Projection of "Pretty Dyana" (06 Jun 2006)

An intimate look at Gypsy refugees in a Belgrade suburb who make a living by transforming Citroën’s classic 2cv and Dyana cars into Mad Max-like recycling vehicles, with which they collect cardboard, bottles and scrap metal. These modern horses are much more efficient than the cart-pushing competition, but even more important -- they also mean freedom, hope and style for their crafty owners. Even the car batteries are used as power generators in order to get some light, watch TV and recharge mobiles! Almost an alchemist’s dream come true! But the police doesn’t always find these strange vehicles funny…

www.dribblingpictures.com

SOME SAID ABOUT...

“One of the two funny films this year at IDFA” - Peter Wintonick

“If Mitic had focused only on the terrible misery these people live in, the film would have been unbearable. Instead, you never know whether you should cry after you laugh, or the other way around.” - Sara Hultman, Goteborg Film Festival

“The most copied documentary on the Balkan black market” - Politika daily

1. Find an abandoned 2cv or Dyana on a parking lot, a car depot or in the ads.
2. Trick the owner by saying the car is garbage anyways and that s/he will eventually end up having to pay the recycling service to tow the old wreck away.
3. Check that the chassis is not cracked or broken.
4. Turn the engine on and check that the crankshaft doesn’t make noise.
5. Start removing surplus material in the following order:
   a) tear up the hood and save it for rainy days
   b) cut off the wires from the electric installations
   c) remove the front lights
   d) cut and bend away the fenders and mudguards
   e) break/cut/destroy the side and rear doors so that the chassis remains bare
   (save the roof for the outdoor toilet)
   f) take out the seats and the floor
6. Repatch the Dyana as You wish:
   > install new floor, new seats, a plastic bottle or canister for fuel
   > strenghten the wheel and the gearshift by welding them onto an iron frame
   > use an old vacuum cleaner tube for the exhaust pipe
   > construct a recycling bin in the back out of iron sheets and wood or knit one up
   > add a heavy-duty bag for iron and aluminum scrap
   > attach as many lights and rearview mirrors as possible
   > paint the Dyana in bright colors (at least 3 different ones)
   > sport a funny slogan, imperatively mispelled
   > add in extras: a radiocassette or cd player, loudspeakers, a cigarette lighter, an alarm – anything that works on 12V
   > exchange the carburator with a FIAT 600 to reduce fuel consumption
   > install a truck battery to increase power and subsequent electricity reserves
   > in wintertime, cover the engine with a washing machine cover and build in a roof
7. Attach two wires to the starter and hotwire the engine on
8. Beware of the cops.