# Mirjana Karanović

Mirjana Karanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирјана Карановић; born 28 January 1957) is a Serbian actress, film director and screenwriter. Considered one of the best Serbian and Yugoslavian actresses of all time, she is probably the best known for her performance in her debut film Petria's Wreath (Petrijin venac), as well as for her frequent collaborations with film directors Emir Kusturica and Jasmila Žbanić. Karanović received international acclaim and a nomination for European Film Award for Best Actress for her role in Žbanić's Grbavica.
Karanović's directorial debut, A Good Wife (Dobra žena), had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

## Early life

Mirjana Karanović was born on 28 January 1957 in Belgrade. Her father Miloje was a soldier, and her mother Radmila (1932 — 2023) was a tailor.

## Acting career

She made her screen debut in the 1980 film Petrijin venac ("Petrija's Wreath"), earning accolades for her portrayal of an illiterate Serbian woman. She is best known to international audiences for her portrayal of the mother in the 1985 film When Father Was Away on Business.
In 1995, she appeared in the film Underground, directed by famous Serbian director Emir Kusturica.
In 2003, Mirjana Karanović again made history by appearing in Croatian film Svjedoci (Witnesses). She was the first actor from Serbia to appear in a Croatian film since the breakup of Yugoslavia. In the film, she played a Croatian war widow.
In 2005, she appeared in the film Grbavica by the Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić, in which she played a Muslim woman who had to come to terms with her teenage daughter regarding the nature of her birth. In this film, she portrays a rape victim abused by Serbs during the Bosnian War.

## Activism

Karanović has been an active supporter of LGBT rights. She is one of the founders of Incest Trauma Center, which provides psychological assistance to child and adult survivors of sexual violence and their supportive persons.
In 2017, Karanović has signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins.

## Personal life

Karanović was never married and she doesn't have children. She is an atheist.
In 2004, she dated Bosnian actor Ermin Bravo, who is 22 years her junior.

## Filmography

| Title | Translated title | Year | Role | Notes |
| Petrijin venac | Petria's Wreath | 1980 | Petrija | |
| Majstori, majstori | All That Jacks | 1980 | Dunja | |
| Pad Italije | The Fall of Italy | 1981 | Mare | |
| Topola s terase | | 1981 | Ana | TV film |
| Stari Beograd | | 1981 | Girl | TV film |
| Slučaj Bogoljuba Savkovića Livca | | 1981 | Girl | Short film |
| Bila jednom ljubav jedna | | 1981 | Rich lady | TV film |
| Dvije polovine srca | | 1982 | Mother | |
| Kazivanja | | 1982 | | TV short |
| Beograd, nekad i sad | | 1982 | Ljuba / Buba / Ingrid | TV film |
| Imenjaci | | 1983 | | TV series, 1 episode |
| Kamiondžije opet voze | | 1984 | Alapača | TV series, 1 episode |
| Provincija u pozadini | | 1984 | | TV film |
| Bele udovice | | 1984 | | TV film |
| Otac na službenom putu | When Father Was Away on Business | 1985 | Senija | |
| Život je lep | Life Is Beautiful | 1985 | Auto-stopper | |
| Tombola | | 1985 | Olga | TV film |
| Rodoljupci | | 1986 | Zelenićka | TV film |
| Pokondirena tikva | | 1986 | Fema | TV film |
| Obećana zemlja | The Promised Land | 1986 | Marta | |
| Uvek spremne žene | | 1987 | Majstor | |
| Marjuča ili smrt | Marjuča, or Death | 1987 | Marjuča | |
| Na putu za Katangu | On the Road to Katanga | 1987 | Žana | |
| The Fortunate Pilgrim | — | 1988 | Clara | TV miniseries |
| Dom Bergmanovih | | 1988 | Ana | TV film |
| Srce i njena deca | | 1988 | Srce | Also known as Jednog lepog dana |
| Vreme čuda | Time of Miracles | 1989 | Marta | |
| Sabirni centar | The Meeting Point | 1989 | Jelena Katić | |
| The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway | — | 1989 | | |
| Seobe 2 | | 1989 | Evdokija Božić | |
| Vreme čuda | Time of Miracles | 1989 | Marta | TV miniseries |
| Stremnicka | | 1989 | Isidora Sekulić | TV film |
| Holivud ili propast | | 1990 | | TV film |
| Mala | The Little One | 1991 | Božidarka | |
| Bolje od bekstva | Better Than Escape | 1993 | Radmila | |
| Fazoni i fore | | 1993 | Alapača | TV series |
| Buket | | 1993 | | Short film |
| Otvorena vrata | Open Door | 1994 | Žana | TV series, 1 episode |
| Podzemlje | Underground | 1995 | Vera Popara | |
| Bila jednom jedna zemlja | Underground | 1996 | Vera Popara | TV miniseries |
| Tri letnja dana | Three Summer Days | 1997 | Landowner | |
| Kod lude ptice | | 1998 | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| Tri palme za dve bitange i ribicu | Three Palms for Two Punks and a Babe | 1998 | Headmistress | |
| Bure baruta | Cabaret Balkan | 1998 | Natalija | |
| Porodično blago | | 1998 | Suzana | TV series, 1998–99 |
| Forma formalina | | 1999 | Mother | Short film |
| Fazoni i fore 2 | | 2002 | Alapača | TV series |
| Netaknuti sunce | | 2002 | Mother | Short film |
| Jagoda u supermarketu | Strawberries in the Supermarket | 2003 | The owner of the supermarket | |
| Svjedoci | Witnesses | 2003 | Mother | |
| Tragom Karađorđa | | 2004 | Marica | TV miniseries |
| Život je čudo | Life Is a Miracle | 2004 | Nada | |
| Stižu dolari | The Dollars Are Coming | 2004 | Nevenka Krstić | TV series, 2004–06 |
| Go West | — | 2005 | Ranka | |
| Grbavica | — | 2006 | Esma | |
| Das Fräulein | — | 2006 | Ruža | |
| Blodsbånd | Mirush | 2007 | Hava | |
| Tegla puna vazduha | | 2007 | Ljubica | TV film |
| Ono naše što nekad bejaše | | 2007 | Atanasov's wife | TV series |
| Bela lađa | White Ship | 2008 | Luja Pantić | TV series |
| Vratiće se rode | The Storks Will Return | 2007 | Radmila Švabić | TV series, 2007–08 |
| Tamo i ovde | Here and There | 2009 | Olga | |
| Neko me ipak čeka | | 2009 | Mother | TV film |
| Čekaj me, ja sigurno neću doći | Wait for Me and I Will Not Come | 2009 | Anđa | |
| Na putu | On the Path | 2010 | Nađa | |
| Torta sa čokoladom | Chocolate Cake | 2010 | Višnja | Short film |
| 1000 Gramm | | 2011 | Damil's mother | Short film |
| Crna Zorica | Loveless Zorica | 2012 | Petrana | |
| Smrt čoveka na Balkanu | Death of a Man in the Balkans | 2012 | Buyer | |
| Vir | The Whirl | 2012 | Inspector | |
| To dentro kai i kounia | A Place Called Home | 2013 | Nina | |
| Spomenik Majklu Džeksonu | Monument to Michael Jackson | 2014 | Darinka | |
| Kosac | The Reaper | 2014 | Mirjana | |
| Cure: The Life of Another | — | 2014 | Grandmother | |
| Jednaki | | 2014 | Nina | Segment: "Katarina" |
| Tri Dritare dhe një Varje | Three Windows and a Hanging | 2014 | Maria / The journalist | |
| Urgentni centar | ER | 2015 | Jasmina Ilić | TV series, 1 episode |
| Pored mene | Next to Me | 2015 | Headmistress | |
| Dobra žena | A Good Wife | 2016 | Milena | Also director and writer |
| Herostrat | | 2016 | | Short film |
| Sumnjiva lica | | 2016 | Tina | TV series |
| Dnevnik mašinovođe | Train Driver's Diary | 2016 | Jagoda | |
| Ubice mog oca | | 2016 | Chief Inspector Obradović | TV series |
| Rekvijem za gospođu J. | Requiem for Mrs. J. | 2017 | Mrs. J | |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| Art Film Fest | 2007 | Actor's Mission Award | — | Won |
| Brussels Film Festival | 2006 | Best Actress | Grbavica | Won |
| Cairo International Film Festival | 2016 | Golden Pyramid | A Good Wife | Nominated |
| Chlotrudis Awards | 2008 | Best Actress | Grbavica | Nominated |
| Cleveland International Film Festival | 2016 | Best Film in the Eastern European Competition | A Good Wife | Won |
| European Film Awards | 2006 | Best Actress | Grbavica | Nominated |
| FEST Belgrade International Film Festival | 2016 | Best Actress | A Good Wife | Won |
| FEST Belgrade International Film Festival | 2017 | Best Actress | Requiem for Mrs. J. | Won |
| Gothenburg Film Festival | 2016 | International Debut Award | A Good Wife | Nominated |
| Hellenic Film Academy Awards | 2014 | Best Supporting Actress | A Place Called Home | Nominated |
| Motovun Film Festival | 2016 | FIPRESCI Award | A Good Wife | Won |
| Pula Film Festival | 1980 | Best Actress | Petria's Wreath | Won |
| Pula Film Festival | 1985 | Best Actress | When Father Was Away on Business | Won |
| Skopje Film Festival | 2016 | Best Film in the Balkan Selection | A Good Wife | Nominated |
| SOFEST Sopot Film Festival | 2013 | Best Actress | The Whirl | Won |
| Sundance Film Festival | 2016 | Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema – Dramatic) | A Good Wife | Nominated |
| Trophées Francophones du Cinema | 2015 | Best Supporting Actress | A Place Called Home | Nominated |
| Žanka Stokić Award | 2011 | Outstanding Contribution to Film, Television and Theatre | — | Won |
| Dobričin Prsten Award | 2019 | Outstanding Contribution to Theatre | Lifetime achievement | Won |