Zoran Radmilović Days | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Zoran Radmilović Days are held every October in Zaječar. This theatre festival is beloved among both actors and the audience, who together cherish the memory of their colleague and beloved actor Zoran Radmilović. His name is carried by the theatre in Zaječar and the street where he was born.

This theatre festival represents a sort of holiday in Zaječar, during which current plays are performed by Atelje 212, the National Theatre in Belgrade, the National Theatre in Niš, the Belgrade Drama Theatre, the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, and other theatres from the region.

One of the favorite Serbian actors was born on May 11, 1933, in Zaječar, and passed away on July 21, 1985, in Belgrade. From 1962 to 1968, Zoran was a member of the Belgrade Drama Theatre, after which he became a permanent member of Atelje 212, where he performed until the end of his life.

The role for which he will be remembered by those who were born after his departure from the theatre and the stage of life is Radovan the Third in the historical play, which he performed 299 times, as well as Bili Piton in the movie "Marathon Family." He played his last play, "Radovan III," in, as actors say, "his Atelje," only 12 days before his death.

He visited remote villages in Serbia with actors, where he performed plays as part of the "Villages on Tour" campaign in the 1970s.

Since 1993, the Zoran Radmilović Foundation and the "Zoran Radmilović" Theatre in Zaječar have organized a festival funded by the Ministry of Culture, the City of Zaječar, and donors.

The festival traditionally opens with the laying of flowers on Zoran Radmilović's monument. During the eight days of the festival, around 15 plays are performed, both in the showcase and competition sections. A special part of the festival is the Festival of Small Theatre Forms.

The "Zoran Radmilović Award for Acting Excellence", in the form of the silhouette of the famous actor, has so far been awarded to Milan Gutović, Lazar Ristovski, Žarko Laušević, Anica Dobra, Lidija Stevanović, Dragan Mićanović, Nebojša Glogovac, Nenad Jezdić, Irfan Mensur, Pavle Pekić, Igor Đorđević, Petar Kralj, and others.

In addition to this, awards are given for the best theatre performance, visual identity, audience award, special award, as well as the "Zoran's Mustache" for the best actor of the evening.

The play "The Balkan Spy" by Dušan Kovačević, performed by the ensemble of the National Theatre in Belgrade, won the Audience Award with a score of 9.8 in 2018, making it one of the best plays ever performed at this festival.

"Do You Remember Dolly Bell?" performed by the Chamber Theatre 55 from Sarajevo attracted public attention and won the "Audience Award" in 2019. The actor of this play, Emir Hadžihafizbegović, also won the "Golden Mustache" and recalled meeting Zoran Radmilović during the filming of the movie of the same name in 1983.

You can find out more about this year's Zoran Radmilović Days through the mass media.