Kindness, humanity, dignity are the essence of life, and in all my films I have passionately dealt with the fates of lonely individuals, brave and honorable people of our mentality who fought for these values with ancient strength - these are the words of the director, screenwriter, professor and academic Zdravko Velimirović who passed away 20 years ago today.
An excellent Yugoslav filmmaker, he nurtured a passion for new discoveries and the transfer of knowledge throughout his life, and on the occasion of marking two decades since his death, the Yugoslav Film Archive in Belgrade is organizing a retrospective of some of his feature films as well as a photography exhibition, in the "Dušan Makavejev" ceremonial hall.
"As part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the death of Zdravko Velimirović, an accompanying exhibition of previously unexhibited photographs from the director's collection will be set up. The program begins today at 17 p.m. with a photo exhibition, and continues with screenings of feature films in fully restored versions, namely: "Day Fourteen" at 18 p.m., as well as "The Dervish and Death" tomorrow at 18 p.m., after which a screening of the film "Dorothy" will be broadcast. Zdravko Velimirović, who left an indelible mark on Serbian/Yugoslav cinema, passed away on February 7, 2005," the Yugoslav Film Archive said in a statement.
This year marks the 95th anniversary of Velimirović's birth, who is still considered one of the greatest domestic filmmakers whose works are characterized by a thoughtful sociological-historical approach with which the author studied and described the Yugoslav space, emphasizing cultural values.
"He went hand in hand with great creativity. What I am particularly proud of, apart from his high creative domains, is that he described the culture and tradition of many peoples from the Balkans, as well as Montenegro, Serbia and other regions, but also the world, while filming in France, Greece, Malta, Russia, Ukraine, Asia and the African continent. In addition to major feature films that left, I believe, an indelible mark on the culture of the people, he also made a large number of documentaries and dealt with several topics in them. As for documentaries, I would mention "Zublja Grahovačka", "Rade, son of Tomov", "Ostrog", five documentaries about the beloved Kotor and Boka Kotorska, and especially "Umir krvi" which was also a candidate for an Oscar", the great director's son, producer, pointed out for Vijesti Mladen Velimirović who took over the family tradition and runs the film studio "Libra Film" founded within the Velimirović family.
Zdravko Velimirović created some of the most significant domestic films, among which adaptations of great literary works stand out... Thus, last year marked the 50th anniversary of the film "The Dervish and Death", which was based on the famous novel Meša Selimović, for which he wrote the script Borislav Mihajlović Mihiz, produced by Centar Film, Avala Film, Bosna Film, Kosovo Film, Titograd Studio and Zeta Film. The film was restored in 2024 in cooperation with the Yugoslav Film Archive and the A1 company. It was once a Yugoslav candidate for an Oscar, and has won a large number of awards in Yugoslavia and around the world.
One of Velimirović's most significant achievements is certainly "The Fourteenth Day", created in collaboration with schoolmates, neighbors and close associates - director Velimirović and the great writer and intellectual Borislav Pekić who wrote the script, and whose 995th anniversary of birth was marked in recent days in Podgorica with an adequate program of the newly established "Pekić's Silver Hand" festival. "The Fourteenth Day" was shown at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 1961, as the first Montenegrin film in the official competition.
"When we talk about Cannes, it's not just about that film and the success of Zdravko Velimirović and other, then young, collaborators, but also about the reputation of the entire region. The film 'Day Fourteen', in addition to being a somewhat critical film and, I would say, the first such film in those times that had the audacity, also recorded many values, the beauties of the old times that many regret, and I believe that they will prevail again one day. Although a lot has changed in the world in the 21st century, this film is still contemporary and does what art cares about, which is to refine it," producer Velimirović pointed out to Vijesti.
Then, after its presentation in Cannes and positive reviews, the young creative tandem continues to receive recognition and awards...
The film "Lelejska gora" (The Lele Mountain) is also noteworthy, based on the novel Mihailo Lalic filmed in 1968 and for which Velimirović received the Thirteenth of July Award. Producer Velimirović told Vijesti that, despite the results so far, there are a number of films in his father's rich opus that need to be restored as soon as possible.
"Regarding Zdravko Velimirović's films that were made for Montenegrin production companies, such as the Lovćen film production, due to the aging of the film stock, it is urgent to restore the cult feature film 'Lelejska gora', which was shot in 1968 and for which the author received the Thirteenth of July Award. There is also the documentary film 'Zublja grahovačka', for which he also received the Thirteenth of July Award, as well as the documentary 'Umir krvi' from 1971, for which Zeta film was a co-producer," said the director's son.
He added that his father was born in Cetinje, grew up in Boka Kotorska and dedicated a significant body of documentary films to it. One of them is the short film "Sea, Sun and...", which was also restored in 2024. The documentary, made in 1971, produced by Dunav Film, is of a promotional nature and shows Boka and parts of Istria, explains producer Velimirović. It is one of seven films that the author dedicated to it, and there are also: "Nocturne for Kotor", "How to Save the City", "In Memory of the Famous Navy", "Njegoš in Boka", "Welcome to the Kotor Fjord", "Kotor, the Pearl Shell of the Adriatic".
Velimirović was born in Cetinje in 1930 and died in Belgrade in 2005. He grew up in Kotor, where he finished high school, and in Boka Bay, he gained inspiration and direction for artistic work as a young man. He graduated in film and theater directing from the Academy of Theater, Film, Radio and Television in Belgrade in 1954. He also graduated from the Paris Film School - IDHEC (1957). Later, he was engaged in both pedagogical and academic work - he was a full professor of film directing, head of the Department and dean at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade (1976-1996) and an associate professor at the University of Montreal in 1990. He was elected a full member of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts on December 12, 2003. He was a member of the jury of the Herceg Novi Film Festival, where a tribute was also paid to him last year.
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He is the author of eight feature films and more than 50 documentaries and short films, 20 radio dramas and five theater plays. His films have represented Yugoslav cinematography at numerous international film festivals.
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