# Zdravko Velimirović

Zdravko Velimirović (Serbian Cyrillic: Здравко Велимировић; 11 October 1930 – 7 February 2005) was a Yugoslavian film director and screenwriter, University Professor, a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also directed over fifty documentaries and short films and eight feature films between 1954 and 2005, twenty radio dramas, five theatre plays and had varied art photography exhibitions.

## Early life

Zdravko Velimirović was born on 11 October 1930 in Cetinje, the son of Professor Luka Velimirović and Professor Zagorka (née Balić) Velimirović.

### Cetinje

Zdravko as young boy and the family, father Luka, mother Zagorka and sister Vesna lived in Cetinje at “Banski stanovi”. His first contact with cinema was at “Gurdić” in Cetinje where he would go as a boy to watch some world significant movies that inspired him and developed desire for film making. At “Banski stanovi” (block of flats for high governmental officials and families), in Cetinje, Zdravko lived at “Banski stanovi”, in the same block of flats together with his friends and school mates: Borislav Pekić, Pavle Vuisić, Minja Dedić who later in life also became eminent in Culture and Arts.

### Growing up in Kotor

Zdravko spent significant years of his life in Kotor Old town – Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska where he later completed High school. He lived at Buća Palace (built 14th century) in Old town Kotor with his family: father Luka, professor and director of school, his mother Zagorka, teacher and sister Vesna, who was later doctor, paediatrician in Kotor hospital. Kotor was very important inspiration for his Art studies and further Art creation in life, Zdravko already in school started performing in drama classes, theatre, recitals, theatre plays and ultimately film work preparations. He continued education at Film Academies in Belgrade and Paris. During his big career he made seven documentaries about his beloved Boka Bay and Kotor where he grew up and where his mother Zagorka Velimirović Balić was born.

## Career

During his career he was involved in variety of Arts: film director of feature, documentary and short films, TV series director, radio drama director, theatre play director and screenwriter for all mentioned. Apart from his great achievement in arts and culture in Yugoslavia, he had outstanding cooperation with well-known film makers in the West and East and worldwide film societies. For many years in his career, He was also university professor and the principal at the Belgrade Dramatic Arts University, where many of his former students formed as world-class film makers. He was on sabbatical, teaching as a professor in Canada and lectured by invitation in various academies and art institutes around the world. He married Ranka Velimirovic, film and TV producer, in 1963, and they happily lived and worked together throughout life.

## Filmography

| Year | Film | Original title | Film festival | Award | Credited as | Credited as |
| Year | Film | Original title | Film festival | Award | Director | Screenwriter |
| 1960 | The Fourteenth Day | Dan četrnaesti | Cannes Film Festival 1961, Cannes Film Festival Classics Selection 2021 | | |
| 1965 | Provereno nema mina | Проверено — мин нет | | | | |
| 1968 | Mount of Lament | Lelejska gora | | | | |
| 1974 | The Dervish and Death | Derviš i smrt | Yugoslav submissions for the 47th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film 1975, Pula Film Festival 1974 | Golden Arena | Yes | |
| 1975 | The Peaks of Zelengora | Vrhovi Zelengore | Pula Film Festival 1976 | Golden Arena | | Yes |
| 1978 | The Battle for the Southern Railway | Dvoboj za južnu prugu | | | | |
| 1981 | Dorotej | Dorotej | | | | |
| 1985 | The time of Leopards | O Tempo dos Leopardos, Vreme leoparda | | | | |

### Series

* Sinovi (1989) - 2 episodes
* Rijeka Zeta - Zeta zemlja (1991) - 5 documentary episodes
* Put za Pivu (1993) - 4 episodes (1. A zna Piva šta su muke. 2. Doziv Sile i Zdravine 3, Piva zbori i sebi i svome 4. Krov u Pivi, čeka ukućane)
* Lovćen vidokrug (1995) - 5 episodes

### Short

* Tvoj rođendan (1961)
* Nevoljite na pokojniot K. K (1963)
* Pogibija (1972)
* Most (1979)

### Documentaries

* Čovjek i voda (1954)
* Zublja Grahovačka (1958)
* U spomen slavne mornarice (1959)
* Nokturno za Kotor (1959)
* Između dva kralja (1959)
* Za danas, za sjutra (1959)
* Za Djerdapsku branu (1960)
* Četvrta strana (1963)
* Rade, sin Tomov; Njegošu uz hodočašće (1964)
* Lux Aeterna; Večita svetlost (1965)
* Ekselencije (1966)
* Španija naše mladosti (1967)
* Skenderbeg (1968)
* A, to ste vi! (1968)
* Tajna večera; Medijala (1969)
* Prvi pešački prolazi (1969)
* Srušeni grad (1970)
* Ostrog (1970)
* Umir krvi (1971)
* More, sunce i... (1971)
* U zdravom telu, zdrav je i duh (1971)
* Tito - vrhovni komandant (1972)
* Dokaz (1972)
* Podanici drevnog kulta (1977)
* Derviši (1977)
* Most (1979)
* Veselnik (1980)
* Gradsko saobraćajno Beograd (1981)
* Kad ti kao ličnost nestaješ (1983)
* Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti (1984)
* Kako sačuvati grad (1987)
* Uzvišenje (Exaltation) (1991)
* Rijeka Zeta, majka i kolijevka (Zeta, mother and cradle) (1991)
* Povratak na Medun (Return to Medun) (1992)
* Piva (1993)
* Njegoš u Boki (Njegos in the bay of Kotor) (1995)
* Naši dragi gosti (Our dear guests) (1996)
* Kapa lovćenska (The cap of Lovcen) (1996)
* Od zlata jabuka (The golden apple) (1996)
* Na svetim vodama Lima (The holy water of river Lim) (1996)
* Gifts to the home of sacred warriors (Gifts to the home of holy warriors) (Original title: Darovi domu svetih ratnika) (2004)

## Awards

* The "13th july" award for the film "Zublja grahovačka", Yugoslavia 1958.
* The "13th july" award for the film "Lelejska gora", Yugoslavia 1967.
* Golden Arena for Best Director 1974
* Golden Arena for Best Screenplay 1976
* Silver Knight award for film "Gifts to the home of holy warriors" at Golden knights film festival in Tambov, Russia 2004.
* Award for best religious-cultural film for film "Gifts to the home of holy warriors" at Religious, cultural and tourist film festival in Lecce, Italy 2007.
* Award for film "Gifts to the home of sacred warriors" in the category of religious documentaries at ART&TUR International Film Festival in Barcelos, Portugal 2008.