DIRECTOR | PRODUCER | REPORTER

Katarina is a freelance director (self-shooting), producer, researcher, and on-camera host specializing in documentaries for broadcasters such as VICE, Al Jazeera, and TRT World.

After earning degrees in Theatre Directing and Multimedia Journalism, Katarina transitioned from directing theatre—including works by Shakespeare, Lorca, Buzzati, and Chekhov—to documentary filmmaking. Her final theatre project, a play by Milena Depolo about the inclusion of children with Down syndrome, marked this shift.

At VICE Serbia, she helped launch the production office in 2014 as Head of Production and later took on the role of Supervising Producer, shaping the VICE documentary format and directing numerous films aired on VICE Serbia, VICELAND, and VICE International.

Based in her native Belgrade, Katarina is bilingual in English and Serbian and fluent in French (DELF).

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (selected)

Freelance Director / Producer / Reporter (2018 – Present)

• Producer/director and reporter for TRT World’s Across the Balkans (2020–Present), covering topics like Bulgaria’s Pomak Wedding, Tatars of Romania, Gaza solidarity rallies, Serbia’s Waste Crisis, Serbia’s Student Protests.
• Producer-director and reporter of TV documentaries, UNA TV‘s “Lice pravde“ (2021–2023).
• Directed and hosted documentaries for VICE UK’s Extinction Update (2019–2020): “Earth Homes” and “Serbia’s Recycling Problem”.
• Producer/Fixer for international clients including New Departures Media, Zinc Network, National Geographic, VICE Netherlands, De Haaien (since 2018).
• Directed and hosted the documentary Otpadne vode Beograda (Belgrade’s Waste Waters), Al Jazeera Balkans (2020).
• Video Journalist for Agence France Presse (AFP) (2018–2020).

VICE Serbia, Head of Production / Supervising Producer (2014–2018)
Produced, directed, and hosted documentaries aired on VICE Serbia, VICELAND, VICE International, and Prva Srpska TV. Highlights include:

• Vraćena nevinost (Virginity Regained, director/host)
• Ispravljanje krivine (Bikers and Death, 48min, director/host)
• Previše željena deca (Adopting Children in Serbia, host)
• Broj koji nemam (Young Gamblers, director/host)
• Serbian Brandy Poultice Remedy (Munchies, director)
• Izvan granica seksa (Crossing Sexual Boundaries, 38min, director/host)
• Tetovirane bake (Tattooed Grandmas of Bosnia, 28min, director/host)
• Bacanje hrane (Food Waste, 39min, director/host)
• Dogfights: Bloody Arena (20min, director)
• Cannabis Between Pain and the Law (28min, director/host)
• Beneath The Concrete (19min, director/host)
• Blood Debt (34min, director/host, screened at Beldocs Festival 2015)

Showreel (VICE documentaries)

Producer/Director, Trident Media Group (2011–2013)

• Directed and hosted documentary mini-series Katarinin izbor.

Producer/Director, BELEF (Belgrade Summer Festival) (2011–2012)

• Directed The Chronicles of BELEF (aired on RTV Studio B).

Early Career Highlights:

• Co-Writer/1st Assistant Director on film The Legend of Ohrid, RTS (2008).
• Theatre Director (2002–2009), notable productions: Who Is Laurette?, Birdcage, Lorca’s Don Perlimplin, Buzzati’s Something Beginning with L, Shakespearean comedies.

Additional credits available upon request.

LANGUAGES

Serbian (native), English (fluent), French (conversational), Croatian/Bosnian/Montenegrin (native proficiency)

RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

• One World Media workshop on reporting and filming in the developing world, UK (2010)
• Intern Researcher, Channel4’s Unreported World (Quicksilver Media Productions), Oxford, UK (2010)
• Intern, Five News (Channel Five), London (2010)
• Intern, Sky Arts, London (2010)

EDUCATION

• MA Multimedia Journalism, Bournemouth University, UK (2010)
• BA Theatre Directing, Academy of Arts, Belgrade (2004)
• Directing and Writing for Screen and Theatre, UNITEC, Auckland, New Zealand (1998-1999)
• Westerford High School, Cape Town, RSA
• Frank Joubert Art School, Cape Town, RSA