01/07/2025 - The Serbian filmmaker returns to fiction with a deeply personal coming-of-age drama set against the backdrop of 1970s Yugoslavia

Director Darko Lungulov (left) and actor Andrija Femić on the set of 1970 (© Wouter van Houwelingen)

Acclaimed Serbian writer-director Darko Lungulov has begun principal photography on his new feature, 1970, a coming-of-age tale inspired by his own childhood memories. Lungulov rose to international prominence with his award-winning Here and There [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which took home the Best New Narrative Filmmaker Award from Tribeca. His subsequent effort, Monument to Michael Jackson [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Darko Lungulov
film profile], premiered at Karlovy Vary and garnered widespread acclaim on the festival circuit. He also co-wrote A Good Wife [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which bowed at Sundance in 2016. Following a series of documentaries, including A Fleeting Dream [+see also:
film review
film profile], 1970 marks his return to fiction filmmaking.

Set over the course of one summer in rural Yugoslavia, the story follows 13-year-old Draško, who travels from Belgrade to spend the school holidays with his grandparents in Vojvodina. There, he meets Erzika, a rebellious girl who introduces him to the world of rock’n’roll, cassette tapes and the countercultural spirit of the era. As their bond deepens, Draško begins to tread his own path to self-discovery and personal freedom. But when he learns that his parents plan to leave him behind owing to their marital crisis, he runs away with Erzika to join the anti-Vietnam War protests in Belgrade, determined to reclaim both his voice and his home.

The film stars newcomers Andrija Femić and Lila Greguš in the lead roles, alongside a strong regional ensemble cast, including Vesna Trivalić, Voja Brajović, Marko Janketić, Ivana Roščić, Radovan Vujović, Pavle Čemerikić, Marko Marković, Lujza Baba and Hermina Erdelji.

Lungulov also penned the script, drawing heavily on his own experiences in the village of Zmajevo, the same location where the film is currently being shot. Behind the camera, Đorđe Arambašić serves as director of photography, with production design by Dragana Baćović, and costume design by Zora Mojsilović and Lidija Andrić. Filming began in June in Zmajevo and will continue throughout July across various locations in Vojvodina and Belgrade.

1970 is a Serbian-Hungarian-Croatian-Luxembourgish co-production by Papa Films and This and That Productions, with Snežana van Houwelingen serving as producer, in co-production with Andromeda Films (Hungary), PomPom Film (Croatia) and Samsa Film (Luxembourg). The project has received support from Film Center Serbia, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Vojvodina Film Fund, Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the National Film Institute – Hungary and Film Fund Luxembourg. The movie is slated for release in 2026.