Aleksandar Arsovski

Lost Trace

When you don't know what it is, the truth is precisely what you decide it to be.

SYNOPSIS

One spring morning in a small park near the train station, a 6-year-old girl mysteriously appears. Police inspector BORNA LUGONJA, to whom the case is assigned, is trying to reach his colleague MILENA LETUNIĆ KOVAČIĆ, who was supposed to return to work that day. Milena worked as the head of investigations into missing children, but after a traumatic spontaneous miscarriage in the advanced stage of pregnancy, she took three months off work. Authorities suspect the girl is from Syria because she was found near the train station where illegal immigrants often pass. However, this remains a theory that needs to be investigated. Borna convinces Milena to return to work as soon as possible, and together they actively explore the girl's identity. During the investigation, they get caught up in the deep labyrinth of Croatian administration and experience, facing pressure from both authorities and media to resolve the case swiftly. While investigating, Milena tries to save her private life and family, which has completely fallen apart due to her depression. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the traumas and injuries that affect Milena are internal. In parallel, while Milena fights to find the lost parents of the little girl, she struggles with an impending divorce case and challenges in raising her son JAN. In the search for the girl's missing parents, the question is also raised as to whether she has disappeared as a mother and wife from her own life.

CREATOR
Aleksandar Arsovski

DIRECTOR
Filip Heraković

WRITERS
Nikolina Bogdanović
Maja Sviben

PRODUCERS
Tamara Babun
Matija Drniković

PRODUCTION COMPANY
Wolfgang & Dolly

COUNTRY
Croatia

FORMAT
52' x 6

GENRE
Drama
Crime

Aleksandar Arsovski

ALEKSANDAR ARSOVSKI (1996) is a film director and producer. He was born in Veles, Macedonia. He completed his Film and TV Directing undergraduate studies at the Film Academy at Goce Delčev University in Štip, Macedonia (2015-2018). Then he continued his graduate studies in Production of Audiovisual and Multimedia Projects at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, where he graduated in February 2022. He has also worked in film distribution for five years as a coordinator on the VOD platform Cinesquare and as a coordinator at several film festivals held online due to the coronavirus pandemic. He has produced several projects, including ALONE (2021) by Borna Zidarić, TOBACCO SHOP (2021) by Dora Slakoper, ŽENSKA RAĐA (2022) by Ljubica Kotromanović, MOTHER (2022) by Gjorgji Lazov, and more. He has worked on various projects, including feature and documentary films and television drama series. Some notable projects include GOD EXISTS, HER NAME IS PETRUNYA (2019), directed by Teona S. Mitevska, A MERMAID IN PARIS (2020) by Mathias Malzieu, DAR-MAR (2020-2021), etc. He is currently working with Wolfgang & Dolly and is involved in some of the company’s projects while also developing new concepts for television.

The idea for this mini-series comes from a true event that occurred five years ago when a mysterious three-year-old girl appeared in a park in Velika Gorica. From this time distance, we began to develop the project. Interestingly, after her discovery, there was a real media frenzy. Everyone was searching for her identity. Even after three months, neither the state nor institutions could determine her origins. We believe that this mini-series portrays a powerful emotional story that questions morality, fear, and individuality. The series puts a focus on the big migrant crisis that happened in 2015, skilfully incorporating contemporary themes of diversity into a pleasing format of crime drama, asking thought-provoking questions about racial identity, shortcomings in state administration, the complexities of a system that hinders thorough case investigations, and even the journalistic competition for exclusivity. The series will have an impressive aspect that resembles high-quality dramas - it is full of hooks, tension, and action, leading the audience through a narrative labyrinth filled with real-life drama.

CREATOR’S STATEMENT

Tamara Babun

TAMARA BABUN (1985) was born in Zagreb, where she graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts. With over a decade of extensive experience in producing films, videos, and theatre, she founded Wolfgang & Dolly in 2017, where Matija Drniković, Una Radić and Aleksandar Arsovski soon joined her. She has participated in various industry training programs, including Emerging Producers, Less Is More Development Angles, Sources 2, Screen Leaders, Ex Oriente, the local EURODOC workshop, Sarajevo Talent Campus, IDFA Academy, and the 2019 EAVE Producers Workshop, of which she is a graduate. She is also a member of EFA. Babun produced the film PELICAN (2022), directed by Filip Heraković, which was screened in the First Feature Competition at Tallinn Black Nights in 2022, where Heraković was awarded a Special Jury Prize for Directing. The same year, she co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced a four-part AHA! (2023) documentary series for Croatian National Television featuring top Croatian scientists. In 2020 and 2022, she produced ten episodes of documentary TV series BACK TO THE LAND (2021-2023), written by Filip Filković Philatz & Tomislav Krnić). As a producer, she is currently developing both fiction and documentary projects. As writer and director, she is working on the second season of AHA!, the documentary PINNA WANTS TO LIVE and short fiction film TO THE BEYOND.

Matija Drniković

MATIJA DRNIKOVIĆ (1993) was born in Zagreb. He graduated in film production from the Academy of Dramatic Art. He has been actively involved in the film industry since his early days of studying film. He worked at Nukleus Film and was involved in various international film productions. He was a creative writer at Nanobit, the largest video game company in Croatia, where he was responsible for creating storylines, narratives, and content for narrative-driven mobile games. Currently, he is working with Wolfgang & Dolly and is involved in all of the company’s projects. Matija has won two business plans and pitching start-up competitions with his virtual reality application and a video game. He has participated in numerous workshops, including Screen Leaders, EAVE (Marketing and Ties That Bind), Sarajevo Talents, MAIA, Midpoint TV Launch, and Al Jazeera Balkans documentary workshop. He is a member of the European Film Academy. PELICAN (2022) is his first feature film as a producer. He is fascinated by films and video games and tries to combine those two passions within the same projects whenever possible. He is equally fascinated by films from the Greek new wave, and his film career goal is to produce an exceptional arthouse version of Matilda (1996).

Production company profile

WOLFGANG & DOLLY (W&D) is a film production company based in Zagreb, Croatia. Tamara Babun founded the company in 2017 with a vision to produce creative audio-visual works that address socially relevant topics and provide a glimmer of hope for the audience. Matija Drniković and Aleksandar Arsovski soon joined in the endeavour. Our storytelling goes beyond mere commentary on current affairs; we delve into the aspirational aspects of the human condition. We produce innovative content across various media platforms and engage audiences through inventive campaigns. Our debut feature film, PELICAN (2022), directed by Filip Heraković, premiered at the 2022 Tallinn Black Nights Festival. The company has also produced notable works such as Tomislav Krnić's documentary PEOPLE ARE THE WAY (2022), documentary series BACK TO THE LAND (2021) by Filip Filković & Tomislav Krnić, feature-length documentary LITTLE STAR RISING (2019) by Slađana Lučić. In 2023, we launched the first season of AHA! docu-TV series, created by Una Radić and Tamara Babun. Wolfgang & Dolly has also co-produced projects such as the feature-length documentary BODY (2022) by Petra Seliškar and the feature film FAMILY THERAPY by Sonja Prosenc.

Where are we at?

ESTIMATED PRODUCTION BUDGET FOR THE FIRST SEASON
1.600.000 EUR

FINANCING IN PLACE
50.000 EUR

Production timeline

BY SEPTEMBER 2023
Development & Financing

OCTOBER 2023 - FEBRUARY 2024
Pre-production

APRIL - MAY 2024
Production

APRIL - OCTOBER 2024
Post-production

NOVEMBER 2024
Broadcast

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