Now if you could excuse the ramblings of our awkward director and please read on:

THE STORY

Maria is refusing to acknowledge the loss of her husband, a washed up Serbian pop star. In order to cope with his death, Maria is creating a world of fantasy in her mind and is losing herself to music only she can hear. She is fast becoming the talk of the town with her bizarre personality and unconventional behaviour, leaving her three children to bear the consequences of gossip and bullying. Her daughter Sofia has no time for her mother’s frivolity and is bored of being the glue that holds the family together. She becomes determined to find Maria and bring her back to reality. 

THE MISSION

Serbia is a country that is constantly associated with the negative connotations of war, violence and a damaged society. Having contemplated this view of my country for a long time, it has always been my goal to show people an alternative to what they believe to be true. Novi Sad, in particular, is not a place that is frequently exhibited on film, and while at times it may appear bleak, there is a great beauty to the city that needs to be discovered by an audience.

This outlook has been filtered through the character of Maria; a woman who chooses to see the world through her own unique vision. The film itself will show the power of imagination and its necessity in a harsh and troubled reality. This will be done through a strong narrative as well as an intense study of the offbeat characters that make up the family and collectively tell the story of If You See Maria. 

THE CREW

Ivana Anastasovska has written and directed three short films while working as a freelance editor in London. Her last short film, Little Boy Blue, includes lead performances from Peter Ferdinando (A Field in England and Tony) and Toby Regbo (Reign and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1) and is hitting the festival circuit this year. With If You See Maria, Ivana will continue to develop a style based on improvisation and flexibility in the attempt to create a visceral atmosphere in her work.

PRODUCER - ALEKSANDRA RAKIĆ

Oscar winning producer Branko Lustig said the secret to his success was a genuine love and passion for film. Alexandra Rakić lives by this logic and feels it has played a vital part in the making of If You See Maria. A prominent member of the Kino Klub production company in Novi Sad, Alexandra is excited to be involved in a project that combines talent from the rainy streets of London and the sunny Balkans to tell a universal story of family, love and faith in a seemingly lost and jaded world.

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER - GERRY MAGUIRE

Gerry Maguire is a Northumbria University graduate with 4+ years experience developing and producing film. His short film work has screened at major festivals including Encounters and Reelworld, Toronto and has been represented by the British Council. As an Associate Producer he helped deliver BAFTA and BIFA nominated film I Am Nasrine. Gerry now develops and produces feature film content through his own company Pins & Needles Media and is set to spread If You See Maria once it crosses the border.  

CINEMATOGRAPHER - JO JO LAM

Jo Jo is currently based in London, having previously worked in Hong Kong and Australia. She believes cinema to be her opportunity to penetrate the world with her unique way of visual storytelling and is keen to make her mark on the Balkans with If You See Maria. It was love at first sight with Jo Jo and Ivana, having developed their first short together, later exhibiting a video art show in Paris, gorging themselves on film and debating for hours on end; they don't always see eye to eye, but they always have the same vision in mind.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER - MILJENA VUCKOVIĆ

Starting her career as a production designer with the feature film Autumn in My Street, Miljena’s work has been showcased on the silver screen as well as a number of theatre productions. Her goal is to give audiences an authentic portrayal of life in art, using the set as her means to depict the emotions of a scene and represent the truth behind a character. She’s getting her hands dirty with If You See Maria, with an array of offbeat personalities in the script and only one house for them to all run around in.

SOUND DESIGNER - MARCIN SZUMILAS

Where others may choose to take the easy route, Marcin Szumilas will always find the most interesting way to create a story using sound design. Recording sound for an array of television and shorts films, including The Actress (starring Sadie Frost and Perry Benson) and designing for Harriet and the Matches (narrated by Cillian Murphy) Marcin decided to get his MA at the National Film and Television School, where he is currently waiting to tear apart the first cut of If You See Maria. 

COMPOSER - MARINA ELDERTON

Marina Elderton is a composer based in London, currently studying an MA in Composing for Film and Television at the NFTS. Combining experimental techniques with more traditional musical elements, she aims to create immersive and unique soundscapes drawing out the beauty and ugliness of the human condition conveyed in films such as If You See Maria. She plays guitar and sings in ethereal-pysch band KULL and plays guitar in the female improv collective Cabiria, alongside other independent projects.  

WHAT DO WE NEED?

Good question. Let's start with the production side of things;

If You See Maria has proven so far to be an ambitious passion project from one side of Europe to the other. Having both the east and west side at our disposal, we have gathered a great group of people from both Serbia and London to help make this film; and though they are all working for free, we did promise we would feed them and get them to set on time. We've got plane tickets, kit vans, bus passes and a lot of spaghetti to cover. Even the change for a cup of coffee and a doughnut in the morning will be greatly appreciated!

Now for all the creative types out there...

We hear what you're thinking, we must be crazy to wanna shoot on super 16mm. It's a dead technology, not exactly economical and no one likes a hair in the gate. We've thought about this a lot, and our DoP has flown not once, but twice, to my hometown of Novi Sad to explore our setting and decide on the best medium that will compliment the raw energy of our script and the timeless quality of the city. And we truly believe super 16mm is the way to do it. We all go a little mad sometimes...

Our choice of locations has significantly reduced the cost of our production design, with a lot of exterior scenes and the interiors to be shot in my grandmother's house. Thankfully, that lady has style, and a lot of what we need is already set up. However, our backstory includes the death of a Serbian pop star, and his presence has got to be imprinted all of the house to really signify his absence. His life is being designed from scratch and the house is turning into a domestic shrine to rock'n'roll. 

Having secured £2000 from sponsorship in Serbia, as well as £1000 from the director's own pocket, we're three grand away from achieving something we can all be proud of and making If You See Maria the best film it can be.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? 

Well, I'm glad you asked. If you're looking to donate, simply take a look at our perks section and see how much you want to give and what you can get out of it, besides our eternal gratitude. 

We understand that sometimes people are unable to contribute, but that doesn't mean we're letting you off the hook! Just a tweet, share, like or Facebook shout out will help get the ball rolling and show us how much you care and support our film!

If you're still reading, you've already become a little part of making If You See Maria a reality and we thank you for your time!