The 11th International Sports Film Festival Opens at the Cultural Center
The 11th Sports Film Festival was ceremoniously opened at the Cultural Center on Zlatibor with the traditional presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards and the screening of the film “The Jump.”
The opening ceremony began with congratulations from the organizers to athletes who won medals at the European Championships in Munich. The audience had the opportunity to witness the achievements of our athletes: bronze medalist Angelina Topić, European silver medalists Adriana Vilagoš and Armin Sinančević, and the outstanding gold medalist Ivana Španović Vuleta, whose accomplishments were greeted with great applause.
The official opening was traditionally marked by the melody of the song “Zlatibore, moj zeleni bore,” performed by the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of RTS under the direction of Bojan Suđić. Following this, the President of the Municipality of Čajetina, Milan Stamatović, addressed the audience and expressed his satisfaction that a festival organized by a small municipal administration is entering its second decade while achieving increasing success year after year.
Emotions and pride inspired by memories of remarkable careers marked the opening of the 11th Sports Film Festival on Zlatibor. As the festival enters its second decade, the tradition of presenting Lifetime Achievement Awards continued. Hadži Petar Božović received the award from the world of acting, with one of his most notable roles in the series “More Than a Game,” arguably the best domestic sports TV series. The celebrated actor was unable to attend the ceremony, as was the oldest Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Aleksandar Kerković, a basketball coach and sports professor who recently celebrated his 100th birthday.
Dr. Ilija Jorga, one of the founders of karate in the Balkans, also has an extraordinary life story. The first European to achieve a 10th dan black belt and the founder of Fudokan karate was deeply moved upon receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Among the recipients is also the legendary handball coach Zoran Živković, the most decorated Serbian national team coach of all time and an Olympic gold medalist both as a player and as a coach. Laureate Đorđe Perišić was a member of the Yugoslav national team that won the first Olympic gold medal in water polo and is one of the most prominent sports officials from Montenegro.
This year’s recipient of the “Nataša Kovačević” Charter is Serbian Paralympian Draženko Mitrović, winner of 24 European, World, and Olympic medals.
Special awards were also presented to two sports teams from the Municipality of Čajetina that achieved significant success last season. The Čajetina women’s volleyball team advanced to the Serbian Second League, with the award accepted on behalf of the club by its president, Dejan Škodrić. The Zlatibor basketball team, winners of the regional ABA 2 League last season, will receive their award at the festival’s closing ceremony on Sunday.
Special recognitions were also awarded to renowned actor Milan Caci Mihailović for his long and prolific artistic career, and to Tomislav Santrač, a distinguished sports journalist who has spent decades enriching the programs of Radio Niš and Radio Belgrade with his voice.
The festival opening was attended by Dušan “Dule” Savić, Milovan Rajevac, Vesna Čitaković Đurišić, members of the Serbian women’s national basketball team, Ljubivoje Ršumović, and many others.
The competitive program of the festival also began that evening with the screening of the film “The Jump,” about Nataša Kovačević, directed by Ivica Vidanović and Aleksandar Miletić, who have been previously awarded at the festival. The jury members are Dušan Cicvara, Arijana Helać Saračević, and Oliver Paunović. The best films from the Zlatibor festival will qualify for the world’s largest sports film festival, held in Milan in November.
Until Sunday, a total of 43 documentary and feature sports films will be screened daily from 10 AM at the Cultural Center, competing for nine awards. Admission for all screenings is free.