The Happiest Man in the World is a film about Asja, a forty-year-old single woman living in Sarajevo. In order to meet someone new, she ends up at speed dating and is matched with Zoran, a 43-year-old banker. However, it is not love Zoran is looking for, but forgiveness.

The film’s director Teona Strugar Mitevska co-wrote the script together with Elma Tataragić. The director of photography is Virginie Saint Martin, with Per K. Kirkegaard as the film’s editor. Staring in one of the roles is Croatian actress Ksenija Marinković, while leading roles include Jelena Kordić Kuret, Adnan Omerović, Labina Mitevska, Ana Kostovska and Izudin Bajrović. 

The film’s lead producer is Labina Mitevska, joined by co-producers Sébastien Delloye, Danijel Hočevar, Vanja Sremac, Maria Møller Christoffersen, Amra Bakšić Čamo and Adis Đapo.

The film is produced by Sisters and Brother Mitevski Production (North Macedonia), in co-production with Entre chien et loup (Belgium), Vertigo (Slovenia), Frau Film (Denmark), Terminal 3 (Croatia) and SCCA/pro.ba (Bosna & Hercegovina).

The Happiest Man in the World is a part of the Horizons competition programme (Orizzonti)

The film has, among others, received financial support from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

The Horizons programme, in which The Happiest Man in the World is about to have its world premiere, is part of the official selection of the Venice International Film Festival, alongside the main competition with films in the running for the Golden Lion. Orizzonti is devoted to authors whose films represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema.

Teona Strugar Mitevska’s previous film, God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija (2019), was also created in co-production with Croatia (Spiritus Movens, Zdenka Gold), scooping up numerous accolades during its festival run, including the Ecumenical Jury Award at Berlinale and the LUX Prize of the European Parliament.

Another minority co-production, Have You Seen This Woman?, will also have its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, in the independent section, the Venice International Film Critics’ Week (Settimana Internazionale della Critica). It is the fiction feature debut of directing duo Dušan Zorić and Matija Gluščević, who also penned the script together.

The story centres on middle-aged woman Draginja, roaming the city streets during a hot summer day, who becomes everyone’s friend, as she searches for her lost memory.

Starring in the film is Ksenija Marinković, with Isidora Simijonović, Boris Isaković, Vlasta Velisavljević, Goran Bogdan, Jasna Đuričić, Radoje Čupić, Olga Odanović, Milica Mihajlović, Ivana Vuković, Miloš Timotijević, Isidora Minić, Alex Elektra and others appearing in supporting roles.

The film’s Croatian collaborators include, among others, co-producer Tena Gojić, Croatian unit production manager Tena Trstenjak and sound designer Luka Gamulin.

Have You Seen This Woman? is produced by Čarna Vučinić for Non-Aligned Films from Serbia, in collaboration with the Radio Television of Serbia, the Serbian Faculty of Dramatic Arts and Zagreb production house Dinaridi Films, with the support from Film Center Serbia and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

Venice International Film Critics’ Week is an independent and parallel section of the Venice Mostra, organized by SNCCI – the Union of Italian Film Critics. The programme consists of a competition section featuring seven debut films and two special events with out-of-competition screenings. Have You Seen This Woman? will screen alongside six other titles in this competition.

God Will Not Help, a Croatian feature project of film director Hana Jušić and producer Ankica Jurić Tilić (Kinorama), will be presented in Mostra’s industry section. The project is one of 27 films participating in the 9th co-production event, the Venice Gap-Financing Market. The Market is part of the Venice Production Bridge programme and will run during the festival, 2nd – 4th September.

This year’s, 79th Venice International Film Festival takes place 30th August – 10th September. Along with the festivals in Cannes and Berlin, it is one of the most important and oldest film events in the world.