Drvengrad, on Mećavnik in Mokra Gora, is a place created by Emir Kusturica and somewhere he has continued to create for ten years.
The settlement is formed from old, ‘Dinaric-style’ ancient log cabins from Mt. Tara, adapted as minimally as possible to suit the needs of the modern day. And it is in this commingling of creations, past, present and future, in this ‘settlement of artistic and creative provenance’ that Emir’s three live action feature films, two feature-length documentaries, two festivals – ‘Kustendorf’ and ‘Bolshoi’, whose tradition can now never be denied, two books, much music, and another town, Andrićgrad, have their origins.
Emir Kusturica’s most prolific decade is visible at Mećavnik with every step across the old squares and along the ancient streets, in every corner and every nook of this village with all of the achievements of a civilized society, sadly lacking in most of today’s towns.
“I spent hours looking at Mećavnik, waiting for the sun so we could carry on filming in the hills above Mokra Gora, opposite Mećavnik.” It was Emir Kusturica’s first and decisive impression of this spot, which he would later turn into a place of wonder. “I gazed at that hill with envy. There was nothing there, apart from the sun, which shone on it unceasingly!” His eyes fixed on that sun-drenched hill, Kusturica saw Drvengrad, just as it is today.
