Velimir Dragic
From Daily Escape
| |
|---|---|
| Syndicate: | National Media Group |
| Date of Birth: | April 19, 1965 |
| Place of Birth: | Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegonia |
| Spouse | Widower |
| Profession: | Filmmaker, critic, sociologist |
| Ethnicity: | Serbian-Bosniak |
| Languages spoken | Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, English, French |
| Degrees |
|
Velimir Dragic is (in)famous in Yugoslavia and abroad for his biting criticism, brilliant filmmaking, and "colorful" personality. As a spokesperson for the National Media Group, Dragic spends most of his time analyzing and deciding what information and knowledge the citizenry of Yugoslavia should and should not know. Unlike the most "propagander" ministers of his type, Dragic does not spend time trying to inspire loyalty into Yugoslavia. He explicitly tries to shape and inform the mindset of Yugoslavian citizens. Jingoism is the domain of his colleague Aleksandra Vukoja. Dragic also has a close personal relationship with Lazar Brankovic, and this relationship both aids and hinder their professional careers at times.
Contents |
[edit] History
This is all according to the autobiography written by Dragic himself, titled "Making Reality See Things Your Way."
Dragic was born on April 19, 1965 and was raised by two working class individuals in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegonia. He never had much going for him, even though he had some distant relatives that were in some "old money." One of his childhood friends was fellow Bosniak Lazar Brankovic, who went on to head a syndicate of his own (General Power and Electric. He spent much of his time at the cinema, and was an avid fan of film even at a young age. He still admits being most influenced by Stanley Kubick. He aspired to become a film-maker himself, and thanks to the hard work and saving of his parents, he managed to even go to Oxford, partially because of a scholarship, partially fradulence. While at Oxford, he filmed various student films that have fallen into obscurity.
[edit] Early Career
After graduation Velimir had a line of success with his breakthrough films. Most critically acclaimed was his intensely psychological "Pigeons" (1985), which was simply about the events that occured in a single day at Trafalgar Square. Not a single character was named in the entire film, yet the character development and several sub-plots that all weave together in the end is considered brilliant direction and screenwriting by Dragic. Other notable films is the notably anti-communist "Grozny" (1987) and the politically charged piece of historical fiction, "Trinity" (1990), detailing the development of the atomic bomb from the perspective of Robert Oppenheimer. After completing work on "Trinity", Velimir Dragic became a avid supporter of nuclear energy technology, but conversely was very much for the suppression of nuclear proliferation in weaponry and the regulation thereof. Dragic was briefly married, but his wife died from unknown reasons, leaving him with a single son, Sava Dragic.
[edit] Fall of the Latin Empire
Velimir was filming in Montenegro, a long period after the filming of previous masterpiece "Trinity", when the Balkan Civil War was set into motion. Dryden was one of the newly risen political personalities which began the process towards the establishment of the Confederacy at the stadium founding of the One Hundred Twenty Eight. Soon after the War he met personally with the ambitious Bogdan Susinyak, who had recently established the Millenium Committee, and introduced the National Media Group which became one of the founding members of the Kuratora. Quickly grasping the concepts behind the Confederacy, he became an integral part and due to his personal relationship with Susinyak he soon became one of the most trusted and well-known individuals within Yugoslavia.
[edit] Political Career
Velimir is a trusted individual, and has progressed far. He seemed to come from nowhere, yet his charisma and skill soon took him to be well supported and loved by the Yugoslavian people. He is considered the most trusted spokesperson, and thus has the syndicates' ear on almost every issue. Velimir, however, seems to have little ulterior motives. This is surprising, considering his intelligence and influence, but he seems satisfied in his position. His ability to manipulate and control the mindset of the Yugoslavian citizens is prized by his allies yet envied by his enemies, gaining the attention of Parliament in particular. He is also considered, because of his association with his son Sava Dragic and position as a mouthpiece for the Confederacy, one of the most hated individuals by the Ustaše.
| |
|---|---|
|
Velimir and his close friend Lazar during one of their more candid moments. | |
[edit] Personal Life
Even though Velimir leads a celebrity-esque life in popularity under the public eye, little is known about his personal life. His permanent place of residence can be found at Sarajevo, his home town, but he spends most of his time at the Diet in Zagreb. He maintains good personal relations with many of the other syndicate officials, such as Bogdan Susinyak and Lazar Brankovic. He spends much of his free time watching recent films and endlessly critiquing them, publishing his criticism in his publications. He also is known to occassionally teach at the University of Zagreb and work on his film pet projects.
His relationship with his son is complex, both seem to be independant of each other yet still on good terms. Sava brings much animosity to his father because of his membership in the Gentleman's Club, but Velimir seems to not judge him for that decision and directs much of his syndicates's resources in aiding the Gentlemen perform their duties. He has gained the respect of Susinyak through this, and his syndicate is the most joined with the Committee.
