Refugee children of Balkan wars are cursed, says Serbian actor Nikola Rakocevic
Refugee children of the Balkan wars living in camps on the outskirts of Belgrade are cursed by the burden of their parents’ troubled past blackening any hopes for a better life said prominent award-winning Serbian actor Nikola Rakocevic.
“It is a really strange experience in the camps,’ said Nikola,’ who spent time with people in these long-term encampments outside of Belgrade during filming for his latest film Travelator.
“These people have lost all hope, lost everything.
“Their kids were not born in Croatia or Bosnia, they were born in Serbia. But in these camps, these six-year-old children, born in Serbia, are still refugees. It is like they are cursed. There is no way out for them.
“They try to be happy, try to be children, but they can’t even manage that because everything is so hopeless.
Balkan history is a burden for Serbian actors, says Nikola Rakočević
Portraying real people or true events can be a thankless task for any actor or director.
With its chequered past and a cast of characters both loved and loathed, it can be especially troublesome in the Balkans.
Acclaimed Serbian actor Nikola Rakočević knows full well the burden of responsibility that such roles present.
His credits span recent history, with lead roles in stage and screen portrals of the trial of Gavrilo Princip, the murder of Srdjan Aleksić, the plight of Serbia’s Slovenian war refugees and the grip of Belgrade’s neo-nazi football hooligans.
“I feel great responsibility for the movies I make, especially when playing real people or real events,’ said Nikola. “It is then even more important not to mess up. It is one of the things that makes me think really seriously when choosing my movies or theatre roles.”
Energy, charisma and range place Serbian Nikola Rakočević among Europe’s finest actors
Hailed by industry experts as a leading talent of European cinema, Serbian actor Nikola Rakocevic can count himself among the ranks of World-leading European actors.
As well as enjoying success as one of the Balkan’s foremost young actors with lead roles in acclaimed Serbian films including Circles/Krugovi (2013), Skinning/Šišanje (2010) and The Man Who Defended Gavrilo Princip/Branio sam Mladu Bosnu (2014), Nikola has attracted international interest.
In recent months, cinema audiences have seen this actor from central Serbia extend his repertoire with his first English-language role in Travelator (2014) from director Dušan Milić.
Nikola’s latest film The Sky Above Us from first-time Dutch director Marinus Groothof premiered at Rotterdam’s International Film Festival, last month.
European shooting star Nikola Rakocević shines in Travelator
A teenage refugee hired by Serbia gangsters to carry out a hit in Las Vegas could be a story like so many other Balkan films.
But seen through the eyes of innovative director Dušan Milić and fronted by über-talented actor Nikola Rakocević, it conjures an award-winning film that has deservedly attracted international critical praise.
Travelator won the coveted Innovation Award at the Montreal World Film Festival.
Celebrated Serbian actor Nikola Rakocević was recognised as a Shooting Star at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival, placing him among the top ten most promising actors in Europe and marking him out for a bright future in film.
Travelator proves the judges at that prestigious festival were spot on in their assessment of the 31-year-old Serb actor.
