Živojin Pavlović | Origin of Street Names

Živojin "Žika" Pavlović (1933 - 1998) was one of the most influential Serbian film directors, a symbol of the "Black Wave" movement in Yugoslav cinema. He was equally successful as a writer, painter, and professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade.

Although born in Šabac, he considered his true homeland to be Vratarnica, a small village near Zaječar, where his mother came from and where he spent months until he finally moved to Belgrade for his studies.

Interestingly, before embarking on his illustrious film career, Žika Pavlović first emerged on the public stage as a writer, penning columns on various art forms in Belgrade magazines, with a particular interest in film.

During his studies, he befriended his future great friend and fellow artist, painter Ljuba Popović, after whom Živojin's first-ever amateur film, made in 1958, was named.

During those years, a cultural phenomenon known as the "Black Wave" emerged in Yugoslav art, which completely shaped the nature of Pavlović's creative output in film and literature. This movement, cleverly veiled but clearly critical of society, socialist organization, and ideology, stood in stark contrast to the previous trend in Yugoslav cinema. The Black Wave aimed to realistically portray social reality, often depicting the harsh and dark aspects, contrary to the propaganda images of well-being and general progress that were the leitmotif (and perhaps even the party's task) of the contemporary Yugoslav filmmakers.

In the 1960s, Živojin Pavlović, along with a few colleagues, became one of the symbols of this "movement." His influence on domestic cinematography, his inspiration for future directors, and the awakening of general social awareness were more than powerful, which led to his films often being banned (Grad, 1963).

Žika Pavlović's creative oeuvre includes 18 feature films and over 30 literary works. Among the numerous accomplishments, some can be classified as true masterpieces of domestic cinema (Buđenje pacova, Kad budem mrtav i beo, Zadah tela, Dezerter, etc.) and literature (Krivudava reka, Zid smrti, Lapot, Dnevnik in six volumes, etc.).

His final film, Država mrtvih (The State of the Dead), was completed and premiered posthumously, four years after the great director's death.

In addition to the prestigious film award for promoting Serbian cinema worldwide, the name of Živojin Pavlović is now carried by streets in several settlements in Serbia, and a memorial plaque in memory of the legendary director is located in front of the building where he lived, on Majka Jevrosima Street in Belgrade.