Inspired by true events, the film follows the life of Stanoje Reljić, a small-to-large man from the slopes of Mount Radan (in the extreme south of Serbia), who becomes a paradigm of the evil destiny of man, the right to life and the primal struggle for survival on the great-grandfather's hearth. Left to his own devices, pushed aside and abandoned, he does not want to give in and defending the glory of baptism, honour, dignity and the right to freedom, he defends the universal principles of life.

“Guardian of the Icon of St. George / Čuvar ikone Svetog Đorđa is a drama of tragic optimism, which metaphorically treats the eternal struggle between good and evil, the struggle of a small man with the system, social circumstances, and natural laws. In the unfathomable vastness of the universe, the question of what is one, tiny man, and what are his problems, does he have the right to his own torment and what is the importance of everything that humanity is fighting for, are questions that are secretly revealed through our story”, Jelena Bajić Jočić told FNE.

Jočić is directing from a script written by her father, Radoš Bajić, who plays the main character in the film. The cast includes: Miona Marković, Aleksandar Đurica, Branko Janković and Slaviša Čurović, among others.

Contrast Studios is producing  in coproduction with the Cultural Centre of Niš, the People’s Theatre of Timočka Krajina – The Cultural Centre Zoran Radmilović, and the Radio Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The production has been supported by the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Religious Communities of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, as well as the the town of Niš and the town of Zaječar. 

The shooting started at the beginning of June 2025.

Contrast Studios also produced Jočić’s debut feature Ice / Led (2012) and Serbia’s 2024 official Oscar bid The Heroes of Halyard / Heroji Halijarda directed by Radoš Bajić.

Production information:

Producer:
Contrast Studios (Serbia)
office@contraststudios.rs

Coproducers:
Cultural Centre of Niš (Serbia)
People’s Theatre of Timočka Krajina – The Cultural Centre „Zoran Radmilović“ (Serbia)
Radio Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Credits:
Director: Jelena Bajić Jočić
Scriptwriter: Radoš Bajić
DoP: Predrag Jočić
Cast: Radoš Bajić, Miona Marković, Aleksandar Đurica, Branko Janković, Slaviša Čurović, Vjera Mujović, Nedeljko Bajić, Aleksandar Filimonović, Čubrilo Čupić, Strahinja Bičanin, Miroslav Jović, Marko Radojević, Jovana Popović, Danilo Petrović, Aleksandar Stevanović, Aleksandar Marinković, Miloš Tanasković, Sava Stojanović, Dragoslav Ilić, Katrina Mitić