Speak so I Can See You

A film by

Serbia, Croatia, Qatar | 73' | 11/2019 | documentary

Conjuring reality and wonder, “Speak so I Can See You” takes us to a seemingly different era, by exploring the world of Radio Belgrade. One of Europe’s oldest radio stations and a true institution of the city, the station still broadcasts original programming and helps keep history, culture and critical thought, as well as ever- relevant questions about ourselves and the world, from slipping out of memory and mind.
Set at the intersection of an observational documentary and a unique sensory experience, the film conjures everyday scenes at the station and immersing interludes exploring the relationship between sound and the space it inhabits. Through a synesthetic blend of sounds, words, notes, echoes and light, we are taken into a unique cinematic soundscape that doubles as a love letter to radiophonic art and its disarming insight into what makes us remember, understand, think, discover, and feel.

“a synaesthetic valentine to the radiophonic artform, and a transportive homage to the cultural value of public radio recording”
Square Eyes - IDFA BLACK OS19
Square Eyes - MoMa Doc Fornight 2020
“a synaesthetic valentine to the radiophonic artform, and a transportive homage to the cultural value of public radio recording”
Square Eyes - IDFA BLACK OS19
Square Eyes - MoMa Doc Fornight 2020

Marija Stojnić

Biography

Marija directs films that blur borders between documentary and fiction and treats her narratives as a non-linear, complex and fragmented. She is a The New School for Media Studies in New York and Academy of Arts in Belgrade alumna. Her recent projects focus on cultural heritage, ancestral music and experimental sound, an interest derived from her background in music as a traditional Serbian music vocalist.
In 2016, Marija founded production house Bilboke in Serbia. She is a guest lecturer and a member of DokSerbia, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in category Film/Video for 2015 and Instituto Sacatar in Brazil fellow for 2017 in the same category. Since September 2019, together with producers Andrijana Sofranić and Miloš Ivanović, she’s been running SET SAIL FILMS, a film company in Belgrade.

Filmography

  • Speak so I Can See You – 73’ – 2019
  • Girl who Opposed the Sun – 24’ – 2014
  • Between Dream and Dream – 23’ – 2008
Square Eyes -

Crew

Director: Marija Stojnić
Producer: Bilboke: Marija Stojnić, Miloš Ivanović
Co-production: Set Sail Films, Restart
Cinematographer: Dušan Grubin
Sound design: Ivan Zelić
Editor: Kristina Poženel, Ivan Vasić

Festivals

  • International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the Netherland (20 November – 1 December, 2019)
    IDFA First Appearance Competition
  • MoMA’s Doc Fortnight, United States (5 – 19 February, 2020)
    Official Selection
  • Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece (6 – 15 March, 2020)
    Open Horizons
  • fest München, Germany (6 – 17 May, 2020)
    Dok.Panorama
  • Underhill Fest, Montenegro (16 – 23 June, 2020)
    Regional Selection Special Jury Distinction
  • Atlàntida Film Fest, Spain (27 July – 27 August, 2020)
    Official Selection
  • Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia (6 – 23 August, 2020)
    Official Selection
  • DokuFest International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Kosovo (7 – 15 August, 2020)
    International Documentary Competition
  • Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, South-Korea (13 – 17 August, 2020)
    International Competition
  • MakeDox Creative Documentary Film Festival, Macedonia (19 – 26 August, 2020)
    Newcomers Competition Special Mention
  • Beldocs – International Documentary Film Festival, Serbia (3 – 10 September, 2020)
    National Competition & Opening Film Won: Grand Prix
  • Tirana International Film Festival, Albania (19 – 25 September, 2020)
    Documentary Competition
  • ZagrebDox – International Documentary Film Festival, Croatia (4 – 11 October, 2020)
    Regional Competition
  • FONOMO Music & Film Festival, Poland (October, 2020)
  • Imagine Science Film Festival, United States (16 – 23 October, 2020)
    Official Selection
  • Escales Documentaires-International Festival Of Creative Documentary, France (5 – 11 November, 2020)
    International Competition
  • Listapad Minsk International Film Festival, Belarus (6 – 13 November, 2020)
    Main Documentary Competition
  • Cinema Verite – Iran International Documentary Film Festival, Iran (9 – 16 December, 2020)
    World’s Section

Password




Press materials

EPK: Click here

Stills, poster & director’s photo: Click here

Dialogue list English: Click here

Downloadable trailer: Click here

Press quotes

The film that took the top of my head off was Speak so I Can See You, by Serbian filmmaker Marija Stojnić. It’s on another planet from character-driven narrative, in a good way.”
IDFA 2019: Telling Truths and Meeting Friends – Patricia Aufderheide – documentary.org


“Meanwhile, other parts are imbued with a rather original, “disturbing” mood, where the blend of voices, sounds, echoes and lights recalls the aesthetics of horror films, accentuating the movie’s strong synaesthetic power. In general, the documentary is rich in these brilliant moments, which all contribute to shedding light on decades of Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav history, as witnessed by the radio station, thus immersing the viewer in quite a unique cinematic experience. And, commendably, it also leaves some room for irony.”
Review: Speak So I Can See You – Davide Abbatescianni – Cineuropa

Interview: Marija Stojnić • Director of Speak So I Can See You – Vladan Petkovic – Cineuropa

“It’s undeniable that this textured triumph needs a proper sound system, making it doubly galling that you can’t experience it on a big screen. Still, the 73-minute documentary functions as a synaesthetic valentine to the radiophonic artform, and a transportive homage to the cultural value of public radio recording. Make sure you don’t miss out on this powerful tone poem, best experienced with equally powerful headphones.”
Highlights from DOK.fest Munich, Germany’s biggest documentary festival – David Mouriquand – Ex Berliner

“Documentary portrait of Radio Belgrade, one of Europe’s oldest broadcasters, threads together its scenes without commentary to hypnotic effect”
Review: Speak So I Can See You – Phil Hoad – The Guardian