In Eastern Serbia, in a town with a dual identity divided between magic and industry, a family whose destiny is intrinsically linked with both does their best to ensure the survival of their traditions and their future generations. Lifelong miner Dragan Marković is the last in a line of dragon hunters, while his sister Desa is the widow of the union leader who is trying to continue his legacy by ensuring the rights of fellow mine-worker families. In Majdanpek, Eastern Serbia, a culture historically renowned for magical practices and supernatural creatures is being systematically eradicated by an ever-expanding copper mine. Both a giver and taker of life, the mine is central to the local economy but a major threat to traditional practices, as it spews out toxic dust over the plants used for medicinal potions. Increasing pollution and deforestation are even driving the dragons in the forest away.
Eluned Zoe Aiano
A filmmaker, editor and translator with a background in Visual Anthropology whose work is generally centred on Central/Eastern Europe. Her short All Her Dying Lovers, an animated documentary made in collaboration with Anna Benner, premiered at Hot Docs and was published on the New York Times Op Docs section. She attended IFDA Academy 2022. She was selected for the Wapping Artist Residency in Berlin and the Pépinières Européennes de Création residency in Quebec. She is currently artist in residence at the Aix-en-Provence Opera Festival. She also writes about film and is a regular contributor to the East European Film Bulletin.
Alesandra Tatić
A visual anthropologist based between France and Spain. Her ethnographic fieldwork is global, yet mostly focused on the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Alesandra works with and for the women’s labor movement, exploring feminist resilience and migration phenomena. As a co-founder of the Wild Pear Arts collective she has co-authored several short documentary films. She is currently a PhD candidate in anthropology at the Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS).