HOW TO BECOME A HERO (Kako Postati Heroj)
Serbia, documentary, 2007; 80 min
In Serbian with English sub-titles

Directed and Written by: Mladen Matičević
Producers: Mladen Matičević and Dragan Petrovic
Production Companies: Starhill and Visionary Thinking
Camera: Zoran Petrovic
Editing: Suzana Stevanovic
Music: Vladimir Ilic, Boris Mladenovic, Dejan Vucetic
Featured: Mladen Matičević, Goran Terzić, Brana Radović, Aleksandar Srećković, Carl Lewis

Synopsis:
On the morning of his 40th birthday, film director Mladen Matičević wakes up to the realization that he is a middle aged, overweight, depressed man whose life and films are completely devoid of heroism. He soon becomes fascinated with marathons, and decides to run in the Belgrade Marathon, scheduled to take place in less than a year! Facing the skepticism of family and friends, Mladen starts training and simultaneously documenting his efforts on film. Soon he has attracted the attention of the famous Serbian athletic coach Brana, who decides to help him. But when Mladen’s mother dies, his efforts are derailed. Will he manage to finish his training and run in the Belgrade marathon?

Festivals:
2007 IDFA Rotterdam
2007 Film Festival of Serbia, Novi Sad
2007 Belgrade Fest

Director: Mladen Matičević
Born in 1965 in Belgrade, Serbia, Mladen attended the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, Department of Film and TV directing. From 1985 until 1990, he worked for Radio Television Belgrade as a director of documentary films. Mladen has directed 23 short and full length documentaries, the most famous of which is “Ghetto” which was shown at more than 20 film festivals worldwide. His film “One on One” was chosen as the best Serbian feature film in 2002 by Serbian film critics.

Filmography:
Some New Kids (TV series) (Yugoslavia, 2003)
One on One (Yugoslavia, 2001)
Ghetto (Yugoslavia, 1996)

DVD Source:
Visionary Thinking d.o.o.
Belgrade, Serbia
http://www.heroj.co.yu/index.html