Jovan Todorović

Jovan Branislav Todorovic (born October 13, 1979) is a Serbian American born artist and filmmaker based in New York. He works in film, photography, and music. He has directed Belgrade Phantom, and short films Juvenile, You’re Dead, Americahttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm1482509/. Jovan directed famous campaigns for Diesel, Adidas, Nike, and morehttps://vimeo.com/jovantodorovic. Jovan is a part of the music duo ZNTNDRhttp://www.jovan.tv/about.
Before completing his MFA at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Serbia, he made his first feature "The Belgrade Phantom” which won best documentary at both FIPRESCI Festival in Serbia and Gotham Film Festival in New York, launching his careerhttps://site.fest.pt/en/archive/2021/industry-program/pitching-forum/feature-gems/blood-route/. Since then, he has traveled the world creating commercial, fashion and music video work for major global brands, agencies and artists such as Nike, Samsung, Diesel, Coty, W+K, H&M, Puma, Major Lazer, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, XL Recordings, Universal, Sony among othershttps://vimeo.com/jovantodorovic.
His work has garnered press and recognition across the world winning multiple Cannes Lions, Clio, Ciclope, Shots, Lux, and Golden Drum awardshttp://www.jovan.tv/about. His recent commercial for Nike Japan has provoked a political and social up-roar that led to some of the first serious discussions on race and prejudice in Japan's recent timeshttps://www.lbbonline.com/news/you-cant-stop-sport-in-this-nike-japan-film-tackling-racial-discrimination.
Jovan is co-founder and managing director of EMOTE films along with Bogdan Petkovichttps://www.emoteproductions.com/contact/.
Represented commercially by Anonymous Content, an entertainment company based in Los Angeles, as well as some freelance workhttps://www.anonymouscontent.com/work/us/directors/anonymous-content/jovan-todorovic/.
Jovan Branislav Todorovic was born October 13, 1979 in Belgrade, Serbia. His mother, Marija S. Todorovic, was a professor of thermodynamics at the University of Belgrade and a tennis player representing the former Yugoslaviahttps://www.ttmd.org.tr/sempozyum2016/eng/marjia_todorovic.pdf. His father, Branislav Todorovic, was a professor of mechanical engineeringhttp://ains.etf.rs/clanstvo/ains.web.redovni/Todorovic.Branislav.htm. Jovan started elementary school at Glorietta Elementary School in Orinda, California, though this was only one year. After first grade in California, Jovan took first grade again in Serbia at Osnovna Skola 22. After elementary school there, Jovan attended West Junior High in Kansas from 1993 to 1995 where he played on the golf and tennis teams. Next, Jovan attended High School in Serbia. It was during this time that he was introduced to the computer and demo scene and even became a part of the computer demo group Corrosion which later became known as Kosmoplovci and started making electronic music under the pseudonym DZHOhttps://kosmoplovci.bandcamp.com. It was with Kosmoplovci that Jovan created music as an individual but also for group art and video projects while also performing in live shows. Jovan attended his first year of college at Columbia College in Chicago from 1998 to 1999https://dokweb.net/database/persons/biography/2289e123-fc3b-4704-bb7a-1f80ab12d0c8/jovan-b-todorovic. It was then he made his first music video for a friend who was the lead singer of The Strike, as well as making the video for Shots Heard Around The Worldhttps://www.discogs.com/master/368328-The-Strike-Shots-Heard-Round-The-World. He then transferred for his second year of college at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. For his graduation film, he directed and produced The Belgrade Phantomhttp://www.jovan.tv/about. Through the film, Jovan and Bogdan Petkovic founded Emote Productions, which would later be named Emote Filmshttps://www.emoteproductions.com/contact/. Through Emote Films, Jovan started making more commercials.
In 2009, Jovan, as part of the music directing duo ESNAF directed a music video for Boy Crisis, an American band influenced by post-disco–post-punk sound, called L’Hommehttps://vimeo.com/jovantodorovic. The album of L’Homme was supposed to be released in 2009 but due to problems with the record label, it never was. Despite the absence of a released album, along with two other official music videos, L’Homme was released in 2009http://www.contactmusic.com/album-review/boy-crisis-tulipomaniax27x10x09. The video was awarded a Vimeo Staff Pickhttps://vimeo.com/manage/videos/38610301.
Jovan also directed the feature film, The Belgrade Phantomhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810089/. Released in 2009, the Drama, Thriller, Documentary film is a Serbian Historical Drama taking place in post- war Yugoslavia. The film revolves around a mysterious driver managing to constantly escape police in a stolen carhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810089/. The film won the Silver Eye award at the Jihlava Documentary Film festival 2009https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810089/awards, the award for the Best Documentary Film at the Gotham Screen film festival in New York 2009, and the FIPRESCI award at Fipresci Serbia in 2010https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810089/releaseinfo. After the film was released, Jovan, along with cast members, appeared on the first season of a Serbian talk show called Fajront Republika in 2009https://hyperleap.com/topic/Fajront_Republika.
In addition to film, Jovan was also a member of the band KILL ME LASER which played from 2009 to 2012https://www.zealous.co/jovantodorovic/project/Kill-Me-Laser---Blood/. In addition to playing at EXIT festival, KILL ME LASER also performed at The Prodigy concert in Belgradehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/exitfestival/4781599048.
In 2017, Jovan directed the music video Hard Liquor by SOHN, English singer, songwriter, and record producer. Jovan also directed three commercials for Berkshire Hathaway, JD.com, and T-Mobile. He also directed Synthetic Overture, a short filmhttps://vimeo.com/jovantodorovic.
In addition, in 2020, Jovan makes music as a part of the music group ZNTNDR with Ilija Duni, from bands Petrol and Tihttps://soundcloud.com/user6373814.
Category:1979 births
Category:Serbian artists