In celebrating the art of costume making, our documentary will provide context of the countries and peoples from which these unique costumes emerged. The film seeks to provide an insight into the experience of generations who lived through the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and of a generation born into its aftermath, all the while exploring notions of unity and brotherhood. We will be t
raveling to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia & Serbia. After that, the production will follow the garment back to Toronto, where it will be completed. The trip itself represents our main budgetary challenge and so it’s crucial we have our backing in place as soon as possible as we finalize our travel plans. A Yugoslavian Folk Costume
Driving this documentary is the hope to create a Yugoslavian folk costume, one that has never before existed but which will now bring together the traditions of the nations that once comprised Yugoslavia. Six mentors will guide Nina in the design and creation of a garment that combines distinct traits from the national folk dresses of each former republic of Yugoslavia. Nina and the film crew will visit the mentors, one from each of the former republics, and learn how to apply the unique costuming techniques that they practice in the creation of their traditional national folk dresses. By weaving these diverse skills and symbols into the fabric of the garment’s production, together they hope to create a piece that represents what the country of Yugoslavia, and her people, stood for. As artisans from each country bring their traditions together to create a single garment, they aspire to open a dialogue about unity in a fractured part of the world.
