The best serbian movies ever

Serbian cinematography is more than a century old and, throughout this period, passing through numerous stages and facing various challenges such hardships, censorship, and political unrests, nonetheless it has produced a plethora of achievements, which have been praised by many generations, and even today one is blissfully happy to watch them still because they are favorite among the audience to date.


The first Serbian feature film was shot in 1911. It was a black-and-white silent movie "Karađorđe", directed by Ilija Stanojević. The first feature film was recorded in 1942, directed by Dusan Makavejev, famous for his performances from the so-called black movements, which is a film "Innocence with no protection". A decade later, in 1957, the first feature color film - "Pop Cira and Pop Spira" was shot under the direction of the first Serbian director, Soja Jovanovic.


These films may not be the most popular films, but they will certainly remain on record in the Serbian cinema archives, primarily because they were extraordinary pioneering examples, each in their own provenance when it comes to the technological development of the art of film making. However, there are also films that, with their quality, but also thanks to the fact that they were well received with the audience, they also seem to be writing the golden pages of the history of Serbian cinema. Still, it's hard to say which the best films ever are, given that tastes and preferences tend to vary over time, and so does the question of what is crucial in determining the best movies ?! What is more important the taste of the audience or the informed criticism of film critics? Or is it perhaps the passage of time and the duration of a movie the best criterion? Who is to be the chief judge and who is to decide what good films are? What if the taste of the audiences and the tastes of professional critics about the domestic movies and TV series were not always compatible, so it often does happen that films appeal to critics to achieve perfect ranking on cinematic budgets and vice versa.


Though one feels rather awkward if they have to come up with the list such as this one , we present you about twenty achievements that we think are well deserving of the pedestal of the "best movies ever," and used as benchmarks in film criticism, as well as commercial successes of films and audience reception. It's up to you to decide whether you wish to wait for this chronological list or if you feel like watching a movie, go and just do it


March on the Drina (1964)


Directed by: Živorad Žika Mitrović

Script: Arsen Diklic / Zivorad Zika Mitrovic

Cast: Aleksandar Gavrić, Ljuba Tadić, Nikola Jovanović, Dragomir Bojanić, Zoran Radmilović ...

Plot: The film is based on a historical event, the battle of Cer, but it does not represent a chronological account of the battle, but rather follows the destiny of the soldiers of the artillery battery of the Combined Division and their psyche during the early stages of the First World War.


Collectors of feathers (1967)


Director / Screenplay: Aleksandar Sasa Petrovic
Cast: Becky Fehmi, Oliver Katarina, Velimir Bata Živojinović

Plot: The film focuses on the lives of the Roma people in a Vojvodina village, but in addition, the film touches upon many more complex underlying issues – love and relationships among different minorities and social groups.
This film is a typical representative of the black movement of Yugoslav cinema, but the film has been a great commercial success regardless, having been awarded Grand Prix of the Jury at the Film Festival in Cannes. In addition, this film was also nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscars.

National Class (1979)


Director/script: Goran Markovic

Cast: Dragan Nikolić, Bogdan Diklić, Gorica Popović ...

Plot: Floyd is a young man from a Belgrade suburb who is into car races in the national league, and at the same time he is a womanizer to boot. The film follows his ambition to climb the social ladder and possibly wriggle his way into high society, and in order to achieve this, he was supposed to win a crucial car race, as well as to try and put off his being drafted for the military service.


Who is singing there (1980)


Director: Slobodan Šijan
Scenario: Dusan Kovacevic
Cast: Pavle Vuisic, Danilo Bata Stojkovic, Aleksandar Bercek, Dragan Nikolic ...

Plot: In the spring of 1941, the day before the air raid on Belgrade, a group of passengers started moving the old ramshackle Krstić’s Family packed bus ride through the capital. The bizarre things happening to them on their way , as well as their interpersonal relations, are a potent symbol of the broader image of a society which seems to have been in utter chaos verging on anarchy and meaninglessness, as well as the unfortunate ending of an era that will eventually vanish into the blaze of the explosion.

The proof of the quality of this film is that it appeals to all the generations that have followed since, and it is one of those which were welcomed with great public acclaim both by the audience and critics alike. It has been awarded a number of times at international film festivals and its fame will surely last for decades to come.


Variola vera (1982)


Directed by: Goran Markovic
Scenario: Milan Nikolic, Goran Markovic

Cast: Rade Šerbedžija, Dušica Žegarac

Plot: The film follows the events, as well as the psycho-physical condition of patients during the outbreak of measles in the territory of the then Serbia in 1972.
The film was awarded with numerous awards for acting, as well as for screenplay and directing.


Marathon runners run a round of honor (1982)


Director: Slobodan Šijan
Scenario: Dusan Kovacevic
Cast: Pavle Vuisic, Danilo Bata Stojkovic, Bogdan Diklic, Zoran Radmilovic, Bora Todorovic, Jelisaveta Seka Sablic ...

PLOT: In the Topalovices family, which consists of six generations of prominent men of good standing, there are rows and disagreements when the youngest among them decide not to follow in the footsteps of a lucrative family business – the funeral directors. He is a film lover who happens to be in love with the daughter of his family's business partners, who have some unsettled issues yet unresolved’. Eventually, the feud between these two families draws to a close, and in this conflict, the family members are not being selective about the generous personal cash contributions since money is not an object.

The same as in the previous film with Sijan and Kovacevic, this film has also won many awards at international film festivals, and it is equally well received by the audience, and today one can often hear quotes from this movie in local vernacular and as an indelible part of the local culture.


Balkan spy (1984)


Director / Screenplay: Dusan Kovacevic
Cast: Danilo Bata Stojkovic, Mira Banjac, Sonja Savic, Bora Todorovic, Zvonko Lepetic ...


Plot - This film follows the political paranoia of the former Stalinist Ilija Cvorovic, who seems to be snapping at the feet of his lodger, a returnee from France, whom he believes is a foreign intelligence agent and an enemy of the state


We Are Not Angels (1992)


Director / Screenplay: Srdjan Dragojevic

Cast: Nikola Kojo, Srdjan Todorovic, Uros Djuric, Milena Pavlovic, Branka Katic ...

Plot: The film follows what seems to be a very rough and eventful night and love life of a twenty-year-old literature student, who at the beginning has to deal with a massive hangover after a piss up in a brewery and waking up in the beds of young women who tend to be complete strangers to him. However, problems occur when one of his girls gets pregnant and then all forces break loose to try to get the rabid philanderer to behave in a civil way and possibly get him to fall in love with her.

This comedy was a smash hit in cinemas and is still one of the most successful Serbian films ever given its blockbuster success. In the meantime, two sequels of this cult movie have been made, but it is up to you to decide whether they are as good as the first part

Tito and me (1992)


Director / script: Goran Markovic
Cast: Dimitrije Vojnov, Lazar Ristovski, Miki Manojlovic, Anica Dobra, Olivera Markovic ...


PLOT: The film is about a ten-year-old boy who, like other people in the former Yugoslavia in the 1950s, can not imagine any part of his life without the great leader of the nation - President Tito. The boy in a song dedicated to Tito writes that he loves him more than his mother and father, which brings his parents on the verge of despair.


Underground (1995)


Directed by: Emir Kusturica

Script: Dusan Kovacevic
Cast: Miki Manojlovic, Lazar Ristovski, Mirjana Jokovic ...

SCRIPT: The film talks about families hiding in underground chambers during the Nazi occupation of Belgrade. During this time, they, with the help of war racketeers, produce weapons for the Resistance. After the war, they continue this business, as their assistant submits fake reports of German victories to them in order to keep them underground and continue to line his own pockets out of this lucrative business


The film was awarded the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival and was also a Serbian candidate for the Oscar.


Pretty little villages burn down well (1996)


Directed by: Srdjan Dragojevic
Scenario: Srdjan Dragojevic, Vanja Bulic, Biljana Maksic, Nikola Pejakovic
Cast: Milorad Mandic, Nikola Kojo, Dragan Bjelogrlic, Marko Kovijanic, Nikola Pejakovic, Petar Bozovic ...


Plot: The film was made based on a true event when seven Serbian soldiers were captured in 1992 in the tunnel Brodar near Medjeda during the war in Bosnia.
This film was the Serbian candidate for Academy Award for the best film from the non-English speaking countries and is one of the films that is considered a true classic of Serbian cinema.


Yelping at the stars (1998)


Directed by: Zdravko Šotra
Scenario: Zdravko Sotra, Milovan Vitezovic
Cast: Dragan Mićanović, Natasa Šolak, Nikola Simić, Velimir Bata Živojinović ...

Plot: Characters of this film are students and teachers of a grammar school in the 1960s. Their lives are typical of high school students and are the right way of life as it were since very many of us can identify with it with no difficulty whatsoever.
The quotes from this film are still common today, 20 years later, in the vernacular and colloquial expressions of a huge number of teenagers and adults of today


Wounds (1998)


Director / Screenplay: Srdjan Dragojevic
Cast: Dušan Pekić, Milan Marić, Dragan Bjelogrlić, Branka Katić, Miki Manojlović ...

Plot: The film is based on a true event following two boys who grew up in Belgrade from 1991 to 1996. Their childhood was the one of deprivation and abject poverty due to sanctions, war, and the criminalization of the entire society and their fate is about to lead them astray and waylay them off the course

Zona Zamfirova (2002)


Director / Screenplay: Zdravko Sotra (according to Stevan Sremac's story of the same name)
Cast: Katarina Radivojevic, Vojin Cetkovic, Dragan Nikolic, Milena Dravic, Nikola Djuricko ...

Plot: The film depicts the love story of two young people who belong to different walks of life. She is the daughter of a notable and wealthy merchant, and he is of humble background. Although on the brink of ruin, their love will overcome all obstacles and topple down the societal norms and mores on the suitability of one person’s choice of a spouse. The setting of this film is located in Nis in the late 19th century.

This film surpassed all expectations since it ranks high when the most popular movies are chosen in our country, and according to popular belief, this is the most viewed Serbian movie of all time, with over a million viewers in cinemas


When I grow up I'll be a kangaroo (2004)


Director: Radivoje Andrić
Scenario: Miroslav Momčilović
Cast: Sergei Trifunovic, Maria Karan, Boris Milivojevic, Gordan Kicic ...

Plot: The film consists of three overlapping parallel stories happening in Belgrade, and they are about the lives of young people who are reaching a midlife crisis, who seem to be facing the fact that nothing of great importance has happened in their lives.


This film has left an indelible mark on the lives of a generation that has emerged at the onset of a new millennium, and has been awarded at international festivals.


The Fourth Man (2007)


Directed by: Dejan Zecevic
Scenario: Boban Jeftić, Dejan Zečević
Cast: Nikola Kojo, Marija Karan, Dragan Petrovic, Bogdan Diklic, Dragan Nikolic ...

Plot: The film follows the struggles of a major in the Military Intelligence Agency, who comes round from a two-month-long coma and complete amnesia, only to face his future of finding out who killed his family. With no family of his own, he feels as if he had no identity of his own whatsoever, and the only chance to get to know yourself is to venture in a game offered by an inspector who claims to have information about the deaths of his family members.

We seem to have proven the fact that the most popular comedies are ‘within us’ only to be told and narrated in order to see the broad daylight. This is one of the rare thrillers in Serbian cinema and besides, it is one of the most expensive Serbian films ever.


Montevideo, God saw you (2010)


Directed by: Dragan Bjelogrlic
Scenario: Srdjan Dragojevic, Ranko Bozic
Actors: Milos Bikovic, Petar Strugar, Viktor Savic, Aleksandar Radojicic, Nina Jankovic, Danina Jeftić, Nebojša Ilić, Mima Karadžić, Branimir Brstina ...

Plot: The film tells a story about one of the greatest successes of the Yugoslav national team (which was then only played by players from Serbia) at the World Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930. This is a story not only of a huge effort, sacrifice, faith but of friendship and love as well.

Two sequels of the film were made, and a series of 27 episodes (three seasons) was made. The film has been awarded multiple times both at domestic and international film festivals.


Little Budo (2014)


Directed by: Danilo Bećković
Scenario: Dimitrije Vojnov, Danilo Bećković
Cast: Petar Strugar, Sergej Trifunovic, Tihomir Stanic, Petar Bozovic ...

Plot: This dark comedy speaks in a rather humorous way about a bizarre phenomenon of the blood feud that is still ongoing in some parts of Montenegro today. Namely, in order to protect his son from a blood feud, a famous Montenegrin surgeon, he sent his son Budo to Belgrade with a friend. Here begins the harsh struggle of a young boy, both against a crime-ridden nightlife of Belgrade and against the people who ‘want his head on a platter’ in an atrocious act of vendetta.

When it comes to the most popular movies of the newer generation, this film is certainly among the leading ones, primarily among the younger population.


Besides me (2015)


Director: Stevan Filipovic

Script: Milena Bogavac, Stevan Filipovic
Cast: Slaven Došlo, Hristina Popović, Mirjana Karanović, Dragan Mićunović, Nikola Glišić ...

Plot: High school students are locked in at school over the weekend, without internet access and mobile phones, because they did not want to disclose who was responsible for the attack on their classmates. A group of young people who had been sharing a classroom and school benches for the past four years actually did not know anything about each other, so the film seems to have an underlying story of alienation, utter chaos, and anarchy that reign among young people.

The film has been shown at many festivals around the world, and it was awarded the Golden Arena in Pula, as well as at the festival in Vrnjacka Banja. One of the top favorite films among the millennials and one of the most viewed of this decade.

Cattle (2016)
( N. B. which is a local slang means ‘ pigs’ or lowlife, livestock, anybody who would do anything for money and is treated in that way)


Directed by: Nikola Kojo
Scenario: Nebojša Romčević
Cast: Nikola Kojo, Vesna Trivalić, Zoran Cvijanović, Nataša Ninković

Plot: It's a satirical comedy about the life of actors behind the camera lens, who at one point place their bare existence on at risk in order to create a great film masterpiece. They will have to agree to numerous compromises ‘on their way up to the stars’, and even the "the pact with the Devil " in order to provide the funds for their work.

The film also represents a severe criticism of society of its sort; it also shows moral dilemmas and temptations in a witty way in which an ordinary person finds himself/herself on a regular daily basis. This is one of those films that gained great public acclaim and welcome by the audience, which was the most watched t in cinemas that year, but the harsh critics seem to have "diminished its merits" for some mysterious reason...

We are aware that many good films have not found their well-deserved place in this list for some reason, because it is impossible to list all of them, so please bear with us if you come to realize that the best movies you may have ever seen might not be there. Domestic films and TV series have always drawn in special attention of the audience, and unsurprisingly a number of high-quality performances have been recorded in the history of Serbian cinema.

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