Nina Ognjanovic is the director of the film, Where the Road Leads, which won Best Narrative Feature at Slamdance 2023. Nina and her passionate team prove you can successfully market a foreign, indie film on a limited budget and still win at major festivals in the US and worldwide.
In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Nina Ognjanovic, David Jovanovic, and Jana Bjelica to discuss:
- Their experience traveling from Serbia to the United States for Slamdance
- Marketing the film using scrappy, creative methods
- Their approach to casting and shooting
- What it was like to act on multiple projects at the same time
- How they handled shooting in an isolated location without cell service
- Building trust with the cast, crew, and locals
- The Slamdance experience and the reaction of the audience
- The first shot of the film - finding a unique solution to a challenge
- Setting the production schedule based on the weather conditions
- The magic they experienced during production
- Why you need to fail and experiment before doing a feature
Memorable Quotes
- “It’s hard, but when you love your job, everything is possible” [9:23]
- “I was freaking out day after day…my hair started falling off.” [21:35]
- “Manage your expectations. Don’t write something you know you can’t deliver.” [30:58]
Mentioned:
Where the Road Leads on TikTok
Where the Road Leads on Instagram
Pointless Films Production House
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