Goran Marković
FRITZ & DOBRILA
Fritz, Dobrila, and their son Mate live off Swiss disability pensions in a tiny apartment in Belgrade. Without ever stepping into the outside world, they face the absurdities of Balkan socio-politics and the fractured realities shaped by their intrusive neighbors. Based on a book by Srdjan Valjarević.
SYNOPSIS
Fritz, Dobrila, and their son Mate are quite an (un)usual family. Most notably, they don’t do anything. This is possible because both Fritz and Dobrila receive Swiss disability pensions, which they obtained as a result of their own clumsiness, or perhaps even sheer foolishness. They live in a cramped apartment in a high-rise building in Belgrade, which they rarely leave – simply because they have no reason to. The political tensions, neighbourly dramas, and pandemic chaos of everyday Balkan life transform their existence within four walls into a string of absurd situations.
DIRECTOR
Goran Marković
PRODUCER
Ena Bajraktarević
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Naked
COUNTRIES
Serbia
Goran Marković
DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY
Born in 1946, Goran Marković is one of the most prominent film directors in the history of Serbian and Yugoslav cinema. He is the author of nearly twenty feature films, including the popular comedies National Class Category up to 785 ccm (1979) and All That Jack's (1980), the cult horror films Variola Vera (1982) and Déjà Vu (1987), as well as socially and politically reflective works such as Special Education (1977) and Tito and Me (1992). In addition to his film work, he has directed for the stage and published several books. His film project D was selected by the committee of a 2021 funding competition organised by the Film Center of Serbia. The board of the institution, however, annulled the competition due to the political unsuitability of Marković and his outspoken criticism of the ruling regime. He is a recipient of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Republic and holds the title of Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade.
The idea of making a film based on Srdjan Valjarević’s Fritz & Dobrila came to me after reading the first excerpts. A fragmentary work, it fits today’s cinema, which leans towards non-linear forms. This magical literature is the foundation for a film as humorous as the book. The story unfolds in a modest Belgrade apartment where a three-member family does nothing. The parents live off Swiss disability pensions. The son has no ambition and enjoys spending their Swiss francs. They stay home simply because they don’t know what else to do. Their only contact is with equally isolated neighbours. This confinement becomes a state of mind, mirroring the broader spirit of the nation. Their lives descend into absurdity, like in a Roy Andersson film or Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. The apartment shifts in mood and form, while the characters are distorted through acting, costume, and makeup. Reality dissolving into the irrational – that’s the film’s ultimate message.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Ena Bajraktarević
PODUCER’S BIOGRAPHY
Ena Bajraktarević graduated from studies in film and television production at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and completed a one-year women’s studies course at the Faculty of Political Sciences. She gained experience in production and directing departments on domestic and international film, television, and commercial projects, as well as in film festival organisation. She is a co-producer of Tamara Todorović’s short fiction film Nobody Said Anything, which was selected for the Official Competition at the Festival de Cannes. She also produced the debut feature film I Plant My Hand in the Garden, directed by Boris Hadžija and Hoda Taheri, which is currently in post-production. She is currently producing a hybrid documentary by Maša Nešković about her family and her stepfather, the acclaimed Yugoslav filmmaker Goran Marković, as well as Marković’s new fiction feature Fritz and Dobrila.
PRODUCER’S STATEMENT
Goran Marković is one of the key figures of Yugoslav cinema, with films that have achieved cult status across the region. In recent years, his criticism of Serbia’s nationalist government has severely limited his access to public film funding. His project Doctor D was selected for support by the Film Center Serbia, but the decision was later annulled by its board under politically controversial circumstances. At the age of seventy-nine, Marković remains an artist with a vital and distinctive voice. Fritz and Dobrila, based on Srđan Valjarević’s book, is a social comedy rooted in everyday life, with potential to connect with audiences across the region. As national funding remains uncertain, we are building the financing around crowd-funding, private investment, and targeted sponsorship.
Production company profile
Naked’s projects have been supported by Eurimages, CNC – Aide aux cinémas du monde, the Slovenian Film Centre, ARTE France, Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Film Center Serbia, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Arte Kino, and Radio-television Serbia. They have been developed through platforms such as the Berlinale Co-production Market, CineLink, EAVE, Ties That Bind, the IDFAcademy, the First Cut Lab, the Rotterdam Lab, WEMW, Talents Sarajevo, Berlinale Talents, and Agora Works in Progress. Naked collaborates with filmmakers interested in narrative and formal experimentation, both as a delegate and minority co-producer.
Where are we at?
The project is currently in development. We have completed the first draft of the script and are building the co-production and funding structure. We are looking for partners and investors who can contribute financially or through services and other forms of support.
TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET
920.000,00 €
FINANCES PENDING
851.000,0 €
FINANCING IN PLACE
69.000,00 €
Production timeline
January 2025 - January 2026
Script development
June 2025 - March 2027
Project development & financing
APRIL - MAY 2027
Pre-production
June - July 2027
Shooting
August 2027 - March 2028
Post-production
Spring 2028
Premiere