31/07/2025 - The Serbian filmmaker's directing debut will bow in the Midnight Madness section

Serbian filmmaker Aleksandar Radivojević, best known as the screenwriter of the infamous A Serbian Film [+see also:
interview: A Serbian Film, by Srdjan S…
film profile], will enjoy the world premiere of his directing debut, Karmadonna, in the Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness section.

Described as a “profane thriller”, it follows Yelena (Jelena Djokić, from 78 Days [+see also:
film review
interview: Emilija Gašić
film profile] and Celts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Milica Tomovic
film profile]), who is joyfully expecting her first child with only 37 days to go, when she answers an unknown call. On the other end of the line, a chilling voice (one of the most famous Serbian actors, Sergej Trifunović) delivers an impossible ultimatum: obey his gruesome demands or watch her unborn baby die. At first, she wonders whether it is only a nasty prank call, but the eerie, supernatural proof he provides leaves no doubt—he has power over her in ways she cannot comprehend.

Forced into a brutal game of cat and mouse, Yelena, unprepared for violence but desperate to protect her child, must navigate a bloody odyssey of murder, chaos, and fear. As the body count rises, so do the stakes, and with every step, she is drawn deeper into a nightmare where survival means becoming something monstrous herself.

“It's a film about everything, but it is also deeply personal, if that makes sense,” Radivojević told Cineuropa. “Using genre gives you more freedom to tackle intimate things, as well as wrestle with the global nightmare we all live in.”

Karmadonna also stars Milutin Mima Karadžić, Miloš Lolić, Milica Stefanović, Miloš Timotijević, Petar Strugar, Branislav Jevtić and Tamara Šustić. Aleksandar Jakonić served as DoP, Branimir Živković edited the picture, while A Serbian Film composer Wikluh Sky reunited with Radivojević.

The film was produced by Predrag Popović for Buca Productions and Miloš Djukelić for Digimedia, with Jim Davies of UK's Bad Tattoo on board as co-producer and international sales agent.