Iva Kevra

Iva Kevra was born in Pula, Croatia and this year is the fifth year of her life in Dublin. At the age of ten she started acting at the Istrian National Theatre as a member of a Drama Group where she performed in numerous plays. There she had her first professional roles as an actor. When she was nineteen she was accepted at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade where she received her BA and MA degrees in Acting. Her BA Graduation Play was ‘Beauty Queen of Leenane’ by Martin McDonagh and her MA Dissertation was ‘Antigone – Adaptation of the acting instruments to the character’s development in a drama’. She completed Gerry Grennell’s Masterclass at the Bow Street Academy and since last year Iva has been a proud member of the Irish Film and Television Academy as well as the Irish Equity.

Among many other theatre plays, one of the most acclaimed theatre performances Iva was a part of is ‘A Tomb for Boris Davidovich’ - premiered at the Mittelfest in Cividale (Italy), directed by Ivica Buljan, the director of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and professor at the National Theatre Academy in Saint- Étienne, France. Among other TV Show roles, the one most recognized by the Balkan audience is her role of Krista Avakumovic in the TV Show ‘Black Sun’ (2017), where she was paired opposite Goran Bogdan, famous for his role of Yuri Gurka in Fargo (2017). ‘Black Sun’ is available on Amazon Prime. Iva is also a voice over actor. She has done numerous lead roles for the Nickelodeon channel in Serbia most famous of which is the role of Katara in ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, one of the world's top rated TV series on IMDb.

Short film Love of Magdalena is Iva’s directorial debut. Collaborating with other Irish and international artists on this project makes Iva particularly proud as it opens a chapter to her own production resume which was has always been her dream.


Your project has entered in our festival. What is your project about?  
Short film 'Love of Magdalena' is a psychological drama/thriller about a delusional journey of Magdalena where she is battling her sense of guilt after her husband's death. It is about a world of a woman suffering from paranoid delusions, disabled from distinguishing the real from the unreal, tragically misled by mental illness to the loss of her child. 


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What are your ambitions with your project?  

I would like to have the film screened at a large number of film festivals so as to share my work with other filmmakers, artists and the general audience. I am very excited to hear their thoughts about the movie. 

Tell us something about your shooting? What pleasantly surprised you?  

The shooting was an excellent experience, we underwent very detailed preparations in order to be able to shoot everything in a single day. It was an idea successfully accomplished. At one point, a particular pile of branches outside of the house was entering the frame and I wanted to remove it. I went out and without having anyone asked I noticed that almost half of the crew came out to help. Just a little instance that perhaps exemplifies the outstanding dedication that carried the shooting day out. 

For what group of spectators is your film targeted?  

Everyone with a taste for psychological thrillers. Whoever has a taste for a thriller with darker dramatic turns, I hope they will find my work to their liking. 


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Why should distributors buy your film?   

The awards and nominations the film has received so far are definitely a testament to its worth. The feedback I received has been excellent as well and one thing they all share is that they wanted to see more which is a great compliment to receive. 

How would you specify your work? What characterizes your film?  

I wanted to create a movie that would make you feel at least a part of the terror that Magdalena is feeling, to share the darkness that was guiding her. I chose to shoot the film at an old Georgian residence in Ireland that evokes a sense of mystery that feels right to be the home of Magdalena where she lives with her son. The contrast of the night scenes and the main day scene was something I had in mind from the beginning. The brightness of the day scene represents a grave moment of parting with her son. The vintage feel I gave to the movie in color, production and costume design choice was something I felt belongs to the story. 


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Why did you decided to become a filmmaker?  

Creativity was always my preferred emotional outlet. My dreams seem to offer vivid stories to me each night and I easily get inspired by my surroundings and other pieces of art. My infinite love for movies makes this path something that was always meant for me. When I was little, I watched movies and TV shows with my dad all the time. I remember the time he bought and connected cable TV with many channels playing foreign movies. We would watch it and he would translate it without really knowing the languages and this was such a fun and magical period for me and my sister, we laughed a lot. Also, I am a professional actor and I have been acting since I was 10 when I joined drama group in the Istrian National Theatre which was a path one would naturally expect to merge with a filmmaking passion. 

Who is your role model?  

I don't have a role model per se but I do get inspired by people brave enough to follow their dreams and see them through. There is a powerful force that drives me to move forward and always be better. Art is at the very core of my desire and passion.

Which movies are your favorites? Why?  

For the most of my life my favorite movie was Titanic, but after James Cameron made Avatar that became my favorite instead. I would add Christopher Nolan's Inception and Interstellar to the list for sure as well. Their common denominator could be greatness of story, the courage of character, the grand nature of the unique world each has produced and their remarkable potential to make one feel alive in their cinema seat. 

Where do you look for inspiration for your films?

I sometimes do consciously search and find ideas of my interest in my dreamworld and as easily in the suggestively colorful physical locations like houses, estates and alike. 

Which topics interest you the most?

The topics of love and courage under the challenges of pain or fear in general. 

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your career?  

It could very well be this film and its performance with the filmmaking audiences so far, the awards and nominations feel like an external validation that further encourages my inspiration with ambition. 

What do you consider most important about filming?  

Being emotionally invested in the process of creation, having a strong idea, sharing the story and passion with the people you are working with and gravitating truthfully towards the final version. I would say that listening to your instinct is important part of the process while not forgetting to have fun. 

Which film technique of shooting do you consider the best?  

I wouldn't try to classify this in my mind, shooting is such a space of freedom for me and depending on the story, characters, genre, style; depending on what are you trying to convey, from the many techniques out there you just need to find the right one to tell the specific story. 

How would you rate/What is your opinion about current filmmaking?

I am not of the opinion that only the past works are worth the iconography. Great minds and great works keep emerging each year and it's an even greater pleasure to experience the authentic novelty of their works. 

What can disappoint you in a movie?

I am in love with movies and I love the truth behind it. I am careful to skip a film I would dislike right before being struck with disappointment. 

Who supports you in your film career?  

My biggest support and collaborator is George Ivanovich, my husband. We produced several music videos together and "Love of Magdalena" is our first short film together. We enjoy working together and being there for one another. We are happy we are able to share the passion for art together and celebrate the recognition we receive.