The XIV International Sports Film Festival successfully concluded
This year, Zlatibor also hosted the International Sports Film Festival, which gathered filmmakers, sports legends and numerous visitors from the country and the region from August 21 to 24. The final evening of the festival, held in the Zlatibor Cultural Center, was marked by the awarding of prestigious awards, emotional speeches and projections that once again confirmed the strong connection between sport and art.
The Grand Prix “Gold gondola” went to the film “Brother” by Vladimir Pajić, dedicated to the life and career of Dejan Milojević, while the audience award was won by the film “Prva klasa: Pun gas” produced and written by Rade Ćosić. Goran Anđelković’s “The First Champion’s Balcony” was awarded for a film about high moral values in sports, while the award for the best film about a personality in sports went to “Bulevar Ivica Osim” by Muhamed Bikić. The film “Runda 13” by Gasper Pavlin from Slovenia, which took home the award for photography, design and innovation, was especially noted, while the award “Dinko Tucaković – Gold gondola” for the direction of the documentary film went to Ivica Vidanović and Aleksandar Miletić for the film “Guardians of Tradition”. Among the laureates are Nikolaj Akelkin, who was awarded for the feature film “Feđa, the national football player”, Aleksandar Paunović for the feature-length documentary film “Moca, one of the most beautiful football stories”, Suzana Lazić for the medium-length production “Here’s a goal”, while the recognition for the short documentary film went to Gokce Kan Demirkiran from Turkey for the film “Galip”.
In addition to the main awards, special awards were also given for contributions to film art, television and sports, which were won by the authors of the films “Dragon from Koseze” by Marko Pirc, “When a dream becomes reality” by Stojanka Lekić, Dušan Udički and Đula Feldeši, “White and blue” by Tomislav Žaja, as well as “Rabotnički – a brand under the baskets” by Igor Ivanovski and Matej Milev.
The festival was also marked by the awarding of lifetime achievement awards, which were given to judo legend Vuk Rašović, boxer Fazlija Šaćirović, sports journalist Sašo Ilijoski, handball great Hrvoje Horvat, basketball camp “Aleksandar Nikolić”, motorcycle athlete Dragoslav Kule Perišić, and posthumously football icon Momčilo Moca Vukotić. The awards presented evoked strong emotions, reminding the audience of the timeless value of sports heritage that remains a lasting inspiration for future generations.
The XIV International Sports Film Festival once again confirmed that the “golden mountain” goes beyond the boundaries of a destination known for its natural beauty and tourist attractions, but has become a place where culture, sport and film meet in a unique way on the international stage. The rich festival program and award-winning achievements contributed to the fact that the event, which has been going on for more than a decade, strengthens its importance year after year, affirms film art and sports and enriches the cultural offer of Zlatibor, attracting an increasing number of visitors from the country and abroad.