When Father Was Away on Business (1985)

★ 7.3 2h 16m 146 votes IMDb
Drama EX-YU Movie

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.

When Father Was Away on Business

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Cast

Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović
Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović as Mehmed 'Meša' Zolj, otac Age 76 · Belgrade, Serbia Predrag "Miki" Manojlović ( (Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг "Мики" Манојловић; born April 5, 1950, Belgrade, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia) is a Serbian actor, famous for his starring roles in so...
Mirjana Karanović
Mirjana Karanović as Senija 'Sena' Zolj, majka Age 69 · Belgrade, Yugoslavia [now Serbia] Mirjana Karanović (born 28 January 1957) is a Serbian actress, film director and screenwriter..
Mustafa Nadarević
Mustafa Nadarević as Zijah 'Zijo' Zulfikarpašić Died 2020 · Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Mustafa Nadarević (2 May 1943 – 22 November 2020) was a Bosnian and Croatian theatre and television actor. He starred in over 70 films; some of those films are: The Smell of Quinces (1982), When Fathe...
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan as Ankica Vidmar Died 2021 · Zagreb, Croatia Mira Furlan (September 7, 1955 – January 20, 2021) was a Croatian singer and actress of theatre, film and TV in the former Yugoslavia. She emigrated to the U.S. with her husband, Goran Gajić, in Nov...
Predrag Laković
Predrag Laković as Kućepazitelj Franjo Died 1997 · Skopje, Macedonia, Yugoslavia He was born on March 28, 1929 in Skopje. He completed his secondary education in Peć. After completing his education, he enrolled at the Academy of Theater Arts and studied in the class with Oliver Ma...
Director Emir Kusturica
Cast Moreno de Bartoli, Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović, Mirjana Karanović, Mustafa Nadarević, Mira Furlan, Predrag Laković, Pavle Vuisić, Slobodan Aligrudić, Eva Ras, Aco Gjorčev

Audience Reviews

deepkino 7/10 Sep 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.

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