Alexander Morfov >> news >> archive | 05.11.2016
Premiere: "No Man's Land", I. L. Caragiale National Theatre of Romania
Morfov's next work will premiere on the stage of the I. L. Caragiale National Theatre of Romania, Bucharest. He is staging his theatre adaptation of the text "No Man's Land" after the Oscar winning film by Danis Tanovic (2001) with the same title. Premiere dates are 12, 13, 16 and 17 November.
This is Morfov's third production on the stage of TNB, as known in Romania, after "The Visit" by F. Durrenmatt (2011) and his latest - "The Tempest" (2014), a fairy tale after Shakespeare's play. Both productions have proven to be successful and preferred titles, while Morfov is highly appreciated by theatre goers and doers in Romania.
In “No Man’s Land” I wanted to fuse the wild beautiful colours of nature with the greyness of war. I craved for contrast. When the first bombs fell over Sarajevo I was forced to contemplate the passing spring and summer both marked by fiery black holes. It’s like projecting a black & white photograph on a Van Gogh painting – not even a far resemblance.
~ Danis Tanovic, scriptwriter and director of the film
The film "No Man's Land" had a major recognition revealing the on-going problem of war still taking place with all its cruelty and conceited disinterest in human life.
A Bosnian soldier and a Serbian one are torn by deadly hatred. Still, they speak the same language, know the same people, watch the same football matches and the same films. The third one is trapped on top of a mine and his slightest movement will cause an explosion that will kill everybody around. They are in no man's land. Help is needed but neither of the conflicting sides wishes to enter the area in fear of an ambush. The two enemies are forced to seek help from the United Nations and a UN executive agrees to give a helping hand, breaking direct orders for non-interference, and brings a sapper to the location.
Moreover, he arrives with a journalist from CNN and a local crisis reaches unimaginable levels of absurdity. The mine proves impossible to render harmless. Three men, one of which faced with a certain death, are left all alone. Are they enemies anymore?
A satire against war. Our world is governed by global organisations and controlled media in pursuit of sensationalism and ratings. The absurd war between Bosnia and Serbia is impartially presented with black humor and sorrow at the same time. The enemy is you, only his name is different. A metaphor of war that reveals the destructive human nature.
Was it a good PR action for the UN?
Read more about the production here.
The photo was part of a campaign for raising attention to the problem, originally regarding a conflict in Africa.
Photographer: Chad Henning, 2007
© 2014 by mdemireva
