The Meaning of Mira Furlan

SEEfest had the honor of joining an international panel hosted by UCL, University College London, School of Slavonic and East European Studies on February 3rd, 2021 paying tribute to Mira Furlan. You can watch the conversation below. 

The recently departed Mira Furlan (1955-2021) was a legend of Yugoslavian theatre and cinema, representing the hopes and visions of a generation both through her artistic work and her political and social engagement.

Ousted from her job at the Croatian National theatre and driven from her home by a vicious campaign of threats and media defamation, she remade her career in the United States, where she achieved success in popular television series including Lost and Babylon 5. 

For many people in the region, she remains an icon of artistic quality, integrity, and courage in the face of adversity.

Her passing is a moment to consider not only this extraordinary artist but the issues that she confronted and partly conquered: the role of the artist in a conflicted society, the complex interaction involving socialism, nationalism, and culture, the constrained representation of women, and gendered relationships, and the parts of the society that have survived the transformation of cultures into mutually hostile camps. 

Our panel of cultural scholars and creators/critics of culture will consider Mira Furlan’s contribution and the current condition of cultural life in the region. 

The panel includes Sanjin Pejković, associate professor of film studies at Dalarna University, singer and songwriter, Sara Renar, and SEEfest’s very own festival director, Vera Mijojlić. The panel was moderated by Eric Gordy, Professor of Political and Cultural Sociology.