Montenegrin film "Obraz", directed by Nikola Vukčević, will be screened in the main feature film competition program at the San Diego International Film Festival, which will take place from October 15 to 19, 2025. This will make this film its American premiere at one of the most important independent film festivals in the USA.
The festival's selectors included "Face" in the program along with 23 other films from around the world, chosen from more than 3.500 entries. Among them are some of the most anticipated works of contemporary cinema, such as "Rebuilding" Max Walker-Silverman, the award-winning film "Hamnet" Chloe Sorry, zatim "After the Hunt" Luke Gvadanjina sa By Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri i Andrew Garfield, as well as "Rental Family Hikari" in Brendan Frajzer.
The San Diego International Film Festival, which is celebrating its 24th edition this year, is known for presenting films that reflect on social issues, human rights, migration, and universal themes. Vukčević's film fits precisely into this approach, exploring identity, moral values, and universal dilemmas through Balkan historical experiences.
"We believe that Obraz represents a strong contribution to cinema that explores human identity and moral values, and the film's festival travels to date confirm its artistic value and international interest. We are extremely excited about the American premiere in this prestigious selection with some of the authors who shape global cinema. Also, participation in this festival represents an extraordinary opportunity for further international affirmation of the film, as well as for introducing a wider audience to a story that deals with Balkan historical experiences, but also universal themes," said the executive producer. Milorad Radenović.
The feature film "Face" has been attracting great attention from the domestic and international public since its premiere. The script is written by Ana Vujadinović i Melina Pota Koljević, and the story is set during World War II. The film tells the story of a child fleeing persecution and finding refuge with an Albanian host. Although physical danger threatens from all sides, the central conflict lies in the host's moral dilemma - how far he is willing to go to protect the other, the different and the endangered.
The film had its world premiere on November 7, 2024, at the Cottbus Film Festival in Germany, in the main competition program. It was then included in several other prestigious festivals, including the Cairo Film Festival. Additional recognition came when "Obraz" was selected as the Montenegrin candidate for the 2025 Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category.
Immediately after its release on the international scene, "Obraz" began to win awards and recognitions around the world. So far, the film has been awarded at numerous festivals: Italy, i-Fest (Calabria): award for best film in the main program, Russia, Altyn Minbar (Kazan): award for best film, as well as a special mention for best cinematography Djordje Stojiljković, Spain, Zaragoza Film Festival: two significant awards – Silver Dragon for direction to Nikola Vukčević and the award for best screenplay (Ana Vujadinović and Melina Pota Koljević), Bulgaria, Sofia International Film Festival: the film was included among the 12 best Balkan films, in the competition for the Best Balkan Film Award.
Bonus video:
