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EL PEPE, A SUPREME LIFE
In this very personal documentary, director Emir Kusturica deals with the life of José "Pepe" Mujica, who in his final years as president of Uruguay (2010–2015) once again permanently changed the face of his country. Under the military dictatorship of the 1970s and ’80s, Mujica fought with the leftist Tupamaros guerrillas against the regime. For that, he spent 13 years in prison. Over mate tea in his backyard, Mujica, now 83, talks to the director about bank robberies and the prison sentence. Despite the long years of separation, his marriage has stood up. In the film's most intimate and beautiful moments, it's evident that the relationship still works. And because Kusturica is also a musician, he works in some beautifully melancholic tango melodies.
Meet the director
Emir Kusturica
Born in Sarajevo in 1954, Emir Kusturica attended the FAMU film school in Prague. He is one of a handful of directors who have twice received the Golden Palm in Cannes: for WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS (1985) and UNDERGROUND (1995). After his second award, Kusturica took time off from making films to tour with his Non-Smoking Orchestra as its bass player. The soundtracks to some of his films, including BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT (1998) and LIFE IS A MIRACLE (2004), were composed by the director and members of the band. Most recently, Kusturica's feature film ON THE MILKY ROAD (2017) was shown at FILMFEST MÜNCHEN.