04.10.2013.

Premiere of the film "Milunka Savic – Heroine of the Great War"

Documentary film "Milunka Savic – Heroine of the Great War" was premiered tonight at the Congress Hall of the House of Guards in Topcider. The screening was attended by the President of the Republic of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, the Defence Minister Nebojsa Rodic, ministers in the Serbian Government, Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic, as well as representatives of state and military leadership and diplomatic corps.

It is the author of the documentary work of Sladjana Zaric, directed by Ivana Stevens, made on the occasion of the four decades since the death of Milunka Savic, the most decorated women of the Great War. She was wounded four times, honoured for her military exploits by Karadjordje's gold star with swords, gold medal for bravery "Milos Stankovic", Legion of Honour grade IV (officer) and the Legion of Honor grade V (Knight), French Cross of War, Albanian memorial and jubilee memorial medal of the Salonika front.

Announcing the premiere of the film, Colonel Petar Boskovic, Head of Public Relations of the Ministry of Defence hosting the tonight's program, recalled of the heroic role of women volunteers in the Great War and the importance of participation of Milunka Savic as a volunteer in the Balkan Wars and the First World War.

- As an old sailor, I am standing still before the sacred memory of Sergeant Milunka Savic, just like all the Allied armies stood still in the naval port of Bizerte, back in 1918, when Admiral Guépratte gave her the French War Cross with a golden palm tree. She is the only Serbian woman who received this high award – Colonel Boskovic pointed out adding that Milunka Savic gave Serbia more than Serbia gave her.

According to him, Serbia gave her four medals, just one more than the allied France.

- Therefore, may the movie that you are going to see tonight be another medal to Milunka Savic – unforgivableness medal – Colonel Boskovic said.

Tonight's programme was completed by the cadets of the Military Academy dressed in replicas of the Serbian Army uniforms as well as by the performance of the Children's Choir "Kolibri" performing the anthem "God of Justice" and the song "The French Ship is Moving".

The film "Milunka Savic – Heroine of the Great War" involved eminent Serbian and French historians and family members of Milunka Savic. Documentary form is enriched with reconstruction and dramatization of certain events, and featured scenes illustrating the important moments from Milunka's warfare. The film used many, previously unreleased photos and the only surviving video record of Milunka Savic.

The film was produced by SBC Information Programme, with the support of the Ministry of Culture. Realization was supported by the Ministry of Defence, which has provided technical support, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The role of Milunka Savic was played by Military Academy Cadet Tanja Tacic. In the fiction part of the film the actors are Aljosha Vuckovic and Branislav Trifunovic.

Milunka Savic was born in Koprivnica near Raska. As a 20-year old girl, disguised as a man, she took part in the Balkan Wars as a volunteer Milun Savic. She participated as a volunteer in the First World War and at the beginning of January 1916, during the retreat of the Serbian Army, she was severely wounded and sent to Bizerte to recover. When the World War II began she was in Belgrade, and as she ran a small hospital for treating the wounded she was taken to the camp in Banjica. She was liberated thanks to his military glory. She died in October in 1973 and was buried in the family tomb at the new cemetery.

Tonight's premiere and the film program at the SBC are a part of the activities to mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Milunka Savic. In addition to the multimedia exhibition in the Central Military Club in Belgrade, which is open until 12 October, there will soon be presented also a website, a kind of digital museum dedicated to our heroine. It has also been planned to transfer the remains of Milunke Savic from the New Cemetery to the Alley of the Greats.

Speaking about the impressions after the premiere of the film on Milunka Savic, Commandant of the Military Academy, Major General Mladen Vuruna said that it was a remarkable achievement about a heroine of wars that Serbia waged at the beginning of this century.

- Unfortunately, some of these episodes in our history have remained forgotten and I believe that this movie is redemption for this oblivion – General Vuruna said expressing his satisfaction that the Military Academy cadets participated in the project.

According to the author of the film Sladjana Zaric, the presence of state officials at tonight's premiere is very important because in this way, they symbolically acknowledge and pay tribute to Milunka who did not received this kind of tribute during her life.

- Tanja Tacic and other cadets appearing in this achievement were very valuable because they are already familiar with military skills, which would be a big challenge for the actors – the author concluded.

Second Lieutenant Tanja Tacic, who played the role of Milunka Savic, pointed out that the first impression after seeing the movie was a pleasure seeing how everything turned out in the end.

- It is my great honour to have had the opportunity to play one so remarkable person who is a big name in Serbia and in the world, but also that my fellow cadets participated in making the film – female Second Lieutenant Tanja Tacic pointed out expressing the hope that a wider audience will also like the film.