The Serbian producer sees documentary creation as a desire to broach something personal rather than one to make a political instrument of change

An interview with Svetislav Dragomirović, producer for Serbian company Gray Tree Film, now selected for the 2024 Emerging Producers programme. Read his EP profile here.

Why do you produce documentaries? Do you see documentary cinema as an instrument of social and political change?
Svetislav Dragomirović: I do not see the docs as a social nor political instrument of change, especially nowadays. I can't really remember a film that influenced any kind of a mass change. My need for producing documentaries comes from desire to dispose some personal "tumor". But the personal is always universal, and that's why it always reaches the one it should.

How do you achieve and maintain work-life balance and foster overall well-being?
It kind of balance itself on the way. It's like sailing down the river, on the raft, that's getting bigger year by year. It looks like a boat right now.

Where do you find audiences for your films?
I tend not to think about the audience while making the film. It can be a big distraction. The filmmaker’s vision is the one to be found, understand and followed. The audience will come naturally.

What projects do you have underway (including fiction films and other projects)?
The hottest thing we're working on is feature fiction Termites, produced by Nevena Savić and myself. A family drama dealing with contemporary problem of family expansion and general dissatisfaction with one's own life- written and directed by myself. We have been co-financed by Film Center Serbia, late 2023, and we're now in search for possible partners.

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EMERGING PRODUCERS is a leading promotional and educational project, which brings together talented European documentary film producers. The programme is organised and curated by the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival.

Deadline for applications to the EMERGING PRODUCERS 2025 edition is 31st March 2024.