The feature film I Plant My Hand in the Garden, the debut work of directors Boris Hadžija from Serbia and Hoda Taheri from Iran, will have its world premiere in the competition program Giornate degli Autori, which is held as part of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

The film follows Hoda and Boris, who decide to get married and on that occasion gather their families in Sremski Karlovci. While expecting the birth of their first child, the two question the idea of ​​family not as something given and stable, but as a relationship that is constantly being built anew, shaped and changed under the influence of distance, borders and socio-historical circumstances.

The main roles are played by the authors themselves, together with members of their families – Branko Hadžija, Igor Hadžija, Jahandoht Taheri and Hosna Taheri. The film was shot in Sremski Karlovci, Novi Sad, Belgrade and Berlin.

Photo / Promo

I Plant My Hand in the Garden was created as a co-production between DFFB, the German production company Cruising, the Serbian production company Naked and the US production company Mala Production. The producers of the film are Maximilian Feldkamp, ​​Čarna Vučinić, Ena Bajraktarević, Hoda Taheri and Boris Hadžija, while the co-producer is Tyler Hill. The realization of the film was supported by the Creative Europe – MEDIA program.

Boris Hadžija and Hoda Taheri are co-directors and co-screenwriters. The director of photography is Vytautas Katkus, the cinematographer and sound designer is Luka Barajević, the set designer is Michael Schindlmaier, the costume designer is Anna-Maria Scharf, and the editor is Boris Hadžija.

In previous years, the Giornate degli Autori program hosted the Serbian films Oasis by Ivan Ikić (2020) and Possibility of Paradise by Mladen Kovačević (2024).

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival will be held from September 2nd to 12th, 2026, while the domestic premiere of the film I Plant My Hand in the Garden will take place at the Author’s Film Festival in Belgrade.

Cover photo/ ASAC – Venice Biennale