About Us

Our story begins much earlier than the year when the ”Zillion Film” officially started, on February 22, 1996.. A series of acting performances in the theater and on film screen in Lazar Ristovski’s career led this actor to tell a story in his way – to write it, play it and direct it. Production as an indispensable part of every film creation represents an important step in the story in order to tell it the way Lazar conceived. That is how we came up with the idea of a production house. It became clearer in time what is needed for the establishment of this film house, where and how to start it, whom to rely on, how to realize all the plans … In the process of the entire organization and towards the very end, one crucial thing was unintentionally left out – the name of the production house. At that moment, two boys, Petar and Jovan, the sons of Lazar and Danica Ristovski, without telling anyone about it, decided to take this task upon themselves. Inspired by a cartoon in which a boy with a ”zillion-dollar account” gives his money for the opening of a company, Petar and Jovan made a sign board, and by accidentally mistaking Cyrillic and Latin letters they ended up creating a 3illion film (Zillion film).

Shortly after, the Zillion film is officially brought to life, and all for the purpose of one story which was shaped in 1999 – a film called THE WHITE SUITDespite the difficult cultural and political circumstances in our country, in the years of the bombing of Serbia, The White Suit was unexpectedly a cinema hit with over 250,000 admission sold tickets. In May, at an equally tough moment, the film receives its world premiere in Cannes, numerous festival performances and awards, especially in Serbia. Despite all the complex circumstances, Lazar is encouraged and motivated to pursue the course of his work on films, deciding that acting is merely one of the ways and not the only way of creating this type of art. He decides to use his acting skills equally well in the profession of the producer. Every new film for him is a challenge that brings with it passion, excitement, adventure, the ability to convey important messages to the world all in an attempt to become better, to push himself beyond his limits. Inspired by what was happening at the time, in an unpretentious, rather intimate and poetic way, the White Suit speaks of the cruelty of the moment in which we lived, but in which we may still be living. At the same time, the greatness, stubbornness and depressive optimism of the main protagonist, ensign Sava, interpreted by Ristovski, marks the beginning of a much greater yet then absolutely unthinkable story – the Zillion film story. (images from the shooting of the White suit and maybe some of us from Cannes.)

In the coming years, the films that set Zillion film on the production map of the region are created despite the period of film standstill in the Cinema of Serbia. Together with Danica Ristovski, actress and legal owner of our production house, Lazar succeeds in positioning Zillion as one of the top quality and most successful independent productions houses, the one that guarantees both artistic and commercial results. These are primarily contributed by the films Boomerang, A Little Night Music, Midwinter Night’s Dream
Directed by Dragan Marinkovic, Boomerang participates in international film festivals in Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Valencia, Montreal, Vancouver, San Paulo, Washington, Brussels, Cottbus … In the same year, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC  wins the award for the comedy of the year in Serbia, and with over 250,000 admission tickets sold becomes part of the film history of our regions, and whose replicas are still quoted today

Two years after this, there follows a big step forward in terms of film production within our house as well as our country. For the first time, we are supported by the largest European film fund Euroimages, which financially helps us in the realization of the film FALLING INTO PARADISE. With Lazar as the main protagonist and Milos Radovic as the scriptwriter and director, Radovic’s screenplay wins the Euroimages screenplay contest. The support of a world-renowned fund means not only financing but it also gives credibility across Europe, which further encourages producers from France, the Netherlands and Germany to become our co-producers. A series of these achievements have put us in a position to choose the best authors as our associates, without exception.

During 2006, a film was created TOMORROW MORNING is made, which pushes the limits of the Cinema of Serbia at the time, respecting the rules of the Dogme 95 manifesto for the first time in Serbia. With an emphasis on directorial focusing, documentary style, neatness, hand-held cameras and with the omission of optical processing and time-geographic distances, the absolute integration of the audience has been achieved. Along with this artistic step within Zillion, our story almost inconspicuously acquires a new dimension of creativity – the then student of the first year of film and television directing, Petar Ristovski, who for the first time officially participates in the making of the film ”The Optimist”Along with the role of a video control operator, he performs various technical tasks, spending all his time on the movie set and learning about every part of this world. This has further influenced the change of his preconceptions about the creative process – that a good film is a matter of coincidence and good luck, that the goal of a director and creator in general is not to make the best film at all costs, but with the minimum of compromise to create the best possible in the given circumstances and time frames. During this process, he is learning how talent is actually the ability to overcome every possible obstacle. Therefore the full growth is visible only after the completion of the whole process. The words of Orson Wels: ”The enemy of art is the absence of limitations” are those that characterize the beginning of Petar’s film career, while working on this film in the Zillion film company, laid the foundations of his further professional growth. At that point, he comes to a resolution that will affect not only his but also our story – the director has to be trusted by all other authors; He needs to be stubborn in his own intentions and at the same time free of pride and vanity. He reveals how he wants to create stories about people of importance to him, and the reason for this should be familiar and clear, by showing the essence so that every action in the storyline is a small step closer to that essence.

Fifteen years from the founding of the Zillion, Lazar Ristovski decides to direct a film for the second time in his career and tell a story of the working class and his parents who belonged to it. Therefore, he dedicates this film to them. Lazar’s growing up and becoming acquainted with the life of workers was the reason to show how their position was equal to a tiny screw in the complex system of the working mechanism. At the time, Serbia is already going through a transition process that brings privatization accompanied by the closing of many factories. The workers begin to lose their jobs massively, and the atmosphere in the country experiencing transition feels like the story of a ”small” man, a member of the working class and his inevitable struggle for his dreams and freedom that belongs to him, which the White Lions portray.Thanks to this film, the horizon and capacity of Zillion are continually growing, which is significantly influenced by the cooperation with other production houses. With the Croatian co-production, White lions once again demonstrate the success of the joint work of regional artists, from Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. The films that we’ve made since are the result of numerous co-productions which additionally enriched our work.

”The Priest’s Children” film is definitely an example of exceptional regional cooperation that we have achieved with, in this case, Croatian production. Using humor as a basic instrument of expression, director Vinko Bresan renders an intriguing story of the crisis of faith and ideology. The worldwide success of this film is primarily evident in the fact that there have been numerous screenings around the world – Brazil, Italy, Hungary, Greece, France, Norway, South Korea, which are some of over 40 countries in which we have had the opportunity to show our creation. Shortly after the premiere, the same year, The Priest’s Children becomes a candidate for the European Film Academy Award for Best Comedy, thus reaching the list of films selected by the most eminent European institution in the film sphere, and becoming one of the 10 most successful films in Croatia.

Regional cooperation continues with National hero Ljiljan Vidic’s i ON THE OTHER SIDE which have achieved festival success and numerous awards. The fact that ON THE OTHER SIDE was premiered at 66th Berlin Film Festival, where it was awarded by a jury with the Europa Cinemas Label, testifies to the success achieved. That same year, another one of our films is created – the TRAIN DRIVER’S DIARY directed by Milos Radovic. Tragically-humorous melodrama introduces train drivers to the audience by showing their specific way of life, and the fact that every train driver accidentally kills 20 to 30 people, thus becoming a victim of their victims – those committing suicides, drunken or simply absent people. In the production of this film, the contribution is again provided by Petar Ristovski, but in the most responsible and significant way so far- as the second unit director. The very making of the movie meantlovercoming many obstacles that were present to the very end – the lack of money and time made this film process extremely uncertain. Nevertheless, the persistence and determination to present a specific, never before told human story of railroad workers, resulted in that film being Zillion’s most awarded film. At the time of the premiere, it was clear that the Train Driver’s Diary was going to become a particularly important step in both our and wider filmmaking – the World Premiere at the Moscow Festival brings the Audience Choice Award, and the Serbian premiere – the Cinema City Award for Contribution to the Cinema of Serbia. That same year, Lazar Ristovski receives ”The Golden Iguana” -the Lifetime Achievement Award in Mexico, while Milos Radovic wins the title of the Best Director at the ”Winter Film Awards” Festival in New York and the Jaipur Film Festival in India. They are followed by a special award for Best Film at the Balkan Film Festival, Golden Star for Best Feature Film in Uruguay; Grand Prix for Best Actor, Golden Eagle for contribution to European film art at the International Film Festival in Prague, Audience Choice Award in Portland, Golden Arena for Best Director in Pula, as well as the Young Cinephile Award for Best Minority Co-Production … Numerous acclaims and participation in national and international festivals with this film encouraged and inspired us to create even more exciting film stories

The powerful impression left by the film Train driver’s Diary is present in the year that followed. At the same time, an accident happens in which the Cultural Center in Ravno Selo, where Lazar Ristovski was born, is destroyed in a fire. It is precisely at that place, the wreckage of the Cultural Center, that we decide to premiere our, the then last film, in order to encourage potential donors to collect money for the destroyed Center. A mixture of positive and negative impressions provoked a decision to launch an initiative to rebuild it. Shortly after, the idea and intention regarding the reconstruction of the Center are extended – the first film festival in Ravno Selo (Ravno Selo Film Festival) is created , dedicated to young people with a message that culture is not found only in big cities. This celebration of culture is contributed by professional regional artists who introduced the world of film to the participants through a variety of workshops and accompanying program activities.

In line with our goal, we have devised a wide range of categories of film debuts, which include amateurs and professionals alike. Regardless of whether the film is a short one, recorded by phone or feature-length and with a more serious production, all authors together with us as part of the whole organization contributed to this village coming to life. Over 10,000 people visited the festival in the past two years, and the construction plan of the Cultural Center began its realization – the project documentation was handed over to AP Vojvodina, which will give subsidies for the building of the new Center. In the meantime, we are trying to achieve for Ravno selo festival to become more widely known and more important in order for young people to accept responsibility for maintaining and developing the culture of their hometowns, villages or cities.

In 2018, we are faced with great challenges that make this year the most productive to date; there are three films, three minority co-productions: What a country, Leeches, Between Day and Night and the most complex production project for Zillion – a film that we have been waiting for seven years and which took a hundred days to shoot. We are given an opportunity to tell the story of our country, our history and an event that has been emotionally attached to the Serbian people, the debut film by Petar Ristovski – King Petar the First . This historical drama, based on the motifs of the novel ”King Petar’s Socks” by Milovan Vitezovic, speaks of the epic suffering of Serbia in the First World War and the victory of the small nation over the great power. Respecting historical facts, director Ristovski has emotionally upgraded the story of the king and his people by creating layered characters – heroes, victims and freedom fighters, those fighting for both, their own and the freedom of their country. King Petar, played by Lazar Ristovski, is portrayed as a brave man, in constant struggle with his doubts and fears, as a living man with a clear idea of freedom, and not as an untouchable and distant icon. The rest of the cast including Milan Kolak, Danica Ristovski, Ivan Vujic, Radovan Vujovic and others, equally and in every aspect of their artistic achievement, emotionally revive historical characters and their inner battles, imbued with dignity, honor, honesty and heroic resolve. In the year when we are celebrating the Armistice Day, we jointly delivered a story of freedom and a nation that managed to save itself. With the hope that this film will restore collective memory of the most dreadful and brightest moments of Serbian history as well as give new generations an insight into historical moments of decision-making, persistence, sacrifice and love for the country which enabled them to exist, we worked devotedly to create a film that would be a historical testimony to our science , culture and art.

Our story, as the main character of this story, continues to last, and already the first half of 2019 speaks in favor of it – Between Day and Night, Pijavice and What is this country experiencing their premiere making this a year of the highest premiere performance so far . We decisively remain in the intention to contribute, and with our work, we reflect the development of art through time. For such an ambitious goal, a lot of courage is needed, which in our case comes from a solid family relationship. Thanks to that, we built a small film production company where each of us is an important part without which such a mechanism would not work. By shifting its boundaries, constant , through constant searching, exploration and with the unconditional love of art, Zillion creates new film worlds that serve as a mirror of historical and social circumstances. Albert Camus words that ”Art is the rebellion of an artist against his reality” describe our need to tell different stories about people, their struggles, complex circumstances, victories and losses in order to convey important messages and lessons.