-old Maya suddenly moves to Denmark with her parents, and her two siblings have to stay behind. Soon, she becomes a de facto translator for her parents. Janković was young when her family made a similar decision.
“I went through this too, because I learned Danish in three months. It can be shocking to witness and I’ve never put my own daughter in a situation like that, but it was necessary at the time. And we were a team. It was like soccer. Every time I helped, it felt like I had scored a goal,” Janković said.
Although she doesn’t have any childhood trauma, making the film still “felt like therapy.”
“This was worth the blood and tears because I told the story of my generation and those who lived before us. I’m very proud of that.”
Ahead of hosting the upcoming Danish Film Awards, Jankovic reflected on his long career.
“I was one of the first ‘foreign’ actresses in Denmark. And then there’s Dejan Čukic, who is actually in the movie. I looked up to him and thought, ‘If Dejan can do it, so can I.'” We are from the same village in Montenegro. His parents came to Denmark on the same bus as my aunt. ”
She added: “I don’t necessarily describe my skin as dark, but in Denmark it was considered dark. I was always cast as an Arabian or Turkish girl. At some point, I stopped accepting these roles. I said, ‘I’m Danish. Give me something else.'”
When she decided to become a director, she had specific goals.
“I wanted to change something in the system,” she said.
“When people from the Balkans appear in Danish films, they are usually portrayed as criminals. I was tired of that. My father was not a criminal. He was an honest man who left his country and abandoned his language to provide a better life for his children. Why doesn’t anyone talk about it?”
Yankovic co-wrote the screenplay with Babak Vakili and Bo HR. Hansen and Emil Nygaard Albertsen appear in supporting roles.
“At first I wanted to focus only on the 1990s, but then I decided to depict what happened to this family and tell about the generations,” she said. “I ended up playing ‘myself’ in a way, and there was something beautiful about that. It gave me a sense of closure.”
In addition to Čukic, Nada Chargin, and Tara Kubrillo, the cast includes familiar faces such as Jesper Christensen, Zlatko Burić, Claes Bang, and Trine Dyrholm.
“Trine is one of my best friends. I told her, ‘You are the best actress in Scandinavia, but all I can offer you is a small role.’ They wanted to be there to support me and this story. They felt it was important to tell.”
In the future, I would like to explore other themes.
“My heart is full with this film, but I don’t need to talk about my life anymore. What I want to do is explore the idea of a love story between people of two different cultures, an immigrant woman and a Danish man. I used to date a Danish man, and then I married a Serbian man. Why?” she wonders, clearly still thinking about the theme of identity.
“During the pandemic, my father was scared. He called me and said, ‘If I die from this, I don’t want to be buried in Denmark.'” I was surprised, but I also understood. he wanted to go home. ”
“When immigrants decide to leave, they have to pay a price. They keep thinking about where they belong, where they live or where they want to be buried. This is changing for me too.”
Despite sharing personal details, she sees “Home” as a universal story. It’s not just her. “This is a deeply moving exploration of identity, belonging and the sacrifices that define us,” said Nikolaj Korsgaard of Trust Nordisk. “We are proud to bring this film, with its universal themes and strong international appeal, to audiences around the world.”
“I keep saying, ‘This is not just about me,'” Jankovic said.
“Every foreigner, every immigrant will recognize something here. In Tribeca, even though my family was from Chile, a girl stopped me on the street and said the same thing about ‘Maja.’ I think that’s my mission. To be honest, that’s why I started directing. I want to tell more stories about immigrants that can bring people together. We can’t be so afraid of each other.”
Claes Bang “Home”
Provided by Trust Nordisk
