"Dear Mr. Kusturica! I sincerely congratulate you on your 70th birthday. A man of bold, multifaceted talent, a true artist — you have rightfully earned the fame of one of the most well-known film directors of our time, established yourself as a sought-after actor, musician and writer, the author of extraordinary creative projects. With your talented works, you have written a bright page in the history of world art," the telegram says.
After midnight (23:00 GMT Monday) in the film village of Drvengrad in the mountains in western Serbia, the telegram was read to the famous actor and director by Natalia Klishchenkova, counsellor to the Russian Embassy in Serbia.
"I would like to especially note your active public position, your enormous contribution to the implementation of significant initiatives in the humanitarian sphere, aimed at strengthening trust and mutual understanding between peoples. I wish you health, inspiration and new successes," Putin's congratulation says.
16 January 2020, 04:57 GMT
From November 22 to 24, Drvengrad is hosting the international documentary film festival "RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes" with the participation of Kusturica, Russian war correspondents Alexander Sladkov, Semyon Pegov and Olga Kiriy, documentary filmmaker Artem Somov, and Serbian public figures.