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.

Watch showreel

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
co-directed with 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.

Supported by Film Center Serbia


FISCHERINSEL

Multimedial exibition, 
November/December 2023 in Berlin

research fellowship 2021 
Senate Department for Culture and Europe

Project about residents of Fischerinsel, their personal stories connected to this universal  island in the historical heart of Berlin.   

Supported by Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa des Landes Berlin





THE HOUSE

feature fiction
screenplay and director
Producer:  Talas film, Belgrade
principal photography planed for summer 2024

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. With his grandson Nikola, who has Asperger's syndrome and is living without social contacts, he travels to his homeland, a multiethnic village in Serbia, to sell the family land, but becomes a part of a local population rebellion against the construction mafia that threatens to destroy everything what is left of his homeland.

Production supported by Film Center Serbia


JABLAN

feature documentary in production
co-directed with Jelena Bosanac 
                                                             production: Restart; HR
Public/Talas film; SRB

“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 HAVC and               Film Center Serbia

Festivals

FEST, Belgrade 2021
MakeDox, Skoplje, 2021
7. Balkan Panorama Film Festival 2021, Izmir
LIFF, Leskovac 2021
Int. film festival Palic, 2021
Kids Fest, Serbia 2021
28. Internationales Kinderkinofestival Schwäbisch Gmünd
Festival Bistre reke, Temska 2021
Films on high hills, Belgrade, 2021
Sofest, Sopot, 2021
Off Novi Sad, 2021
Karlovci Film Festival, 2021
Raške Duhovne Svečanosti, 2021
Dhaka Film Fest 2022
FEST, International film festival, Serbia 2021
Matsalu Nature Film Festival, Estonia, 2022, Award for best editing

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 Brzaković
animation: Vuk Palibrk
camera: Boško Đordjević, Aleksandar Kalezić, Tanja Brzaković
sound design: Miloš Drobnjaković
Editing: Branka Pavlović, Irena Domazetović, Mina Nenadović, Jelena Bosanac, Srđan Mitrović-Hitch, Tanja Brzaković 
Music: Janja Lončar
producer: Nebojša Miljković
Trailer editing: Srđan Mitrović-Hitch
Color grading: Boško Đordjević 

Watch on demand on platforms:

Trailerhttps://cinesseum.com/en/movie/life-of-a-mutt https://vimeo.com/ondemand/prizoriizzivotadzukca

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

Trailer

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:

Trailerhttps://vimeo.com/ondemand/chinesewillcomehttps://cinesseum.com/en/movie/the-chinese-will-come

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:

Trailerhttps://cinesseum.com/en/movie/jovica-and-his-teeth
By my side"By my side” short fiction
“Wedding day” short fiction
“Jelena’s World” feature documentary

Watch on demand on platform:

https://cinesseum.com/en/movie/jelenas-world

“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