North American Premiere
A group of millennials from Belgrade set out on a cross-country journey from New York to Los Angeles in a 1990 Yugo, the ill-fated Yugoslavian car widely considered one of the worst ever made. Filip Grujić and Aleksa Borković trace the Yugo’s introduction to the American market in 1986, the ensuing Yugomania, and the company’s collapse alongside the breakup of Yugoslavia. Viewed through the lens of nostalgia, the car’s quirks — a spare tire stored beside the engine, a seatbelt that fastens into the door frame — have a certain charm. Less endearing is its tendency to fall apart and overheat, making the 10,000-kilometre voyage something of a miracle that forces the crew to rely on the kindness of strangers along the way.
An ode to a vehicle, a culture, and the romance of the open road, Yugo Goes to America is a freewheeling documentary that turns a bucket-list adventure into an exploration of a nation’s history and pop culture, set to a hard-driving playlist of Yu-rock classics.
EU Audience Award for Best Documentary, Beldocs 2026
Showcase Series Supported by
Lazar Marković, Janko Kroček, Vanja Kroček, Tony Ciminera, Nick Bygrave, Malcolm Bricklin
Serbia/Croatia
2026
In Serbo-Croatian and English with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Nicolas Santa
Producer
Čarna Vučinić, Family Šolak
Screenwriter
Filip Grujić
Cinematography
Aleksa Borković
Editor
Kristina Todorović
Original Music
Boško Mijušković
Filip Grujić
Filip Grujić is an award-winning Serbian writer, playwright, and director. He is the author of three novels, including Podstanar (2020), shortlisted for both the European Union Prize for Literature and NIN Award, and his theatrical work earned him the Mihiz Award for overall achievement in playwriting, among other accolades. In addition to his literary and theatrical achievements, Grujić is the creator of the popular radio show Čudna Šuma, broadcast by Radio-Television Serbia, which reaches an audience of approximately 800,000 listeners. Yugo Goes to America (2026) is his first film.
Photo by Aleksa Borkovic
Aleksa Borković
Aleksa Borković, born 1997 in Belgrade, is a director and cinematographer who works across fiction and documentary modes. His directorial debut was the short fiction film Water Balloons (2022), which premiered in the Student Film Competition of the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival. Since 2023, he has been working as co-director (with Filip Grujić) and director of photography on his first feature-length documentary, Yugo Goes to America, which premiered at this year’s CPH:DOX festival. Alongside his film work, Borković collaborates on experimental and artistic projects with authors from various fields of visual art.
Photo by Marko CileMladenovic
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