02/06/2025 - The follow-up to Bosnia’s box-office hit Father’s Last Wish explores working-class life and family struggles on the eve of war

Following the breakout domestic success of his 2022 debut feature, Father’s Last Wish (Amanet), Bosnian director Mirza Begović has completed principal photography on The Will (Testament), which is now in the editing phase. Conceived as a thematic continuation, rather than a direct sequel, the movie is the second instalment in a planned trilogy exploring Bosnian identity across different yet interconnected historical periods.

Set in the early 1990s, just before the outbreak of war, The Will follows Asad, a young man left stunned after learning that he has been excluded from his late father’s inheritance. Seeking a future beyond his rural village, he moves to the industrial city of Zenica, where he is drawn into the chaotic social world surrounding the Zeljezara steelworks. Alongside his quick-witted best friend Dzevad, a small-time hustler and master of survival, Asad navigates the collapse of working-class ideals, gambling dens and the promise of upward mobility, all while reckoning with tradition, loss and shifting notions of dignity.

Written by Begović, The Will blends humour and despair to examine themes such as workers’ rights, the fragility of social structures and the contradictions of post-Yugoslav society. Through Dzevad’s schemes and the community’s daily struggles, the film aims to offer a poignant, often comic, portrait of ordinary life on the cusp of historical rupture.

The movie builds on the foundation of its predecessor while introducing a broader ensemble. Returning in the lead roles are Zlatan Školjić and Nusmir Muharemović (Men Don't Cry [+see also:
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Filming took place across Central Bosnia, in key locations including Zenica, Busovača, Fojnica and Bistričak. According to Begović, the regional setting is fundamental to the film’s emotional resonance, as these are the places where he lives and works, and it made sense to him to tell the story among the people and culture he knows best. Production initially faced setbacks after the national film fund pulled its support, leading to the halting of the shoot in autumn 2023. However, the project resumed in April 2025, thanks to financial backing from the cantonal governments of Central Bosnia and Zenica-Doboj, the municipalities of Busovača, Kakanj and Žepče, and several private sponsors.

The Will is being produced by Mirza Begović and Nevres Softić – who also serves as the director of photography – with Ajdin Hasanić acting as executive producer for Hudhud and AmfiTeatar. The film is being co-produced by BH Telecom, and is backed by the Government of Central Bosnia Canton, the Ministry of Education, Science, Youth, Culture and Sport of Central Bosnia Canton, and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Zenica-Doboj Canton.

Domestic distribution is handled by Una Film, while BH Telecom holds the TV rights for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Switzerland’s Helse has acquired international rights for most European territories as well as Australia and Canada. A theatrical release is expected in Bosnia and Herzegovina and across European markets by October 2025.