My Name Is Janez Janša Explained

My Name Is Janez Janša
Director:Janez Janša
Starring:Dražen Dragojević
Music:Riccardo Nanni, Giancarlo Di Maria
Cinematography:Darko Herič
Editing:Jurij Moškon, Giusi Santoro
Studio:Aksioma – Institute for Contemporary Art
Distributor:Taskovski Films LTD
Runtime:67 minutes
Country:Slovenia
Language:English
Slovene

My Name Is Janez Janša is a 2012 documentary film about three contemporary artists, one of them the film director, who in 2007 all changed their name[1] to that of Janez Janša, the then Prime Minister of Slovenia.

Signified as an artistic gesture this particular name change provoked a wide range of interpretations in art circles in Slovenia and abroad as well as among journalists and the general public. From banter to conspiracy. In the documentary individuals, artists and academics from all over the world share their thoughts about the meaning and purpose of one's name from both private and public perspectives. Reasons for changing one's name are explored as the film draws references from history, popular culture and individual experiences.

In Slovenia the film has been labelled as pornographic[2] and as degenerate art[3] by some of the press close to the government. On the other hand, the director of Slovenian Film Centre in his analysis said that the film is not to be judged by politicians, but by film critics and the audience.

Notes and References

  1. Webpage about the official name change Web site: Janez Janša . 2012-07-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150817174833/http://www.janezjansa.si/about.html . August 17, 2015 .
  2. Reporter, April 10, 2012. PORNOGRAFIJA - Janz sem Janez Janša, Ljubljana.
  3. Politikis.si (2012). Škandal brez primere: V Cannes film "Jaz sem Janez Janša" z grupnimi homoseksualnimi odnosi!?, Ljubljana.