The documentary film The Divine Feminine by Serbian director Ivana Todorović will premiere on February 10th at the 42nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival – SBIFF, as part of the official Artists & Idealists selection. This is also the only production from Serbia in this year’s program.
On the occasion of the world premiere, director Ivana Todorović expressed her satisfaction at the fact that the film is beginnings its journey at the SBIFF: “I am very happy that the film The Divine Feminine will have its world premiere at the 42nd International Film Festival in Santa Barbara. It is a great honor for me that the director of the program, Claudia Puig, recognized the film and included it in the selection. Santa Barbara is a festival with a long tradition of strong auteur films, where Chloe Zhao, Paul Thomas Anderson, Richard Linklater and Kelly Reichart got their chances. I’m glad that our film will start its festival journey in that very place.”
Filmed in the Narodni Front women’s clinic in Belgrade, the film provides an intimate portrayal of the vulnerability, strength and complexity of the female experience. Through the stories of women who go through different stages of life, the film develops as a quiet, steady whole – like the beating of a woman’s heart, from the first breath to the last.
“Talking openly about femininity is still an act of courage. I hope that, watching this film, every woman will feel understood, accepted and embraced, and that every man will be able to better understand and feel a woman’s perspective,” said Todorović.
The director is also the producer of the film, in collaboration with Marija Jelušić (editing), Maša Drndić (camera), Jakov Munižaba (sound design and music), Ivan Uzelac and Aleks Prljević (sound effects), Milica Drakulić (color), Andrej Đukić (VFX), Nebojša Petrović (graphic design), Amira Medunjanin (music), Petar Tanasijević (lyrics of the song “This morning my rose bloomed”), Kathleen McInnis (marketing), Douglas Oppedahl (executive producer), Jesper Osmund and Milina Trišić (editing), and Draga Šestić (production). The conceptual design of the film is by Ivana Todorović, Maša Drndić and Marija Jelušić. The production hous is Blok Film with the support of the Film Center Serbia.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is being held from February 4th to February 14th, 2026 in California. This prestigious festival is known for presenting the most important independent and international film productions, and this year it brings as many as 46 international and 80 American premieres, with a focus on authorial expression and gender equality.
During the festival, honorary awards will be presented to prominent filmmakers, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Adam Sandler, Sidney Sweeney, Jeremy Allen White, Kate Hudson, Stellan Skarsgård and Michael B. Jordan. The program also includes panel discussions, conversations with authors and educational content.
The Divine Feminine/ photo by Maša Drndić