Serbian short feature film When I’m Home directed by Ivana Todorović was awarded in the DocShort section of the Baneff Festival (Balkan New Film Festival) in Stockholm; the film won the Best Women’s Achievement Award in the teamwork category. In its explanation, the jury pointed out the following: “A strong drama with a difficult and awkward topic. The ensemble’s acting is good and convincing, and the sparse dialogue shows the tension below the surface that threatens to explode.” The film was made with the support of FCS.
Maria returns to the family home after a few years of living abroad to face childhood trauma. What does her return look like? How does the family deal with the hidden secret? Can a victim forgive when they become stronger and more powerful than their childhood abuser?
The condensed drama in this film is carried by the actors: Milica Stefanović, Dragana Varagić, Radoje Čupić, Sara Dinić. The film was made as a master thesis at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, and the screenplay was written by Melina Pota. The director of photography is Milica Drakulić, the editor is Tamara Kostić, the sound designer is Milan Mihajlović, the set designer is Emilija Orlić, and the costume designer is Milica Radovanović. The assistant director is Duško Stanivuk, and the producer is Tijana Drakulić. The film was produced by the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and Blok Film, with the support of the FCS.
Ivana Todorović is the director of short socially engaged documentaries, filmed in Belgrade and New York. The films When I was a kid, I was a kid, A Harlem Mother, Rapresent and Everyday life of Roma children from block 71 were screened at over 100 international film festivals such as the 63rd Berlin Festival, Berlinale Shorts; IFF Rotterdam, The Traverse City Film Festival (Michael Moore Festival), Palm Springs Shorts, Sarajevo Film Festival; Anthology Film Archive in New York and Cultura Contemporiana de Barcelona. They have been awarded at festivals in Serbia, America, Russia, Italy and Canada. The film “A Harlem Mother” has been included in the online video library of the New York Times. These films are used in education, media campaigns and the NGO sector in Serbia and around the world. Ivana also educates young people, holds documentary film workshops and gave a TEDxAUK speech in Priština. In 2018, she received her master’s degree from the Department of TV and Film Directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts with the short feature film When I’m Home. She graduated from Documentary Media studies at New School in New York, as well as from the Department of Ethnology and Anthrology at the Faculty of Philosophy. She completed the French documentary film workshop Ateliers Varan in Belgrade, founded by Jean Roach. She is one of the selected artists of 2015 in the Saary residency program in Finland. In 2010, she was selected as a mentor in the New York Foundation for the Arts program in New York.