Animated films about Bojan the Bear

A series of animated films titled Bojan the Bear was produced by Radio and Television Slovenia and Viba film as well as by the Slovenian Film Centre and Television Slovenia between 1978-1979, 1980-1981, 1986-1988, and 1995-1998. The series was run for 21 years and during that time 37 episodes were shot. It was directed by Branko Ranitović and Dušan Povh. The head animator was Pavao Štalter, music was composed by Mojimir Sepe and Lado Jakša, with camera by Veka Kokalj and a team of Slovenian and Croatian film makers.

"The soul" of Bojan the Bear project was Dušan Povh, a native of Novo mesto. Educated in filmmaking at Barrandov Studios in Czechslovakia after WWII, Povh was one of the organizers of Slovenian cinematography, and as a freelancer he participated in the making of a number of Slovenian short films as director, screenwriter, and editor. He was also the director of Viba film, which at the time was the only Slovenian film production company.

Preserved in Povh's private fonds SI AS 1937, kept at the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia, are his letters, film related literature, contracts, personal documents, and original shooting books for Bojan the Bear series. Slovenian Film Archives at the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia keeps all of the 37 Bojan the Bear animated films, for many of which the Archives received archival records, originals, as well as picture and sound negatives. To make them available for public screening, the Archives had 35 mm film copies done in the film laboratories of Synhro Film in Vienna and Hungaro Film in Budapest.

All of the films have all been processed and their content published in the inventory titled “Filmsko arhivsko gradivo Slovenskega filmskega arhiva pri Arhivu Republike Slovenije” by Lojz Tršan in 2010. Data on the films, encompassing everything from their content and makers to their technical properties, are also available in our central computer register for the Collection of films (SI AS 1086).

The Slovenian Film Archives at the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia is especially pleased that Dušan Povh’s son Peter Povh donated to us in 2015 fourBetacam SPscontaining the entire series of Bojan the Bear. He also donated the original drawings on transparent foil,promotional materials, shooting books, and promotional leaflets. Occupying a special place among the donated items is the mascot and the “leading actor” of the series, a puppet of Bojan the Bear, which we are exhibiting here as an interesting addition to this month’s archivalia.

Bojan the Bear is a cute children’s character, who in his unique way uses colours and drawings to create various (often imaginary) situations that children can understand and relate to. By doing so he stirs their imagination and uses stories to teach them about goodness, gratitude, care for the environment, friendship, love, tolerance, overcoming of imaginary fears, persistence, etc. In short, Bojan the Bear teaches us about basic human values. For archivalia’s visual presentation we have chosen the film Bojan the Bear – The Bees. In the film, Bojan the Beartries to take honey from the bees; when they get mad and attack him, he in return presents them with a new meadow full of blooming flowers.

Lojz Tršan