The supernatural horror thriller You Won’t Be Alone by director and screenwriter Goran Stolevski, which was shot entirely in Serbia, has become part of the main selection of the Sundance Film Festival. The world premiere will be on January 28th, 2022, as announced by the official distributor, Focus Features (Downton Abbey, Atomic Blonde, Fifty Shades of Gray).
Goran Stolevski is an Australian director born in Macedonia. The film stars Noomi Rapace, and the cast also includes Serbian actors: Dobrila Stojnić, Đorđe Mišina and Đorđe Živadinović Grgur, represented by the Serbian Talent Agency, Slavic Artist Management, as well as Sofija Jeremić, Marija Opsenica, Mladen Vuković and others. The producers are Kristina Ceyton (Babadook) and Sam Jennings (Cargo), as well as Serbian producers Jonathan English and Nataša Ivić.
More than 150 Serbian filmmakers were part of the shooting of this film, led by a local production, Balkanic Media. Part of the Serbian team consisted of: artistic director Jovana Mihajlović, set decorator Mina Burić, costume designer Slađana Perić-Santrač, location manager Stefan Todorović and many others. Serbia was chosen to shoot the film thanks to the incentive funds of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, with the operational management of the Film Center Serbia. The film has successfully recouped funds, which was an important part of the funding.
This supernatural horror was filmed in the isolated mountain village of Pokrevenik, which is located at 700 meters above sea level on Stara Planina. Pokrevenik is unique for its stone houses and stone roofs. In addition to untouched nature and a beautiful view of the surrounding hills, the village has a special charm and energy thanks to the people who live there. All the residents, together with the major of the village, Slavko Kostadinović, helped the film crew every day from the early morning. The villagers allowed the film crew to use it to film their house, barns, meadows and forests, so the hospitality and warmth of these people was very important for the work on this film.
During the preparation and shooting of the film, the team worked and lived around Pokrevenik for about five months. A large part of the filming budget was spent in that area and, as a sign of gratitude for all the generosity towards the people who live there, the production renovated the houses and barns that were old and ruined, as well as the old ambulance building and the access road to the village.
The whole team is very proud of the achievement made in this old and unique village, as well as the fact that it was the first production to make a film in Pokrevenik. Apart from Pokrevenik, the film was shot at several other extraordinary locations on Stara Planina mountain, such as the rivers Pakleštica and Visocica, the Tupavica waterfall, and a significant scene was also shot in the Petnička cave near Valjevo.
This international film has shown that there are numerous opportunities in Serbia for filming outside Belgrade, with exceptional locations such as Stara Planina Mountain.