The feature doc project Cordon, pitched at CineLink Doc Rough Cut Boutique 2025, is described as a “coming-of-age story of a young man from a small, godforsaken Croatian town that remains ethnically divided thirty years after the war. Nikola, a young football player born to a Serbian father and a Croatian mother long after the conflict, belongs to a generation lost in transition and is left alone to find his own way without many options.”
Producer Oliver Sertić picks up the story, and explains its appeal to industry so far. “A town of barely 4000 people, one hour from the capital city of Zagreb, is a world unto itself, politically marginalized and forgotten by everyone. Residents know each other very well and can do many things together,” he tells BDE.
“Still, 30 years after the war, everything is divided into Serbian and Croatian; they even have two football teams, which is a paradox in itself as making one multinational team that plays better would have more sense. There we found young football player Nikola, a very gentle and sensitive guy, born into a mixed marriage long after the war ended. It is…an identity quest in the city that doesn’t offer too much perspective, but brings great and often hilarious human encounters. Nikola is trying to find the way out from the dysfunctional society, problematic family, and uncertain future, but a call to stay part of the community is also strong.”
The “direct cinema, fly-on-the-wall” project is supported by Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Media, Croatian television, CNC (France) and Region Sud. “It won several international pitches, which showed us that this story works outside of our Balkan borders,” Sertić adds. “It took a long development, filigree work with the characters on daily bases, and shooting for more than five years now, as time flows [at a] different pace there… But, it [has] paid off.” The plan is to finish the project in time for festival presentation during Spring/Summer 2026.
Cordon is the debut feature of Anton Mezulić, who has previously taken DoP, sound, assistant director and researcher credits. “I entered this project as a producer exactly because I strongly believed in Anton’s vision and approach,” says Sertić.
“He is very gentle and trustworthy. All the characters trusted him immediately, and the intimate scenes he got on camera are really unique. He became a part of community. I would say it is a combination of character and talent to work with the people that is super important for the documentary. I admire his persistence to stay with his characters all these years, in not very easy surroundings. Restart as a production company tries to help him on his way with its 18 years of experience and more than 50 films behind us.”
CineLink offers the perfect opportunity to secure a sales agent, and pique the interest of festivals, says Sertić, who is seeking €75,000 to close the overall budget of €290,000, either via co-pro with a company that can offer post-production possibilities. “Anyway, the most important is to get a quality feedback and meet new friends,” he says.
Sertić distils the essence of Mezulić’s first foray into feature direction. “When [he] presented a story about young Nikola and all the obstacles he has to overcome to me, I realised we have outstanding elements for the creation of a unique story: a fantastic main character, an uneasy political environment, and a mountain of unsettled challenges piled around the stadium every week. Cordon is a slice of life set in a passive area that is close to the current streams of the capital, yet simultaneously forgotten by both politics and the people.”
