Neven Samardžić
Directing
Biography
Neven Samardžić was born in 1986 in Sarajevo. In 2017, he completed his studies at the Academy of Performing Arts Sarajevo. During his time at the Academy, he wrote and directed short films and student plays. Professionally, he has performed in four stand-up shows, produced two music videos, and served as both an assistant director and director for the documentary series Hoću kući for Al Jazeera Balkans. Čistoća is the film he created as his senior thesis.
Known For
Daily routine of the public procurement agency in Bosnia-Herzegovina manned by terminally lazy socially awkward clerks with messy emotional lives.
Tender
Five uniquely moving films about motherhood—bubbling up in the grocery store, the cemetery, or even a car ride—come together in this omnibus film set in Sarajevo.
The Factory
Fudo is a drug addict who decides to quit heroin and reconcile with his mother after his best friend dies. However, people continue to perceive him as an addict and refuse to believe he has really changed. Estranged from the people around him and tortured by feelings of guilt over his best friend's death, Fudo is at risk of returning to his old life.
Clean
Anka, 12, and Yelena, 45, know each other from the neighborhood grocery store where they spend their day, one inside, the other outside. One evening, an unexpected visit provokes an incident that both women will suffer from.
Spit
Besieged Sarajevo, 1993, Haska (28) finds a love letter in her husband’s pockets after his death on the frontline. She tries to understand what has happened and eventually decides to leave Sarajevo with her son Denis (9).