Serbian hitmaker Željko Joksimović returns to London stage
Serbian singer-songwriters do not come much greater or more successful than Željko Joksimović, the man behind many of this century’s best Balkan ballads.
London audiences will be able to judge for themselves when the charismatic star performs at The Troxy on Friday (24 March).
“This will be my third performance in London and I’m very happy to be coming back,’ Željko told Marcus Agar.
“I have received many messages from people who like my music, who can’t wait for the concert to start. I feel the same. I am sure it will be a great night.
To many outside Serbia, Željko is best known for his two highly placed Eurovision performances – the sublime Lane moje (2004) and Nije ljubav stvar (2012).
Berlin premiere for Bojan Vuletić’s Serbian satire Requiem for Mrs J
A Serbian black comedy about suicide, bureaucracy and a mother’s endless struggle to make ends meet in a society hampered by its past is flagged as a must-see film at the über-prestigious Berlinale International Film Festival (9-18 February).
Requiem for Mrs J (Rekvijem za gospodju J) tells of a middle-aged Serbian widow (Mirjana Karanović) whose tough but mundane life seems increasingly hopeless.
Pushed to her limits – by the death of the family rabbit, no less – Jelena (Mrs J) resolves to commit suicide on the anniversary of her husband’s death. She has just one week to put her affairs in order.
“The idea for the story originates from intimate acquaintance with a woman who embodies a typical victim of the transition process in Serbia,’ said the film’s writer and director Bojan Vuletić.
Festival audiences line up for ambitious Serbian thriller Incarnation
High concept thriller Incarnation is the latest Serbian film to attract attention, as word of mouth builds in the wake of premiere screenings in the UK, US and in the Balkans.
Following the film’s world premiere at London’s celebrated Raindance Film Festival and a showing at ScreamFest in Hollywood, the fast-paced actioner from Belgrade director Filip Kovačević has more screenings lined up for November.
Audiences at Germany’s prestigious Cottus Film Festival (Kammerbühne, Cottbus: 8/9 Nov) and Night Visions in Helsinki, Finland (Kinopalatsi, Helsinki: 9/12 Nov) will be next to see the film that is attracting so much attention.
Incarnation is a visually striking thriller about a seemingly ordinary young man (Stojan Djordjevic) who gets stuck in an enigmatic loop, in which he gets killed repeatedly by four masked assassins.
The Promise of Wine, Feuds and Passion in Rural Serbia
Even hardened teetotallers would be moved by The Promise, a character driven documentary of passion and determination to unleash dormant potential in a proud people and their fertile land.
Vineyards in the village of Rogljevo in Eastern Serbia once sent wine around Europe and were exhibited in Bordeaux and Paris.
Those days are long gone and this region close to the Romanian border is run down and neglected: wineries are in ruins, tourism is negligible, and the less than 200 villagers still living there struggle to make ends meet.
The Promise is a stunningly filmed documentary that follows the trials and tribulations of a French couple who relocate to a remote Serbian village with a vision to revive the lost traditions of a forgotten wine-making region.
