presents a

Pallas Film Film Deluxe Dakar Film Aichholzer Film Art Fest Production

at the

Panorama of the

57th Berlin International Film Festival

GUCHA DISTANT TRUMPET

a film by

Dušan Milić

starring Marko Marković Aleksandra Manasijević Mladen Nelević

Juliana, the 16-year-old daughter of the greatest Serbian trumpet player, Satchmo, falls in love with Romeo, a young trumpet player from rival Roma orchestra, Sandokan’s Tigers. For this forbidden love, Romeo must achieve the impossible, he must play better than Juliana’s father... “Bollywood meets Serbian Brass”

Screenings: Market Screening Sat, Feb 10 2007 6:00 pm CinemaxX 2 Official Premiere Mon, Feb 12 2007 10:30 pm CinemaxX 7 Additional Screening Tue, Feb 13 2007 8:15 pm CineStar 3 Additional Screening Wed, Feb 14 2007 2:30 pm Cubix 9 Additional Screening Sat, Feb 17 2007 5:30 pm CineStar 3 Stills: www.the-match-factory.com (Restricted download area for press.) Press Contact: Gwendolyn Cornelius Tel (mobile) +49 177 330 63 98 press@matchfactory.de

World Sales: The Match Factory Sudermanplatz 2, 50670 Cologne / Germany Tel +49 221 292 102-0 Fax +49 221 292 102-10 info@matchfactory.de

G U C H A – DISTANT TRUMPET A film by Dušan Milić

CAST Romeo Marko Marković Satchmo Mladen Nelević Juliana Aleksandra Manasijević Bean Nenad Okanović CREW Author Dušan Milić Director Dušan Milić Director of photography Petar Popović Production designer Aleksandar Denić Composer Dejan Pejović Costume designer Zora Mojsilović Editor Marko Glušac Producers Karl Baumgartner Thanassis Karathanos Goran Radaković Josef Aichholzer Stefan Kitanov and Emir Kusturica Production Pallas Film (Germany) Film Deluxe (Serbia) Dakar Film (Serbia) Aichholzer Film (Austria) Art Fest (Bulgaria) In co-production with Bulgarian National Television Supported by MDM EURIMAGES MINISTRY OF CULTURE SERBIA FILMFUND VIENNA and BULGARIAN NATIONAL FILM CENTER TECHNICAL DATA Format 35mm, 1:1,85, colour, Dolby Digital Length 94 min Original language Serbian, Roma Subtitles English

G U C H A – DISTANT TRUMPET A film by Dušan Milić

STORY JULIANA, the 16-year-old daughter of the greatest Serbian trumpet player, SATCHMO, falls in love with ROMEO, a young trumpet player from rival Roma orchestra, Sandokan’s Tigers. Satchmo utterly rejects Romeo for his dark complexion and he would do anything to separate the couple and forbid this love. But, as great an admirer of Louis Armstrong, he promises that he will give in and let him have his daughter: Romeo only must outplay Satchmo at the famous trumpet competition – the Gucha Festival. In order to get his love, Romeo must achieve the impossible, he must play better than Juliana’s father... DIRECTOR'S COMMENT Before I started making this film I had intended to tell a Bollywood-style story of forbidden love; a colourful, lyrical, film about two teenagers from totally different worlds, socially and - more importantly - racially. Two people whose love for one another is prevented from flowering because of the environment they live in. What I wanted to highlight was the power of the force opposing them. The racial problem alone was potent enough to build the story around, but I wasn’t interested in only that. I didn't just want to make a real-life story revealing the dark sides of human nature, where aggression and rivalry explode ending in bloodshed, and I didn't want a sad end, demonstrating how cruel life can be. My mission here was to portray the main character - a talented gypsy trumpet player who - with his instrument as his only weapon - matures through music, finds love and discovers the world of his elders, regardless of their skin colour. His real being emerges at the end of the story when he wins his love despite the opposition and achieves the most important goal in his life. Finally, I discovered the real basis of my story: The realisation of one’s inner self. I think that is the defining moment in our lives as well. Growing and learning, together with commitment; these are the most powerful tools we have in our hands. It goes hand in hand with the dramatic premise of my melodramatic, musical story and fits well for this, a coming-of-age film.

Dušan Milić

G U C H A – DISTANT TRUMPET A film by Dušan Milić

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND DIRECTOR Dušan Milić Milić was born in Belgrade in 1969, where he graduated in film making at the College of Performing Arts in 1995. During his studies he already started working as assistant director, e.g. for Goran Markovic’s TITO AND I (1992). Milić has written several screenplays for Emir Kusturica and worked on a television series; he has also produced several low-budget commercials and two music videos for Serbian underground bands. In 2003, his debut feature STRAWBERRIES IN THE SUPERMARKET had its world premiere at the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival. GUCHA - DISTANT TRUMPET is his second feature. Filmography 2006 GUCHA! (Gucha – Distant Trumpet) 2003 JAGODA U SUPERMARKETU (Strawberries in the supermarket)

Cinequest San Jose Film Festival 2004: Best First Feature Award Lecce Festival of European Cinema 2004: Nominated for the Golden Olive Tree

G U C H A – DISTANT TRUMPET A film by Dušan Milić

CAST Marko Marković as Romeo Wizard on trumpet and son of the famous trumpet player Boban Markovic, Romeo is Marko Marković's first role in a feature film. Since he was five years old, he plays the trumpet. On his 18th birthday he received his own orchestra as a gift from his father. Mladen Nelević as Satchmo Born 1957 in Sarajevo, Mladen Nelević is a well-known face to Yugoslavian audiences for over twenty years. Among his numerous films and TV series, GUCHA is his first role in an international co-production since his appearance in VOLIO BIH DA SAM GOLUB, an East German DEFA production of 1990. Aleksandra Manasijević as Juliana The part of Juliana is Aleksandra Manasijević’s first role in a feature film. So far the 16-year old has played numerous parts at the Bora Stankovic theatre of Vranje: She played the main role in “Gazda Mladen” and the Sofka in “Nečista krv” (both by Borislav Stankovic). After shooting GUCHA, she was enrolled for the main part in “Kostana” by Borislav Stankovic. Nenad Okanović as Bean

Nenad Okanović graduated of the Academy of Art “Braća Karić” in Belgrade, at the class of Mirjana Karanovic in 2003. Okanović played in a number of Serbian TV series and appeared in Milic’s STRAWBERRIES IN THE SUPERMARKET that premiered at the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2003. The part of Bean is Okanović’s first major part in a feature film.

G U C H A – DISTANT TRUMPET A film by Dušan Milić

THE MUSIC IN GUCHA The soundtrack was composed by Dejan Pejovic and performed by Boban and Marko Markovic’s trumpet orchestra together with Dragan Ignjic’s trumpet orchestra. There are two special guests on the soundtrack: Tanja Savić performing the song "Suknjica" (lyrics by Marina Tucaković), and Nikola Pejaković with the song "Pored mene nema moje žene". Both singers are popular artists in the music scene of Serbia. A trumpet festival plays a key role in GUCHA: Every year during summer a huge brass band festival takes place in the small Serbian town of Guca (pronounced “Gucha”). What began as a small competition for the Dragacevo Assembly of Trumpet Players back in 1961 now attracts nearly half a million people every year. Given Guca’s population of 3000 – the festival is quite a party. For an entire week the sound of thousands of blaring trumpets rends the air, playing everything from traditional Serbian folk and gypsy music to songs by the likes of Goran Bregovic who from time to time shows up together with Emir Kusturica to perform on stage.