14/11/2012 - Marija Pikić stars and Oleg Mutu serves as DoP on the new Bosnia-Germany-Slovenia co-production directed by Faruk Lončarević

Bosnian director Faruk Lončarević (Mum and Dad) started principal photography on his second feature film, Berina's Chakras, last weekend in Sarajevo. The film stars Marija Pikić (photo), who received accolades (including Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress) for her role in this year's Un Certain Regard title Children of Sarajevo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aida Begić
film profile] by Aida Begić, while Oleg Mutu, who was cinematographer on The Death of Mr Lazarescu [+see also:
trailer
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interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Oleg Mutu
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interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Cristian Mungiu
film profile], serves as the DoP.

Berina's Chakras tells the story of the eponymous young artist (Pikić) who tries to cope both with her budding sexuality and her mother Jasna's (Croatian actress Mira Furlan, from Circus Columbia [+see also:
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interview: Danis Tanovic
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"We have avoided the most frequent issues of recent films from the region, such as nationality, religion and war," says Lončarević. "That is probably the reason why it took us five years to get into production."

Co-produced by Bosnia's SCCA/Pro.ba, Germany's Detail Film and Slovenia's E-motion Film/Vertigo, Berina's Chakras is budgeted at €690,000 and has received support from Film Fund Sarajevo, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, the Sarajevo Canton, the Hubert Bals Fund and Eurimages.

Principal photography will last until December 15, and the producers expect to release the film in winter 2013/2014.