24.02.2023.
Belgrade premiere of documentary “Soldiers’ Romances Forever”
The documentary "Soldiers’ Romances Forever", co-produced by the Military Film Centre “Zastava Film” (Public Relations Department, Ministry of Defence) and "Optimistik Film”, was premiered tonight at the Yugoslav Cinematheque. The premiere was attended by State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Mile Jelić, members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, the film cast and crew and numerous guests.
After being shown at numerous international festivals, the Belgrade audience has finally had the opportunity to see the film directed by Željko Mirković, who has received numerous awards. The film tells the director’s personal story as well as the stories of his friends with whom he did his military service. Those were young men with different fates, from different parts of former Yugoslavia, immediately after the 1999 NATO aggression. More than twenty years later, Mirković decided to look for the men with whom he once broke bread in the military and make a film telling a story about a lifelong friendship. “Soldiers’ Romances Forever” is a timeless story about the search for love and the meaning of life by young soldiers twenty years ago and nowadays.
The documentary has had success at film festivals, as testified by 14 international awards won. “Soldiers’ Romances Forever” won a Grand Prix at the 17th International Documentary Film Festival "Zlatna Buklija" (Golden Flask) in Velika Plana, the Best Documentary Award at the film festival in Turkey, and the Best Director Award at the film festival in London. It also won the Best Director Award at the film festival in Naples and the Best Documentary Award at several festivals in the United States of America.
Recently, the film has won three more best documentary awards at film festivals in India, and one more at the New York “International Gold Award” festival.The film crew was headed by the director of the Military Film Centre “Zastava Film”, Colonel Goran Ikonić.
The film narrator is Aleksandar Gligorić, the director of photography is Žarko Pekez and the sound designer is Boris Šurlan.