8th Sports Film Festival in the New Cultural Center Venue
The 8th International Sports Film Festival Zlatibor was officially opened on June 30, 2019, held for the first time in the hall of the newly opened Cultural Center in Zlatibor. The founders of the festival are the Municipality of Čajetina, the Tourist Organization Zlatibor, Užice-based “Maja Film,” and the Sports Center Čajetina. Hosts of the festival, the leading officials of the Municipality of Čajetina, Milan Stamatović and Arsen Đurić, expressed their satisfaction in their opening remarks that, in its eighth edition, the International Sports Film Festival has finally found its permanent home.
A welcome to the 8th Festival was also extended by the renowned Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art from Jagodina, through an exhibition of paintings created at the International Art Colony held on Zlatibor.
Nikolai Parokhovnik, a long-time selector of the Festival and a member of this year’s international jury, presented Honorary Medals on behalf of the World Federation of Sports Film Festivals, based in Milan. The recipients were Jovan Marković, one of the founders and Artistic Director of the Festival; Arsen Đurić, President of the Festival’s Organizing Committee and a key figure in its development; and Milan Stamatović, President of the Municipality of Čajetina, who also contributed to the construction of the Cultural Center building.
The Lifetime Achievement Awards at this year’s festival were presented to Borislav “Bora” Stanković, long-time Secretary General of FIBA and Hall of Fame member; Dobrivoje Tanasijević “Dan Tana,” athlete, actor, businessman, and global citizen; Olympic champion Branislav Simić; basketball coach and Hall of Fame member Bogdan Tanjević; and actor Gojko Mitić, who achieved a successful European career. The “Nataša Kovačević” Charter for Hero of Sport and Life was awarded to Goran Nikolić, who ran 77 marathons in 77 days and is the main protagonist of the film “Eyes Wide Open.”
The international jury of the 8th Zlatibor Festival included Vladimir Stanković (Serbia, Jury President), Nikolai Parokhovnik (Russia), and Dušan Vrakela (Serbia). Awards are presented for Best Film (Grand Prix), Best Feature-Length and Short Documentary, Best Fiction Film, Best Director and Cinematography, and Best Film about a Sports Personality. A Special Jury Award was granted to the City of Zrenjanin for its outstanding contribution to the development of sport.
Over the following three days, audiences had the opportunity to watch a rich selection of films, including “Golden Boys of the Seventies” (world premiere), about Yugoslavia’s legendary basketball team led by Ranko Žeravica; the Spanish film “Symphony in Yellow” about Maccabi’s European titles; “Bogdan Bogdanović” (world premiere) by Slobodan Šarenac, featuring behind-the-scenes insights into Sacramento; “Vlade Divac”, about the career of the famous Serbian basketball player and his retirement in 2007; “Our Nole, Champion of the People” about tennis star Novak Djokovic, directed by Vladimir P. Petrović; “Ivana Španović: My Path” about the Serbian athletics champion; a Bosnian film about KK Bosna’s European triumph; films about Ivica Osim, Miroslav “Ćiro” Blažević, and legendary Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin; the Croatian film “Always the Same” about NBA player Dario Šarić; a film about swimmer Martin Strel and his Amazon achievement; the German film “Kick-Off” about the German women’s national football team; as well as productions from Norway (skateboarding), the United States (extreme auto racing), Japan (the indomitable spirit of a judo champion), Bulgaria (a high jump world record holder), Canada (synchronized swimming), China (“Ski Adventures”), and many others.