How I Killed a Saint

Colour, 35 mm
Macedonia, Slovenia, France, 2004, 82 min
Section: East of the West

Synopsis

Viola returns home after several years spent in the United States. NATO peace-keeping forces are stationed in Macedonia (2001), a country plagued by violence and uncertainty. Her brother Kokan is heavily under the influence of patriotic dreams and hopes, whose fulfilment borders on terrorism. Viola’s parents, whose only joy is their “American daughter”, close their eyes to their family woes, and her grandfather, a former revolutionary, spends his time in front of the television without really understanding the reports he is watching. In such a situation, Viola cannot acknowledge the real reason for her return... Teona Strugar Mitevska, director and co-screenwriter, says of her feature debut: “There is nothing worse than coming home to the place you grew up and finding it ravaged by war. Seeing your childhood world totally destroyed and feeling like a stranger in the place you were born...” How I Killed a Saint is an autobiographical story, a debut produced by the sibling company Sisters and Brother Mitevski. Sister Labina plays the role of Viola in Teona’s debut, and brother Vuk is currently planning his own project.

About the director

Teona Strugar Mitevska (b. 1974, Skopje, Macedonia) hails from an artistic family, performing in front of a camera while still a child. She later studied painting and took a B.A. in graphic design. It was her position as artistic director for various international advertising companies (such as Saatchi & Saatchi) which led her to film. In 1998 she attended the M.F.A. programme in film at the Tisch School of Arts, New York University, where she proved to be an excellent student. Her short film Veta was also awarded at the Berlin Film Festival. Her sister Labina is an actress who has appeared on screen in the CR in the film Loners (in 2001 she was a member of the international jury at Karlovy Vary), and her brother Vuk is a sculptor and set designer. How I Killed a Saint (Kako ubiv svetec) is Teona’s first feature film.