PRODUCTION: Veteran Director Lordan Zafranović Shoots Serbian Feature Film The Children of Kozara

01-08-2023

PRODUCTION: Veteran Director Lordan Zafranović Shoots Serbian Feature Film The Children of Kozara

By Zoran Janković

Vuk Trnavac and Aleksej Bjelogrlić in The Children of Kozara by Lordan Zafranović photo: Glorija Bobinac and Marina Ilić

BELGRADE: Following a short shooting in the summer of 2022, more than 100 actors and 60 professionals are currently filming the Serbian feature and TV drama series The Children of Kozara / Djeca Kozare in the vicinity of the Serbian town of Bela Crkva. The project is directed by the renowned Yugoslav filmmaker Lordan Zafranović, thus making his first feature in this post-Yugoslav region since 1988.

The story of The Children of Kozara (working title) depicts the suffering of children in the concentration camp of Jasenovac during the WWII Independent State of Croatia (NDH), the fascist state on the soil of today’s Croatia and neighbouring regions.

„This film brings along a major message: here, in this region, it is possible for different nations to live together, side by side. One should not forget the evil that was done, but at the same time we are bound to live together“, Lordan Zafranović has pointed out.

The cast includes actors and actresses of different generations and from different countries of the post-Yugoslav region: Predrag Miki Manojlović, Irfan Mensur, Leon Lučev, Rene Bitorajac, Anica Dobra, Milovoj Beader, Milan Marić, Katarina Radivojević, Saša Joksimović, Pavle Mensur, Aleksej Bjelogrlić, Miodrag Dragičević and Isidora Janković.

Zafranović is directing from the script written by Arsen Diklić and himself, together with Uroška Tatomir.

Legendary production designer and Zafranović’s long-time collaborator Milenko Jeremić has created the complex settings on several locations in Serbia and the Republic of Srpska.

The entire project, consisting of the feature and six-episode TV drama series, is produced by Minacord Produkcija together with Telekom Srbija and RTS – Radio Television of Serbia, whereas Košutnjak Film is in charge of executive production.

The project is supported by Film Center Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, the Government of the Republic of Srpska and the Audio-Visual Center of the Republic of Srpska.

The 2023 shooting started in the first days of June and is planned to end by the beginning of September. The premiere is expected in the first months of 2024.

Production Information:

Producers:
Director Lordan Zafranović, photo: Glorija Bobinac and Marina Ilić Minacord Produkcija (Serbia)
Telekom Srbija (Serbia)
RTS – Radio Television of Serbia (Serbia)
Executive producer: Košutnjak Film (Serbia)
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Credits:
Director: Lordan Zafranović
Scriptwriter: Arsen Diklić, Lordan Zafranović, Uroška Tatomir
DoP: Goran Volarević
Production designer: Milenko Jeremić
Costume designer: Boris Čakširan
Cast: Predrag Miki Manojlović, Irfan Mensur, Leon Lučev, Rene Bitorajac, Anica Dobra, Milovoj Beader, Milan Marić, Katarina Radivojević, Saša Joksimović, Pavle Mensur, Aleksej Bjelogrlić, Miodrag Dragičević, Isidora Janković

Published in Serbia