Teona Mitevska, Sonja Prosenc
Little Yugoslavia
In an eerie post-socialist apartment complex where residents vanish without a trace, two vampire queens, a mother and daughter, both over 50 and both addicts, are on a mission to purify the world.
SYNOPSIS
Welcome to LITTLE YUGOSLAVIA, an old brutalist apartment complex where a tight-knit community echoes a bygone era of soc-realism. Lives take a dark turn when residents start disappearing. Trash overflows, the staircase is filthy, and the caretaker vanishes. A trail of blood appears, the elevator breaks down, and MILIANA, once neglected, transforms into a stunning woman in her fifties. Living with her elderly parents, Miliana is a prisoner to her demanding, dying father. Seeking refuge in drugs, her behavior grows erratic. One night, she finds her father in a pool of blood and tastes it, feeling revived. It is unclear whether this sense of revival and liberation is triggered by the taste of blood or by the fact that her father is dead. This triggers her descent into madness (or is it an ascent into liberation?), leading to a vampiric transformation and a murderous spree that shakes the entire building. Eight episodes feature eight female protagonists with their own subplots. As their fates unfold against the backdrop of the bizarre vanishings, Miliana is on a mission to purify the world. And here arises the pivotal dilemma: who is the next victim and who deserves to die? The misogynistic “macho” type or his wife, the silent supporter of the unjust patriarchal system? Who is to decide what is good and what is bad? As a young woman trapped in a controlling marriage visits the building and uncovers Miliana's secret, she chooses to hide the truth. She leaves, feeling liberated and invigorated herself. Will the virus of feminism spread beyond the notorious apartment building? LITTLE YUGOSLAVIA is a dark comedy-drama with horror elements, tackling themes of patriarchy and feminism with self-irony and punk rock energy.
CREATOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR
Teona Mitevska
Sonja Prosenc
PRODUCER
Labina Mitevska
CO-PRODUCER
Sonja Prosenc
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Sisters and Brothers Mitevski
CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY
Monoo
COUNTRIES
Slovenia
North Macedonia
Belgium
FORMAT
25’ x 8
GENRE
Horror
Black Comedy
Teona Mitevska
TEONA STRUGAR MITEVSKA, Macedonian film director, began her journey as a child actor, honed her skills as a painter and graphic designer, and furthered her passion for storytelling by studying film at NYU Grad-Tisch School of the Arts. She directed her first short, VETA (2001), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and received the Special Jury Mention, and has been making films ever since: HOW I KILLED A SAINT (2004), Rotterdam Film Festival-Tiger Competition; I AM FROM TITOV VELES (2007), Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals (ACID); THE WOMAN WHO BRUSHED OFF HER TEARS (2012), Berlin Film Festival; TERESA AND I (TV documentary, 2013); WHEN THE DAY HAD NO NAME (2017), Berlin Film Festival; and most notably, GOD EXISTS, HER NAME IS PETRUNYA (2019), which also premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in the Competition section, winning the Ecumenical Prize and the German Guild Film Prize. The film received more than 40 awards internationally, most notably the 2019 LUX Prize by the European Parliament and was sold to over 40 territories worldwide. Her sixth feature, THE HAPPIEST MAN IN THE WORLD, premiered at the 2022 Venice and Toronto Film Festivals and won the Grand Jury and Young Jury prizes at the 2022 Les Arcs Film Festival, among others. A year later, her no-budget hybrid feature 21 DAYS UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (2023), the second installment in The Never-Ending Film Trilogy, premiered in the Giornate Degli Autori at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. In 2018, France’s Ministry of Culture awarded Strugar Mitevska the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of The Order of Arts and Letters), recognizing her as one of the eminent artists who has contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world. Her next project, MOTHER, is her 8th feature film, featuring Noomi Rapace in the title role.
Sonja Prosenc
SONJA PROSENC is best known for her awarded and critically acclaimed arthouse dramas THE TREE (2014) and HISTORY OF LOVE (2018), both Official Oscar Entries in 2016 and 2020, respectively, which have attracted the attention of film lovers, critics, and academics alike with their distinct and profound cinematic language. Studies of her films have appeared in academic publications in both Europe and the USA, most recently with the publishing house Berghahn Books, New York, Oxford, and her debut film THE TREE (2014), with a screening in April, became part of Anthology Film Archives New York on the occasion of the book's release. She has also successfully tried her hand in the comedy genre with her short film PARADISE (2019), earning the National Film Award, and in the mystery thriller genre with the TV series TRIGRAD (2022), first presented at Series Mania, France, and receiving multiple nominations at the Sarajevo Film Festival 2023. Recognized as one of the four directors of the future at Slamdance, a European female director to watch at Cineuropa, and selected for the Eurimages Gold Album, Sonja’s third feature film FAMILY THERAPY (2024) merges comedy with her distinctive artistic vision. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival - International Narrative Competition, and a European premiere as the opening film of the competition program at Sarajevo Film Festival 2024.
CREATORS’ STATEMENT
We imagine LITTLE YUGOSLAVIA as a tour de force of storytelling to challenge and entertain. With (self-)irony and punk rock energy, it questions our fear of emancipation, nonconformist, independent-minded women, and female rage. Our dedication to narratives centered around women goes beyond the screen, creating space for feminine perspectives and pushing the boundaries of storytelling. Every episode serves as evidence of the strength, resilience, and cleverness of women who choose to navigate their own destinies, addressing serious themes of patriarchy and feminism with a humorous yet critical lens, making the serious appear absurd and exaggerated to the point of ridicule, yet always with self-awareness of the protagonists. Embracing the power of self-irony, both the protagonists and the filmmakers infuse authenticity into the series, inviting audiences to laugh, reflect, and celebrate the complexities of the human experience.
Labina Mitevska
LABINA MITEVSKA started her acting career as a teenager in 1993, playing Zamira in Milcho Mancevski’s Golden Lion-awarded BEFORE THE RAIN (1994). In 1996, she entered a successful collaboration with Michael Winterbottom. Following WELCOME TO SARAJEVO (1997), they worked together in I WANT YOU (1998). For these accomplishments, she was chosen as one of the Shooting Stars at the Berlinale in 1998. Her acting career continued around Europe, creating over 30 roles in films shot in Germany, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. In 2001, Labina, her sister Teona, and their brother Vuk established the production company Sisters and Brother Mitevski. All their films are European co-productions. In the company, she is responsible for the production. They are currently in post-production of their short drawing animation EDNA (2019), animated and directed by Vuk, and in post-production of the new film by Teona, GOD EXISTS, HER NAME IS PETRUNYA (2019), where Labina is playing one of the leading roles. Their latest co-production is the new film by Bilge Nuri Ceylan, THE WILD PEAR TREE (2018). In 2014, she was chosen to be part of Producers on the Move during the Cannes Film Festival. She is an EAVE national representative and a member of the European Film Academy.
Production company profile
SISTERS AND BROTHER MITEVSKI was established in 2001 by Labina Mitevska, her sister Teona, and their brother Vuk. The company has produced short, feature, documentary, and animation films that have won numerous awards at festivals worldwide. All their feature films are complex and successful European co-production projects. In 2019, at the Berlin Film Festival (main competition), they successfully launched the new film by Teona S. Mitevska, GOD EXISTS, HER NAME IS PETRUNYA (2019), which won two prestigious awards: the Ecumenical Jury Prize and the Guild Film Prize.
Where are we at?
ESTIMATED PRODUCTION BUDGET FOR THE FIRST SEASON
1.400.000 €
Production timeline
2024-2025
Development and pre-production
2025/2026
Production
2026
Post-production