Avala Film

Avala Studios, formerly known as Avala Film ( sr-Cyrl, Aвала филм), is a Serbian film studio, founded in 1946 as the first studio founded in post-war Yugoslavia. As of April 2025, it is fully owned by the Czech "Sebre Avala Holding".

Overview

In June 1946, the government of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia created the State Committee of Cinematography, in order to replace the provisional Film Enterprise of the SFRY. The Committee set out to establish film production companies in the various constituent states of Yugoslavia: the first and the largest of those was Avala Film, in the Socialist Republic of Serbia's capital Belgrade, which was founded on 15 July. The company was located in the future complex of Filmski Grad, which the committee had only begun planning.

In 1947, Avala Film produced the first feature film made in postwar Yugoslavia, Vjekoslav Afrić's '' Slavica''. Until 2000, the studio participated in the creation of 400 documentaries, 200 feature films and 120 co-productions with foreign companies; its pictures won more than 200 awards in various festivals.

After the Breakup of Yugoslavia, the studio was partially privatized and 51% of its shares were sold to a company called Jugoexport, while the rest were retained by Avala Film's management. Since the mid-1990, it has produced only a few films, and its last one - ''Shadows of Memories'' - was released in 2000.

In early 2000-s, the studio was facing financial troubles, and was threatened with liquidation after Jugoexport was declared bankrupt. Since 2005, plans to fully privatize it were proposed.
Avala Film Threatened by Going Bankrupt
'. novosti.sr., 15 March 2011. In 2008, the studio was valued at 105 millios euros and had 84 employees. In June 2011, the studio was announced to be bankrupt, after accumulating a debt of 111 million dinars. The company's real estate, film rights, costumes, props and studios were scheduled to be sold-off in spring 2013.Tito's pet film studio at risk of Yugoslav fate
Reuters, by Matt Robinson, 7 March 2013

In April 2015, it was sold to the Serbian company "Filmski put d.o.o." from Belgrade.

Selected filmography

* 1953 - ''Perfidy''
* 1957 - '' Priests Ćira and Spira''
* 1961 - '' Siberian Lady Macbeth''
* 1964 - '' March on the Drina (Marš na Drinu)''
* 1965 - ''Three''
* 1966 - '' The Dream''
* 1967 - '' I Even Met Happy Gypsies''
* 1968 - '' It Rains in My Village''
* 1970 - '' Liberation''
* 1987 - '' Reflections''
* 1989 - ''The Meeting Point''

Selected international co-productions

* 1954 - '' The Last Bridge''
* 1962 - ''Taras Bulba''
* 1963 - ''The Long Ships''
* 1964 - '' Marco the Magnificent (La Fabuleuse aventure de Marco Polo)''
* 1965 - ''Genghis Khan''
* 1967 - ''The 25th Hour''
* 1968 - ''Kelly's Heroes''
* 1969 - '' Castle Keep''
* 1972 - '' England Made Me''
* 1984 - '' Quo Vadis?'' (miniseries)
* 1986 - '' Escape from Sobibor'' (TV movie)
* 1987 - '' The Fortunate Pilgrim'' (miniseries)
* 1987 - '' Crusoe''
* 1988 - '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (miniseries)
* 1989 - ''Boris Godunov''

References

External links

*

Avala Film
on the IMDb.

A short history of the studio

{{Coord, 44, 45, 20, N, 20, 26, 1, E, region:RS_type:landmark, display=title

Cinema of Yugoslavia
Serbian film studios
Film production companies of Serbia
1946 establishments in Serbia
Mass media companies established in 1946
Čukarica