Monday (24 August) at RAFF began at Pjaceta Festival Square with the second conversation in the series entitled Bishop Sacrifice. This time, host Elizabeta Gojan spoke with actor, director and acting teacher Leon Lučev.
Like the previous day’s conversation with Goran Navojec, the discussion explored the acting profession in an intimate and nuanced way. One of its central themes was the emotional connection to a role and ‘stripping oneself bare’. Lučev spoke about how every role requires an actor to expose themselves and reveal parts they might prefer to keep hidden. Although he has played a number of demanding roles throughout his career, he revealed that he had laid himself bare most fully when he stepped into the role of director.
The conversation then turned to films dealing with painful social issues, of which there have been many throughout Lučev’s career. When Elizabeta Gojan asked whether it was difficult to keep returning to such stories, Lučev observed that, in the end, ‘somehow it always turns out that truth is a painful subject’. The pursuit of truth has connected many of his roles in films addressing war, trauma, silence and consequences that society often prefers not to face directly.
Part of the conversation was devoted to learning and teaching. Lučev has spent years passing his experience on to young actors, but stressed that his own learning process is far from over, as he has returned to university.
Speaking about the place of art in society, Lučev stressed that art helps shape a nation’s identity because it preserves its soul. The conversation therefore moved naturally beyond acting to touch on the current state of affairs in the country, attitudes towards culture and the individual’s responsibility to the society in which they live. Lučev once again showed that he does not shy away from speaking critically about the failings of society.
An engaging and open conversation showed that something of the person who played a role remains behind in every performance, but also that art can create space for subjects that society still finds difficult to address.
