After a heart attack, Jovan, a retired architect of Serbian origin, who spent most of his life in Germany, refuses to give into his daughter's pressure to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home. With his grandson Nikola, who has Asperger's syndrome, he travels to his homeland, a village in Serbia, to sell the family land, but becomes a part of a local population's rebellion against the construction mafia that threatens to destroy everything that is left of his homeland.
The script was written by Brzaković and Hajdana Baletić, and the cast is led by Miralem Zubčević, David Stanču, Jelena Bosanac, Anica Dobra, Sanja Vejnović and Nika Rozman.
The House is produced by Nebojša Miljković through Belgrade-based TALAS FILM Production. Višnja Nikitin is the executive producer.
Nebojša Miljković explained for FNE his engagement in the fifth project made with Brzaković: “Until now, we have worked exclusively on documentaries, while this is the first feature film for both of us, that we are making with the support of Film Center Serbia. For me, the most valuable asset of this film is not just the warm and engaging story about a family and its ability to survive in a world led by economical rather than moral values, but the fact that it addresses vital issues of today. The House is a story about roots, memories and identity, both individual and collective, in which standing up against injustice, corruption and exploitation of nature stresses the importance of making a moral choice.”
The first part of the shooting, which wrapped on 6 July 2024, took place on locations on the mountain of Stara planina and in the town of Pirot. The second part of shooting has been set up for September 2024.
“Thanks to the international team that approached the project with great enthusiasm, as well as the logistical support we got from the locals of the Dojkinci village on Stara planina, where we shot a significant number of scenes, we managed to shoot the film with minimal financial resources, which certainly classifies our project as a low-budget film. After the filming is done, we plan to search for additional funds in order to cover the postproduction of the film. We are mainly hoping to attract the film funds in the region, but given the universality of the story and the international cast and crew, we think that The House has the potential for a breakthrough on the wider European market,” Nebojša Miljković also said
Film Center Serbia granted the project production support of approximately 256,300 EUR / 30 m RSD in December 2022.
Production Information:
Producer:
TALAS FILM Production (Serbia)
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Credits:
Director: Tanja Brzaković
Scriptwriters: Tanja Brzaković, Hajdana Baletić
DoP: Aleksandar Kalezič
Production designer: Slobodanka Pilić
Costume designer: Liljana Petrović
Cast: Miralem Zubčević, David Stanču, Jelena Bosanac, Anica Dobra, Sanja Vejnović, Nika Rozman, Zoran Živković, Milan Nakov, Aleksandar Aleksić, Danica Mitić
