Biography
Tanja was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and studied Film and TV Directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts, Belgrade. Post-graduate studies of directing finished at University of Hamburg. Since 2003 she lives in Berlin.
She writes and directs shorts, documentaries and video art. Her films have been screened at festivals all over the world and garnered numerous awards: Sedicicorto, Religion today, Belgrade Ethnological FF, Palermo Sport FF, Bergischer Filmprize, Sehsüchte, Shocking Short Award 13th Street, Deutscher Filmschulpreis in silver and others.
In 2021 and 2017 she received grants “Künstlerinnenprogramm” from City of Berlin and grant at Nipkow Program in 2003. She is a member of European Film Academy.
Since 2004 she is intensively involved in media education of youngsters as well as University students. Through the theory and practice she tries to bring the young generations closer to the handcraft and creation of filmmaking.
http://www.perlenkind-filmwerkstatt.de
http://startart-verein.de
Filmography
2022 >> LUPUS IN FABULA<< (7 min) //animation // author, director // Talas Film
2021 >> LIFE OF A MUTT<< (77 min) // documentary // author, director // Talas Film
2020 >> HOME << (5 min) // experimental //codirector // Filmkraftwerk
2019 >> GOD’S WILL << (20 min) // short // author, director, editor // Filmkraftwerk
2018 >> THE CHINESE WILL COME << (72 min) // documentary // author, director, editor // Talas Film
2017 >> WANDERUNG 2 0 1 7 << (5 min) // experimental // Filmkraftwerk
2015 >> JOVICA AND HIS TEETH << (74 min) //documentary // author, director, editor // Talas Film
2008 >> JELENA‘S WORLD << (80 min) // documentary // author, director, producer // Talas Film // Filmkrafwerk
2006 >> ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT << (61 min) // middle lenght fiction // author, director, producer // Filmkraftwerk Production
2002 >> BY MY SIDE << (25 min) // short fiction // director // Hamburger Film Werkstatt
2001 >> WEDDING DAY << (10 min) // short fiction // director // Hamburger Film Werkstatt
News, new projects
LUPUS IN FABULA
short animation
Animation Vuk Palibrk
Animated film "Lupus in fabula" was inspired by a children's poem "Once Upon a Time there was a Lion", by a famous Serbian children's poet Dusko Radovic. Our hero, Wolf, is faced with existential problems of the modern age, dreaming of being more adapted, more secure and protected. By wishing to be what he thinks is his better self, he's forgetting that by succumbing to this wish he's at the same time losing the only thing that truly matters - his freedom.
FISCHERINSEL
feature documentary
research fellowship 2021
Senate Department for Culture and Europe
Documentary project about residents of Fischerinsel, their personal stories connected to this universal island in the historical heart of Berlin.
THE HOUSE
feature fiction in development
screenplay and director
Producer: Talas film, Belgrade
After the heart attack, Jovan, a retired architect of Serbian origin who spent most of his life in Germany, refuses to give in to his daughter's pressure to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home. He returns to his homeland with his introverted teenager grandson Nikola.
Project development supported by
Film Center Serbia
JABLAN
feature documentary in production
codirected with Jelena Bosanac
production Public/Talas film
“If these walls could talk…” The walls of “Jablan” are silenced forever, but guests from KAFANA JABLAN tell their stories, what gathered them in this road tavern and finaly parted them.
Project supproted by Film Center Serbia
LIFE OF A MUTT
documentary + animation
“Life of a mutt” tells true, intimate and authentic stories from the perspective of stray dogs. Combining documentary material with hand drawn animation and voice over, we are crossing between genres and forms of documentary, fiction and animation, giving our silent heroes a voice.
The inspiration comes from ancient Indian, Russian, and British stories. Combining seven destinies/scenes in one life story- from birth to a birth again, we witness their dignifying fight for survival. Talking about existential questions, such as the marginalized groups, nature and the environment, the care for the posterity, highlighting esteemed values such as love, friendship, trust, we want to reach audience from 6 to 106.
Production Talas film
director: Tanja Brzakovic
animation: Vuk Palibrk
camera: Bosko Djordjevic, Aleksandar Kalezic, Tanja Brzakovic
sound design: Milos Drobnjakovic
Editing: Branka Pavlovic, Irena Domazetovic, Mina Nenadovic, Jelena Bosanac, Srdjan Mitrovic-Hitch, Tanja Brzakovic
Music: Janja Loncar
producer: Nebojsa Miljkovic
Trailer editing: Srdjan Mitrovic-Hitch
Color grading: Bosko Djordjevic
Watch on demand on platforms:
HOME
short experimental
Codirected with Jelena Bosanac
Producer FilmKraftwerk
Festivals: Corona Short Film Festival
Eastern Neighbours Film Festival 2020
MikroFAF 2020
Martovski Belgrade Film Festival 2021
Off festival, Novi Sad
Mister Vorky
Palić International Film Festival, programm Young spirit
Award: MikroFAF Award best regional “Can you breath"
GOD’S WILL
short fiction
As four nuns set out from Saint Nino to collect berries, they are confronted by the greatest examination of their spiritual lives: they must decide what to do with the war criminal they find injured in the woods.
Country: Serbia, Germany
Year: 2019
Length: 19:58
Production: Filmkratwerk
Director: Tanja Brzakovic
Screenplay: Tanja Brzakovic
DoP: Aleksandar Kalezic
Sound Recording: Mladen Marjanovic
Sound design: Milos Drobnjakovic
Editing Tanja Brzakovic
Cast: Ana Bauk, Jovana Bozic, Jelena Bosanac, Tinja Dosen Kalezic, Vladimir Tesovic, Lilu
Producer: Jelena Bosanac
Festivals: 17ème Festival du Court-Métrage Méditerranéen de Tanger, Marocco
Religion Today, Trento, Italy
Sedicicorto, Forli, Ital,
Popoli e Religioni, Terni, Italy
Mecal Film Festival; Barcelona, Spain
SEE Fest South East European Film Festival Los Angeles, USA
Galichnik Film Festival, Macedonia
Brest Film Festival, France
Buzz IFF, Romania
Dona y Cine, Valencia, Spain
International Women Filmmakers Festival, Turkey
Awards: Audiance Award Sedicicorto, Forli, People and Religion, Festival Religion Today,Trento
THE CHINESE WILL COME
Feature documentary, running time. 72 minutes
Producer Talas film
Production supported by Film Center Serbia
Director: Tanja Brzakovic
Camera: Aleksandrija Ajdukovic
Editing: Tanja Brzakovic
Music: Janja Loncar
Sound Design: Milos Drobnjakovic
Producer: Nebojsa Miljkovic
Synopsis: Farmer’s family, living on cities edge, fighting with their own ignorance and state bureaucracy; young couple, withshop in province, torn between obligations toward family in China and their personal ambitions; female ensemble ofmiddle-aged shop owners, escaping the monotony of their moldy shops in a dance; worker in a shopping mall, lostbetween his Chinese and his Serbian identity; girls growing up between shop shelves and products with etiquettes “Made in China” from Italy and Turkey. Chinese President in his official tree-day visit to Serbia. Prime Minister ofSerbia is celebrating this visit as “historical”- the beginning of economical rescue of Serbia.
Festivals:
Beldocs, Belgrade, DokFest Münhen, Belgrade Documentary Film Festival -Martovski, AJB Doc- Sarajevo, One world, Wien, Festival of etnological film, Belgrade, Berlin Revolution Film Festival, OKO Film Festival Ukraine
Award: Best National Documentary at Festival of Etnological Film, Belgrade
Watch on demand on platforms:
JOVICA AND HIS TEETH
Feature documentary, running time. 74 minutes
Produced by Talas Film
Director: Tanja Brzakovic
Camera: Aleksandrija Ajdukovic
Producer: Nebojsa Miljkovic
Editing: Tanja Brzakovic, Branka Pavlovic
Music: Janja Loncar
Sound: Koca Kastavarac
Sound Design: Milos Drobnjakovic
Production supported by Film Center Serbia
Belgrade, Beldocs film festival
Tirana, documentary film festival
Synopsis: Jovica lives in Kosovo, in Serbian enclave, in village situated in the hills, with 30 Serbian children, 11 of which are his brothers and sisters. The first thing you notice about Jovica are his teeth. They are black, rotten, devastated by caries. His family lives on the social help and child allowance. With cutting and selling the logs Jovica can’t contribute a lot to the improvement of their life standard. This is why he has to find better job. For the work in the catering, he has to repair his teeth. Naturally, one needs a lot of money for new teeth. Where could he earn it when there is no job in enclave? New teeth, passport, any kind of job, leaving enclave - that is the route Jovica is dreaming of. But how can he leave when they all depend on him?
Watch on demand on platform:
“I'm suspicious of people who don't like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn't like a person.”
Bill Murray
Tanja Brzaković
Contact
kontakt@tanjabrzakovic.de