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The work of Boris Miljković became known to the public in 1980 when he directed the TV programme Nobody Like Me with his colleague Branimir Dimitrijević. Since then, Miljković has been surprising the world with his original advertising solutions and music clips. Having broadened the sphere of his interests, Boris has amassed a list of other occupations over the last three decades, confirming him as more than a successful theatre and TV director, creative director in advertising, a writer and professor at the Belgrade University of Arts…
From February through the end of May he was engaged by Radio Television Serbia, the public broadcasting service of Serbia, to create a total artistic effect for the Belgrade Eurovision Song Contest. As creative director, he designed a logo, created themes and video clips, turning set designer Goran Joksimović’s initial idea into an effective and attractive solution.
- How did Europe respond to the Belgrade Eurovision Song event, and now that it is behind us, how do you view the effect of your ideas on the spectacle held in Belgrade?
- Europe responded surprisingly well. They were all skeptical at the beginning, and I might add rather concerned, due to the situation in Serbia. However, as time went by their doubts began to disappear, and in the end the attitude culminated in fascination. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) voted the work the best ever done for the Eurovision Song Contest. Commentators on French and British television openly discussed their good impressions about Serbia’s Eurosong. Now that everything is over, the entire team, myself included, is quite exhausted from the enormous amount of concentrated work and anxiety that something might go wrong, because the event is actually the biggest TV show in the world. That is why, aside from fatigue, I also feel great pleasure that we presented ourselves, both as a city and country, more than successfully.
- Actually you continued in Eurovision what you have been working on for nearly three decades. From whom have you learned the most and who are the people you gladly remember?
- In the last five years I have learned the most from director Dejan Mijač. As his personal video-artist, I participated in his work down to the last detail. Of course, in these past 30 years my best memories are of Branimir Dimitrijević Tucko, with whom I started my career.
- How much have you and your work changed?
- A lot has changed, and this in the least expected way. If I had to live it all again, I would certainly live it in a different way. However, I am happy to still be on the same path. I have lived in many different locations, and have moved from theme to theme, from field to field, but I’ve remained within the domain of creativity and will continue to do so.
- You have received the Award For Lifetime Achievement from the Association of Propagandists, in addition to many other foreign awards. What is it that distinguishes your creative approach from other directors, creative directors and all those who visualise or present their ideas in a similar way?
- We don’t differ very much. Perhaps only in that that I have done many video clips, which have been awarded. My goal has always been to raise the level of communication through my work. That is not an overly ambitious goal, but in the environment in which we live it is more than useful. For me the award for lifetime achievement has come somewhat prematurely because I plan to spend a lot of my time in the future on set design. I think that we have entered a period in which communication excesses are possible again. There is light at the end of tunnel that always brings necessary unrest in which everything is possible.
- You also direct theatre. What is the difference between working in theatre and working on an advertisement?
- On the one hand, the difference is enormous, but they also have a lot in common. As Baudrillard said, advertising is the final art of the 20th century in which music, film, design and words meet… On the other hand, it is very narrow because it is aimed at only one segment of society, whether the social, economic or political milieu. Great arts -- whether literature, music or theatre -- try to provide answers to some great and general questions that are of concern to all of us.
- You have proven yourself as a writer. Can you tell us something about your latest book, the novel Kisses, Memories and Talks published by Geopoetika?
- It is the most abstract and intimate story I have written so far. As with my previous books, I secured freedom of expression and allowed myself this experiment. I wanted to get away from the field of melancholic, emotional narrative. To what degree I have succeeded we shall see, but my literary expression will probably continue in this vein in the future.
- How much do the streets in Belgrade differ from those of large world metropolises?
- Though we may not want to hear it, they differ very much. In Momo Kapor’s stories we read that they differ in terms of emotion, warmth and personal history. However, our streets are also too neglected, untidy and wild, because we Belgraders are still like that.
- How much is Belgrade in 2008 different from Belgrade in the 1980s?
- It cannot be compared. Fortunately, however, the thread cut at the end of the 1980s is being restored. It’s a sort of natural connection between the civil society we used to have and something that has been occurring over the last 17 years. It seems to me that everything is being revitalized, that some genuine virtues and a new authentic spirit of rebellion is being reestablished, and that means the future will be better.
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Director’s biography and marketing awards
Boris Miljković was born in 1956, in Zagreb. He graduated Film and Television Directing from the Faculty of Drama Arts in Belgrade. For a long time he worked as creative director in the marketing agencies Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, Saatchi & Saatchi Balkans and McCann-Erickson Belgrade … He has directed more than 300 commercials and music videos and has received numerous international awards (Clio Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Epica D’Or, Golden Drum Award, Grand Prix Golden Rose of Montreux, Eurobest London, New York Festival …) He teaches at the University of Arts in Belgrade.
Theater
Boris Miljković directed The Bride of The Wind (2003) at the National Theatre and Soldier’s Tale (2005) at Atelje 212. He was the creative director for drama and worked in the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, in plays directed by Dejan Mijač, The Canine Waltz (2004), Locusts (2005) and Barbelo, On Dogs And Children (2007).
Literature
As a writer Boris Miljković won the Isidora Sekulić Prize for his first collection of stories entitled Tea at Zamalek (Geopoetika, 2002). His second book of stories, Paper Factory, was published by Geopoetika in 2003, which was followed by the novels A Lullaby For Lala (Geopoetika, 2004) and Kisses, Memories and Talks (Geopoetika, 2006). | | 
