* Majka Mara/Mother Mara at Zurich Film Festival 2024 *

In the October 2024 and February 2025 editions of Gimme a Beat, I reviewed the 20th edition of Zurich Film Festival.

As many of the listeners of Gimme a Beat know, I have been exploring the female factor of the Zurich Film Festival for several years now. In 2024, similar to 2023, I had a chance to get together with so many female filmmakers and actresses that I decided to (again) breakdown my review of the ZFF into several shows. Since I am adapting the timing of the shows to Swiss(-German) screenings of movies, and most of them are happening this year, more shows are coming.

I saw almost 35 movies, so I will not be able to review all of them, instead, I am focusing on the highlights only. To find them, you should follow the search with the following hashtags: #zff #zff2024 #highlight #gimmeabeat.

In tonight's Gimme A Beat, I will be focusing on Majka Mara / Mother Mara, the movie directed and co-written by Mirjana Karanović, who also plays the lead role.

The movie will have its official Swiss release on March 20 in several Swiss cinemas across the Swiss-German part of Switzerland. For Zurich, you can check RiffRaff/Houdini for screening times. Starting March 27, it will also be available in Swiss-French cinemas. The movie already had its pre-premiere in Zurich on March 10 at RiffRaff/Houdini and in Bern on March 11 at Rex.

As listeners of Gimme a Beat know, I grew up in Novi Sad, ex-Yugoslavia, now Serbia, but what many may not know, I grew up watching Mirjana Karanović movies. The incredible talent of her generation and the high quality of Yugoslavian cinema, along with the variety of international films - both mainstream and alternative - that I was exposed to, is why I the movies.

Growing up in Yugoslavia, I was also surrounded by strong women, inside and outside of my family, who carried themselves with grace, integrity, with a powerful, but kind attitude, and complexity, which only people who led a life with challenges have. Those were and still are my role models.

Mirjana Karanović represented women like that, both on and off-screen.

When I found out she directed and starred in her second feature film, and that she was coming to Zurich Film Festival, I had to request an interview. I was both excited and nervous when she said yes! A few hours before the screening, I had the pleasure and honor of sitting down with Mirjana for an interview. We talked about her *Majka Mara* movie, the inspiration behind it, the challenges she faced, and why telling the untypical story of a mature woman was so important to her. We talked about the blessing of the current times, which empowers more women to take on diverse roles in the entertainment industry such as directors and producers. Mirjana also shared her excitement about her next project and working again with Snezana and This and That Productions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tune in to Gimme A Beat (17.03.2025) tonight to hear my impressions of Majka Mara / Mother Mara, and my interview with Mirjana, combined with female-sung ex-Yugoslavian music I grew up with. The show will also feature a soundtrack from one of my favorite Serbian TV Series Jutro će promenit