Discoveries from Serbia World Cinema

Sava Centar is a congress space built in 1978 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, whose architecture reflects an idea of the future. Made to host thousands, it now stands almost abandoned. The maintenance workers shoulder the duty of restoring the space.

Popcorn seller Milan expels his son for participating in youth students protests. When the young man actually disappears in the striking Belgrade, the old man goes in search of him. So, through a series of strange encounters, Milan comes to rethink his whole life.

A short experimental film.

Meet the greatest fans of Korean pop music in Serbia.

Through an experimental method of spectating the spectator, the audience watches two young people who are sitting and watching a projection of photographs of public spaces, in moments when these spaces are empty or abandoned, when they can become intimate, followed by a voiceover of two older people reminiscing of topics of alienation and transience of belonging, of taken or borrowed, of given or landed, of personal experience in a world where a complete affiliation never truly exists.

In 1972 Yugoslavia became the site of Europe’s last smallpox epidemic. This gripping archival documentary, aptly described by its creators as a medical thriller, reconstructs the dramatic events of those spring months, and viewers will find it difficult not to draw comparisons with the worldwide events of the past two years.

The death of a beloved dog reunites a small family. A lonely middle aged mother and her eccentric aunt obsessed with modern day technology take a trip to the rural parts of Serbia, where the dog is buried. There, the ex husband and his senile father help them decorate the dog's grave.

Fictional story in borders of reality, about Hadrian coin in two thousand year long period in Veliko Gradište.

After recent political changes in Serbia, many streets in Belgrade named after persons and events of the World War II, changed their names. The film depicts the work of the Street and Squares Commission, appointed by the city of Belgrade, as well as reactions of individuals and groups impacted by recent changes.

Adaptation of the Serbian folk fairytale. The story about a boy, a dragon, a woman and a invisible winged friend.

In the flat where I grew up, in a closet, hidden behind his clothes, uniform and a pistol, my father kept a box with papers, school documents and volumes. After he died, I searched the box. In his student report book I found a name of professor who lectured "The basics of Marxist sociology" in 1976. I went to the professor and asked him: "What is friendship?" - "A tiny bird," he said.

A movie about the New Belgrade project Blok 70.

Croatian singer/songwriter/poet Arsen Dedić tells the story of his life.

In 1990, writer / director Nikola Stojanović shot a very expensive feature film "Belle epoque or the Last Waltz in Sarajevo". The war broke in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so the post-production stopped. He finaly finished the editing in 2007, when the movie premiered after 17 years of waiting to be completed. This is the triumphant sequel to the 1996 documentary "Farewell Belle Epoque - Destiny of a Movie".

Miša, a young man with powerful telekinetic abilities, finds himself trapped in a dark experiment where he is subjected to manipulation and abuse. Though he is offered various comforts and pleasures once he is freed from his confinement, Miša rejects these temptations. Driven by a quest for truth and freedom, he embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the secrets behind his powers and reclaim his autonomy.

A short film about the consequences of a sudden end of a close friendship.

Footage of the spectacular concert of Van Gogh in the crowded Belgrade Arena, on May 19, 2007.

When a person is denied justice in the courts in his country, he reaches out to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg as a last resort, with many unexpected obstacles.

This film is shot to point out the flood of commercial messages in television program, on billboards and megaboards, messages that take over our subconscious mind. We Love Belgrade is a log-line that justifies huge investments. This shining out of advertisement messages is just a curtain that hides carelessness towards the environment and human lives. The whole Belgrade became a commercial to sell itself, by constantly sending ads to its citizens. Could a commercial have any influence on a young mother of two whose only source of money comes from trash cans?

It follows detective Mirjana, who goes to eastern Serbia to investigate a girl's disappearance. Over the course of time, her police investigation turns into a personal quest. The film explores through elements of detective film, thriller and fantasy, the culture, beliefs, Christian tradition and superstitions of the region.

The film shows the history of the HIV epidemic in Serbia, personalizing it through the life stories and confessions of individuals. Subjects in this film live with HIV for different number of years and the film depicts historical changes and the development of the epidemic.

After a bloody battle, mother is haunted by horrific death scenes of her nine sons and their father. Through her emotional journey and the oneiric imagery we follow her pain and sorrow as well as strength and heroism with which the mother endures her misfortune. Inspired by the motifs of the Serbian medieval poem “Death of Mother Jugovic.”

On mysterious cassettes forgotten or left behind for 17 years, a disturbing filmic material is revealed. Accompanied by the extracts of a diary written by the protagonist standing behind the camera, the images translate into a singular and transformative intimate experience. Mladen Kovačević constructs a film using sequences retracing a Serbian expedition to Mount Everest. Images from another time, shot in the almost alien, mystical landscapes reveal enigmatic characters, perilous circumstances and the suspense of confrontation to the real limits of human capabilities. An adventure film, as rigorous as it is melancholic, based on skilful editing.

Tamara is spending a lonely New Year’s Eve working in a 24/7 gym when she receives an unexpected photo in her Instagram DM just before midnight.

The author takes the audience through his failed ideas for films he wanted to make for the first Movie Jam in the Student Cultural Center in Belgrade.

In a post-war refugee center, through the eyes of a young boy, an eclectic group of people attempt to carry on with their shattered lives before they are told they must move

A short documentary filmed in the psychiatric hospital "Laza Lazarević"

Short film by Djukelic.

A mathematician discusses how to avoid becoming a robot or a slave

This profound piece captures the essence of life’s unhurried pace through snails crossing a road. Each movement symbolizes existence itself, embracing the journey as a metaphor for transcendence in the modern world. The performance invites the viewer into an immersive, almost zen-like space, celebrating each excruciatingly slow inch of progress with silent reverence. It’s a visual ode to minimalism, or perhaps simply a very slow crawl, that dares to ask: are we not all, in some way, crossing roads?

Running away from a failed relationship, Hana finds unexpected support in the boy Ivo. They help each other grow.

Dragica does not lack for work. The house and cattle in western Serbia demand toil from dawn to dusk. She milks, harvests, prepares porridge for her handicapped daughter. Her own mother recently passed away. Now Dragica wears black and shaves her old father. Can there be an alternative to this daily self-sacrifice? Almost casually, Isaac Knights-Washbourn leaves space for such reflections: While chopping tomatoes, the woman opens up to a guest from town.

The story follows Divna and Petko, a sister and brother in their mature years who are chasing money to buy the "elixir of youth" and solve their life problems. During those fascinating adventures, they run into incredible problems from which they try to emerge as winners.

'Neko' means 'Cat' in Japanese. In Serbian, it means 'Someone'.

The story of nine years old boy Ivan, his pet hamster and Yuri Gagarin.

The fable of Little Red Riding Hood is transformed into a modern and grotesque fairy tale. The baroque reflection of a dense national history in which the Roma people also have their place.

Documentary about Vojislav 'Bubiša' Simić (born 1924), a Serbian musician and composer.

The film connects historical events and the interpretations of those events through caricature, with a focus on artists who left their mark and contributed to the importance of this art in the territory that for more than 70 years was a common cultural space of the peoples of the state of Yugoslavia.

During his last morning in Belgrade, a military drone reflects on his wasted existence as a drone out of combat, while flying on autopilot to a couple having sex, a route his previous operator would take to spy on them.

A musical film, occasionally a melodrama, with comic segments, brings together two wars, several bombings of Belgrade on different occasions, one school revolt and one real revolution in the story of an artist important for the entire area of the ex-country.

The film reveals the dramatic destiny of wonderful young women, journalists who in 1936 started the socially-engaged magazine "Woman Today". The editorial office is in today's Nušićeva Street in Belgrade. They are highly educated. They skillfully dealt with censorship until 1940. The magazine was then banned. What were they willing to do, how much were they willing to take risks, what were they sacrificing, what were they warning about, what were they writing about? What fate awaits them? Who are Olga Alkalaj, Fani Politeo Vučković, Mitra Mitrović, Milica Šuvaković, Jelisaveta Beška Bembas, Nataša Jeremić, Jojić Olga, Dušica Stefanović, Zora Sher, Paulina Sudarski? The script for the film was based on the texts and war memoirs of those who survived. The texts in the film are interpreted by actresses: Milica Stefanović, Aleksandra Janković, Mitra Mladenović, Marijana Dugalić and Mina Obradović.

Short student movie made as a pilot for the sitcom.

A documentary about the most legendary hip hop saga in the Balkans.

Alisa tries to confide in her friend Isidora, and her friend avoids it, suspecting what it’s about. By the end of the evening they find themselves confronting each other.

The documentary is a collage portrait of Dušan Makavejev, featuring many actors from the heyday of filmmaking in the 1950s, the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, and later decades, such as Svetozar Cvetković, Branko Vučićević, Miša Radivojević, Pega Popović, Eva Ras, Zdravko Randić, Slobodan Šijan, and Želimir Žilnik.

How can we represent three-dimensional objects on a flat surface, or four-dimensional ones within three dimensions? Wormhole explores higher dimensions by showing the fourth as “slices” of reality. Inspired by the idea that all space and time exist at once, it invites viewers to imagine a universe with up to 11 dimensions.

Four friends hop on their bikes and set off on an extraordinary adventure: to reach Elbrus, Europe's highest peak. With no fixed itinerary and no certainty about where they will sleep, they ride along, lulled by the road, their encounters, and simple pleasures. Between camping under the stars, impromptu feasts, and mountain adventures, they finally reach the summit... before taking off in paragliders. Along the way, they discover pure freedom, where riding is enough to make them happy. What if the summit was just an excuse to get away?

One night, one party... two lonely individuals.

The story about the humiliation of survivors of the Mamula Fortress, a notorious former WWII concentration camp on the small Montenegrin island as the Montenegrin Government has decided to transform it into a luxury resort.

The district parliament debates on the height of the speaker stand for two weeks.

Prince Albert I takes us on a voyage through his memories. From the early days in the Spanish Navy all the way to the polar circle. An extraordinary journey of a man who split his life between royal responsibilities and a passion for the oceans.

Through the diverse life stories of three transgender individuals, the film poses the question of freedom, understanding, and acceptance in countries torn between traditional principles and aspirations toward the West. Helena is an early retired major, the first military person in Serbia to do gender transition. Kamila is from Bosnia and Herzegovina, still hoping for transition in Serbia after years of trying. Vuk was baptized in Montenegro as the first transgender person who did not complete the transition at that time. His gender transition unexpectedly saved his life.

The times have been rough on our cooking show host yet he still persists in his passion for harming others

A day in the life of a family in the countryside near Belgrade during the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999.

This docudrama is based on the genuine testimonies of eight women who survived sexual violence in childhood and in the past years addressed the service of the “Incest Trauma Center”.

Based on the Serbian folk tale ‘Girl Faster Than a Horse’, animated film Trkija (Elusiveness) is a story about a girl of peculiar origin and even more peculiar beauty.

An old man lives his days in solitude in an abandoned village in rural Serbia. He contemplates on his life, remembering his wife, the war, his hometown and his late family.

The film follows a group of convicts serving sentences in the Belgrade District Prison. With thoughts focused on their wives and children, convicts reconsider their decisions as they dream of freedom and reunion with their families.