In a post-WWII Yugoslavia still under Stalinist rule in the 1950s, six-year-old Malik is oblivious as to why his father, Mehmed, has suddenly disappeared. In truth, Mehmed has been sent to a labor camp as punishment for acts of sexual indiscretion involving young girls. Malik's mother, Senija, however, has no answers, and the family must cope in the father's absence.
Moreno de Bartoli
Malik
Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović
Mehmed 'Meša' Zolj, otac
Mirjana Karanović
Senija 'Sena' Zolj, majka
Mustafa Nadarević
Zijah 'Zijo' Zulfikarpašić
Mira Furlan
Ankica Vidmar
Predrag Laković
Kućepazitelj Franjo
Pavle Vuisić
Muzafer Zulfikarpašić, dedo
Slobodan Aligrudić
Ostoja Cekić
Eva Ras
Ilonka Petrović
Aco Gjorčev
Dr. Jevgeni Ljahov
Emir Hadžihafizbegović
Fahro Zulfikarpašić
Zoran Radmilović
Brko Pilot
Jelena Čović
Nataša
Tomislav Gelić
Berberin Hamdo
Davor Dujmović
Mirza Malkoč, brat
Amer Kapetanović
Silvija Marijanović Puharić
Zaim Muzaferija
Predsjednik
Božidarka Frajt
Doktorova žena
Haris Burina
Ostojin šofer
Director
Emir Kusturica
Writers
Abdulah Sidran
Predrag Lukovac
Production Design
Andrija Zafranović
Editor
Zoran Simjanović
Original Music Composer
Divna Jovanović
Costume Design
Vilko Filač
Director of Photography
deepkino
9/17/2025
Emir Kusturica's When Father Was Away on Business is a courageous, funny, and deeply moving film that blends comedy, family drama, and political realism. The title refers to the lie a family tells a six-year-old boy to explain his father's imprisonment in a labor camp for a thoughtless remark that offended Communist officials. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
