16/06/2011 03:35

Velimir Bata Zivojinovic at Cinema City festival!

Hommage to Serbian Author - Bata Živojinović

At the opening of this year’s Cinema City, the festival will pay homage to one Velimir Bata Zivojinovic. Cinema will screen a rewtrospective of his films and present him with a lifetime achievement award. This year we will have a chance to see some of Bata Zivojinovic’s (born in Koradica in 1933) best known features, including Walter Defends Sarajevo, Three, And God Created a Pub Singer and The Battle of Neretva.

Cinema City international film festival opens on Saturday, June 13, in Novi Sad. Each year it brings achievements from notable film authors, who have marked the development of international and domestic cinematography. This year Hommage to Serbian Author is reserved for one of the most prolific Yugoslav and Serbian actors, Velimir Bata Zivojinovic. Cinema City will also present this exceptional film artist with a lifetime achievement award, as a special recognition for his contribution in the field of cinematography.

At the opening ceremony on Saturday, Milos Ignjatovic, director of Cinema City will present Bata Zivojinovic with Ibis cinematography contribution award. “After Aleksandar Sasa Petrovic, Zika Pavlovic and Mica Popovic, this year we honor one of our most popular actors, Bata Zivojinovic. Bata simultaneously acted in films directed by some of the greatest names of Serbian cinematography, black wave films and was also a hero of numerous Yugoslav partisan films. Throughout the years, he remained nation’s favorite” explains Cinema City’s programme director, Bojana Bandic.

On Saturday, the first day of the festival, audience will get a chance to attend the screening of Walter Defends Sarajevo by Hajrudin Krvavac, where Zivojinovic delivered one of his most recognizable roles. This great feature screen under the summer sky of an open-air cinema in Danube Park.

Homage to Velimir Bata Zivojinovic continues with The Battle of Neretva by Veljko Bulajic, And God Created a Pub Singer by Jovan Zivanovic, Aleksandar Sasa Petrovic’s Three and Rajko Grlic’s Within the Jaws of Life. All four will screen at the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad.

During his career of 55 yearsr, Bata Zivojinovic starred in over 270 films! He became known through his engagement in Yugoslav partisan films, and is also remembered after his engagement in many comedic roles and cult classics, like ones in Three and I Even Met Happy Gypsies. He is a three-time winner of the Golden Arena for Best Actor award at the Pula Film Festival, winner of October Prize and Slavica lifetime achievement award. Awards also awaited him at Nis film festival, and Moscow International Fim Festival. Only in China, it is guesstimated that over 13 billion people saw Walter Defends Sarajevo, during its long run of almost four decades.