The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded posthumously Ranka Velimirović at the International Meetings of Culture and Film Festival "Yperia 2023" on the island of Amorgos in Greece.
In the explanation, it is stated that Velimirović earned the award for her achievements in the field of documentary film, as well as in the promotion of ecology and work dedicated to the preservation of the environment.
The prize was awarded by the representative of UNESCO in Greece, Ionnais Maronitis, during the evening dedicated to the figure and work of Ranka Velimirović.
In addition, the festival also awarded a Special Award for directing to Ranka and her son Mladen Velimirović for the environmental film "Magic Forests and Waters of Stara Planina" produced by Libra Film and VFC Zastava Film.
Cultural meetings and a film festival were held in mid-November, and the program featured around 250 films from 80 countries.
Ranka Velimirović was born in 1940 in Podgorica, where she grew up. She collaborated with her husband from an early age Zdravko Velimirović on his cinematic achievements, and after his death she continued her mission of preserving his legacy. She founded the Libra Film production company during the eighties, within which the married couple Velimirović made a large number of documentary films, many of which were also made in Montenegro. Today Libra Film is managed by Mladen Velimirović.
She was dedicated to the protection and promotion of the cultural tradition and natural beauty of Montenegro, where she was born, and Serbia, where she lived. She presented herself at numerous international festivals and was often a member of the jury at various shows.
She died in Belgrade in 2020.
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