(in English)

    B. R. Tatalovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia (former Yugoslavia) in 1966.

                   Belgrade - Slavia Square (photo: B. Tatalovic)

    His first visual arts experiences come from observing his father's photographic work (as five year old boy). From an early age Tatalovic falls under the influence of television, film, and popular (American) media, via 2 TV channels that were part of former socialist broadcast network, in the 1970s Yugoslavia.

    Tatalovic's first cinematic experiences come from visiting Belgrade theaters with his mother, and watching American films that were distributed in Yugoslavia. His fascination with the movie theater had no boundaries: as an eight year old boy, Tatalovic attends the screening by himself for the first time, without his parents... The motion picture was: The Valachi Papers. The kids from the "hood" loved to listen to his hours-long narration of the movies...

    While in high-school, Tatalovic finds a job as metalworker in the local factory. After graduation, he got drafted by Yugoslav National Army to serve mandatory military duty. Ironically, as the only soldier who spoke some English in his unit, Tatalovic ends up translating old American weaponry manuals found on the U.S. Howitzer cannons. 

    Tatalovic's love for cinema culminated in mid-1980s, when his entrepreneurial spirit pushed him to spend entire year's salary for one of the first VCR models that were sold in Yugoslavia. Not long after, he "collects" couple of hundred movies on VHS tapes and starts his first film-related "small business" by renting it in his neighborhood under the name "Bane Video Club" (1988). 

    Coincidentally, in the same year (1988), Tatalovic finally obtains (after several unsuccessful attempts) his U.S. visa, and flies across the Atlantic to his new destination - America. He arrives in Cleveland, Ohio, and finds employment as steelworker. Throughout 1990s he worked various jobs (metalworker, carpenter, home-repairman). Tatalovic worked in Cleveland's old steel-mill (former Republic Steel), where Michael Cimino shot several scenes for "The Deer Hunter". As a young immigrant with no college education, he spent years on factory floors, while attending college in the evenings. Years later, Tatalovic  earned his first college degree in Photography. He continued his academic advances, and earned BA in Communication from Cleveland State University.

    In 1996 Tatalovic goes back to his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia, to cover anti-government protests as a freelance photojournalist. Three years later he shoots anti-NATO demonstrations in Washington, DC, and web-publishes an informational site about political events in former Yugoslavia. 

 Anti-NATO rally in Washington, DC(1999) photo: B. Tatalovic

    In 2003 Tatalovic entered the "field of his dreams" (film production) by experimenting with an old Bolex camera. Since, he produced/directed several short films, two TV concert features, and he's currently working on several projects.

            Bruno and Pakistani director Ammar Rasool (2009)

     In 2009 Tatalovic graduated (MFA in Film/TV Producing) from Lawrence & Kristina Dodge Conservatory of Film & Media Arts in Orange, California.

                                Shooting trees in Ohio (1996)

                       Shooting rock-fans in Toronto (2006)

(in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian)  

    Branislav R. Tatalovic je rodjen 1966. godine u Beogradu. Prve iskustva u oblasti vizuelne umetnosti stice jos kao petogodisnjak posmatrajuci oca Ratka kako stampa crno-bele porodicne fotografije na starom madjarskom aparatu za uvelicavanje. Jos od malih nogu biva izlozen uticaju televizije i popularnih americkih TV serija i filmova koji su prikazivani na svega 2 kanala koja su bila u opticaju pocetkom i sredinom 70-ih godina proslog veka u socijalistickom drustvu nekadasnje SFRJ. Prva biskopska iskustva stice odlazeci sa majkom u jednu od petnaestak starih beogradskih dvorana koje su prikazivale "odobrene" americke filmove.  Po licnom tvrdjenju, prvi film koji je sam odgledao u bioskopu - kao osmogodisnjak i bez pratnje roditelja, je "Cosa Nostra - Istina o Mafiji" (The Valachi Papers). Klinci iz kraja, sa kojima je odrastao, su sa paznjom voleli da slusaju Branu kako satima prepricava odgledane filmove, dovodeci do izrazaja opis likova i najsitnije detalje.

    Po zavrsenoj osnovnoj (OS "Sv. Sava") i srednjoj (XIV Beogradska) skoli, Tatalovic se zaposljava u fabrici metalnih delova ("Industrija Precizne Mehanike") kao metaloglodac, a godinu dana kasnije odsluzuje vojni rok u artiljerijskoj jedinici u Aleksincu. Po povratku iz JNA, Tataloviceva ljubav prema sedmoj umetnosti kulminira ulaganjem celokupne licne ustedjevine u jedan od prvih modela video-rekordera koji su se pojavili u beogradskim prodavnicama tehnicke robe. Ubrzo zatim "prikuplja" par stotina filmova na VHS kasetama i pocinje da ih izdaje u kraju pod nazivom "Video Klub Bane".

                   Original flier of "Video Klub Bane" (1988)

     Igrom slucaja, te 1988. godine dolazi do turisticke vize za Ameriku, i ne razmisljajuci dugo, pakuje par kofera i leti preko Atlantika (jednim od poslednjih letova JAT-a na direktnoj liniji BG-ZG-Cleveland. U radnickom Clevelandu, zaposljava se (naravno) kao metalski radnik, uz povremene "izlete" u drvnu industriju i gradjevinarstvo. U vecernjim satima, po zavrsetku radnog vremena, odlazi na lokalni fakultet gde pohadja graficku umetnost i fotografiju.

    Krajem 1996. nalazi se na "vrelim" beogradskim ulicama, gde kao nezavisni fotoreporter pokriva anti-rezimske proteste. Tri godine kasnije u objektivu posmatra anti-NATO demonstracije na ulicama Vasingtona, i uredjuje nezavisnu informativnu Internet prezentaciju "Belgrader", ciji je cilj objektivno informisanje americke javnosti o dogadjajima u Srbiji.

    U isto vreme Tatalovic radi kao metalurg u staroj klivlendskoj zelezari, u pogonu gde je M. Cimino snimao sekvencu "Lovca na Jelene" (The Deer Hunter"), nekih 20 godina ranije. Na svega pedesetak metara udaljenosti od svoje kuce u starom kraju Klivlenda, Tatalovic "prepoznaje" lokaciju iz jednog od Jarmuschevih filmova - stari most preko pruge... ("Stranger than Paradise"). 

     Posle gotovo 15 godina rada u metalskoj industriji, Tatalovic konacno pocinje da se bavi nezavisnim filmskim radom 2003. godine. Debitantsko ostvarenje je nastalo 2004. godine kao studentski eksperimentalni kratkometrazni film - prikazan u Klivlendskom Muzeju Umetnosti (CMA).

   U poslednjih nekoliko godina Tatalovic je snimio jos par kratkometraznih filmova i dva TV/DVD koncertna videa. Njegov drugi kratkometrazni film "Ispovest loseg momka" ("The Bad Guy Speaks") je imao evropsku premijeru 2006., na 53. Beogradskom festivalu dokumentarnog i kratkometraznog filma. 2009-e Tatalovic je magistrirao filmsku i TV produkciju na Chapman Univerzitetu - Dodge Konzervatorijum za film i medijske umetnosti u Kaliforniji, u klasi profesora i producenta Aleksandre Rouz (A. Rose).