Exploring the bold narratives of ‘Big Women’ and beyond
A new wave in Serbian cinema
Serbian filmmaker Milica Tomović has once again captured the spotlight with her latest feature, Big Women, which recently garnered significant recognition at the Sarajevo Film Festival. This film, produced by Dragana Jovović of Non-Aligned Films and Jelena Radenković for Big Time Production, won the prestigious Eurimages Co-Production Development Award. The film is a road-trip dramedy that follows two wild women on an unexpected journey to the coast of Montenegro, where they confront forgotten debts, rekindle their friendship, and unearth long-buried secrets.
The essence of ‘Big Women’
Tomović describes Big Women as a character-driven story centered on the dynamic friendship between Mira and Tina, two best friends and beauticians. “It’s a journey — of the two of them and of their friendship,” she explains. This narrative delves deep into the complexities of their relationship, offering a raw and unfiltered look at their lives.
For those eager to get a glimpse of this intriguing film, you can watch the trailer here.
The allure of flawed characters
Tomović believes that audiences are often hesitant to embrace films featuring flawed female characters. “People are not that interested to watch movies with bad female characters who do bad things,” she notes. However, she aims to challenge this notion by presenting Mira as a prickly character that viewers will initially love to hate but eventually grow to love. “We can see a bit of her background, why she became the way she is — tough, rough around the edges, and a bit of a difficult person,” Tomović adds.
A look back at ‘Celts’
Tomović’s critically acclaimed debut feature, Celts, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2021. The film, which centers on a child’s birthday party that spirals out of control, exposes the fractures within an extended family. Tomović is equally fascinated by non-DNA connections — the families we choose rather than the ones we’re born into. “You got connected with the first cigarette that you tried, exchanging clothes, suffering and giving advice,” she reflects.
For those interested in exploring Tomović’s earlier work, you can watch the trailer for Celts here.
Inspirations and influences
For Big Women, Tomović drew inspiration from U.K. filmmaker Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky, a slice-of-life comedy seen through the eyes of a free-spirited London schoolteacher. However, with her protagonist Mira, Tomović aims to “do the opposite” by portraying a character that is initially difficult to connect with but ultimately relatable.
The future of Non-Aligned Films
Big Women is just one of the many exciting projects on the slate of Jovović’s Belgrade-based Non-Aligned Films. Currently in post-production and slated for a 2025 release is Wind, Talk to Me, the feature directorial debut of Stefan Đorđević. This three-country co-production involves Slovenia’s SPOK Films and Croatia’s Restart.
The company is also involved in the minority co-production of Slovenian director Urška Djukić’s coming-of-age story Little Trouble Girls, which was awarded at Les Arcs’ works-in-progress section last year. Additionally, they are working on Wondrous is the Silence of My Master, Montenegrin filmmaker Ivan Salatić’s anticipated follow-up to his Venice Critics’ Week premiere You Have the Night.
Upcoming projects to watch
Ognjen Glavonić is preparing his follow-up to The Load, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. Meanwhile, veteran Portuguese scriptwriter and Miguel Gomes collaborator Mariana Ricardo has joined Serbian director Marko Grba Singh’s Forget the Ocean, Why Not Try Surfing These Insane River Waves, which won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award in Sarajevo in 2021.
Radenković, who served as executive producer on Celts, is currently in production on Ivan Marković’s feature-length docu-fiction Promised Spaces, a co-production between Serbia, France, Germany, and Cambodia. She is also developing the Serbian-German co-production Tale of the Plum Spirit, the documentary fiction debut of Belgrade-born Milica Đenić.
A festival to remember
The Sarajevo Film Festival, running from August 16 to 23, continues to be a significant platform for showcasing groundbreaking films and emerging talent. This year’s lineup, including Big Women, highlights the festival’s commitment to celebrating diverse and compelling narratives.
For more information on the festival and its lineup, visit the official Sarajevo Film Festival website.
In the ever-evolving landscape of cinema, filmmakers like Milica Tomović are pushing boundaries and challenging audiences to embrace complex, multifaceted characters. As we look forward to the release of Big Women and other upcoming projects, it’s clear that Serbian cinema is poised for a bright and dynamic future.