Wind, Talk to Me directed by Stefan Đorđević won the award for the best international feature film at the prestigious Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF) in Mexico.
The jury’s explanation states that the film was awarded “for a deeply honest and courageous portrayal of the most intimate pain, as well as possible paths to healing. The film stands out for its ability to connect cinematic, essayistic and poetic expression, dignifying death as a key dimension of life. Its formal approach, which combines family intimacy with the presence of nature, turns the images into a meditative reflection on the very act of existence, making this film and its viewing deeply moving and inspiring.”
Upon recieving the award, director Stefan Đorđević said:
“Our Wind has reached Mexico and from the reactions we have received, it seems to us that the power of Mama’s wind is unstoppable. Wherever it blows, people find themselves in it.”
The film is inspired by the author’s personal experiences, and follows Stefan who, after his mother’s death, returns home to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday with his family. The return becomes the beginning of his journey to healing, while simultaneously trying to finish the film about his mother and help the injured family dog. The main roles are played by members of the director’s family: Negrica, Boško and Stefan Đorđević, as well as Đorđe and Marina Davidović, Ljiljana Jovanović, Budimir Jovanović, and the dog Lija.
The director of photography is Marko Brdar, the editing is by Tomislav Stojanović and Dragan von Petrovic, the set designer is Dragana Baćović, the costume designer is Biljana Grgur, while Bojan Palikuća, Ivan Judaš and Julij Zornik were in charge of sound and music. The directing supervisor is Milica Tomović, and the executive producer is Savina Smederevac.
The film was produced by Dragana Jovović (Non-Aligned Films), with producers Stefan Ivančić, Ognjen Glavonić and Stefan Đorđević (Katunga), and co-producers Vanja Jambrović (Restart, Croatia), Jožek Rutar and Miha Černec (SPOK Films and Staragara, Slovenia).
The film previously won the Grand Prize for the best film in the competitive program of the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen (BFFB) in Italy. In the post-production phase, the film participated in the programs Les Arcs Work in Progress (where it received a special jury recognition) and First Cut Lab RE-ACT 2023.
The production was supported by Film Center Serbia, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, MEDIA Fund of the European Union, Slovenian Film Center, Viba Film, Croatian Audiovisual Center and Vision Sud Est (Switzerland).