08.05.2018.
The crew of film on King Petar on the set at the Topčider barracks
At the Topcider barracks, shooting of scenes under the project of domestic series and film entitled “King Peter the First for the Glory of Serbia” is underway.
Soldiers wearing blouses made of cloth, colorful woolen socks and traditional peasant shoes, wounded men and nurses in long blue uniforms could have been seen today among the metal beds of the improvised hospital from the time of the Great War, as part of a set that was selected to be arranged in one of the facilities in the wooded premises of the Topčider barracks.
It is the project of the production company “Zilion film”, of our famous actor Lazar Ristovski, whose realisation was supported by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces have made a major contribution to the project implementation by engaging soldiers, providing machinery, vehicles, military tools and necessary equipment for the logistic support to the project.Speaking about the project dedicated to King Peter, the producer and main actor Lazar Ristovski pointed out that it is now halfway, that the most difficult scenes on the Stara Planina mountain were recorded, as well as those related to the Kolubara battle and the withdrawal of the Serbian Army through Albania.
- We are trying to obey history, historical facts and historical characters, because this is a topic with which we cannot play in any sense, because the emotional memory of the Serbian people is very important and very vivid, although a century has passed since the Great War. Everyone in a Serbian family has someone who was left somewhere on Kolubara, Cer or during the retreat through Albania, so we have an obligation to these people and to history, Ristovski emphasized.
Speaking about the assistance of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, as well as the defence minister in the project implementation, he expressed with great pleasure the significance of this assistance, adding that it was difficult “to make this so far, but also to continue without it”.
- In my opinion, this belongs to the Armed Forces in a way, because it was Serbian army, this today is Serbian army, and somewhere between it is the king, and I think that the help of the Serbian Armed Forces is large and adequate and in my opinion understandable, Lazar Ristovski emphasized.Director Petar Ristovski pointed out that the project team gave their best, having in mind our rich history before the First World War and in the First World War, to sincerely and honestly depict the characters and heroes who fought and waged war for our freedom at that time.
- In a way, we are trying to repay the debt to them by struggling making this film, the director said, adding that the entire team is enthusiastic about the project.
The film is based on the motives of the novel by Milovan Vitezović “Socks of King Peter”. The story of the famous woolen socks in which the king died inspired our actor and producer Lazar Ristovski, who plays the image of King Peter I in the film, to show through his seven-year-long preparation for the project his character as a man who suffers for his country and who wonders about the necessity of the victims of the Great War. It is planned that the recording lasts until July 2018 at sites in Serbia, Greece and Russia.The premiere of the film “King Peter the First for the Glory of Serbia” is planned to be screened in the Sava Center on 11th November, on the day of signing the Peace Agreement in the First World War, while the broadcast of 10 episodes of the same series is scheduled for the beginning of the next year.
Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Ljubiša Diković, with his associates, has recently attended the shooting of the scenes of the film and the series “King Peter the First for the Glory of Serbia” on the location near Ripanj.
