Eluned Zoë Aiano and Alesandra Tatić discuss in our podcast their approach as filmmakers, based on the bonds of intimacy and trust established with the protagonists over the years.

Throughout the filming process of the film Flotacija, the directors have strived to portray the protagonists and their culture in an ethical and respectful manner, while also showing how the privatization of the mine and real estate has affected their lives.

The story of the film started almost 9 years ago, initially focused on the topic of dragon hunting in the Serbian Vlach community. As filmmakers grew closer to the protagonists, they realized that the people of Majdanpek themselves and the social context they are embedded in are what truly make the situation interesting and relevant to the wider world.

“Flotacija”, in English literally “froth flotation”, is a process used in industrial mining to separate minerals from ore, which produces otherworldly black bubbles that simmer in pits.