''We Will Be the World Champions'' () is a 2015 Serbian

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Darko Bajić Darko Bajić (born on 14 May 1955) is a Serbian film director. He directed many movies and TV series popular with Serbian audience such as War Live (film), War Live, The Black Bomber, Sivi dom and Zaboravljeni. Filmography * Sivi dom (1985), ...

. It was one of six films shortlisted by Serbia to be their submission for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

at the

88th Academy Awards The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2015 and took place on February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PST. D ...

, but lost out to ''

Enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

''. The film is based on the true story of the

Yugoslavia national basketball team The Yugoslavia men's national basketball team ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Košarkaška reprezentacija Jugoslavije, Кошаркашка репрезентација Југославије; ; ) represented the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

who won the

1970 FIBA World Championship The 1970 FIBA World Championship was the 6th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia in Sarajevo, Split, Croatia, Spli ...

Plot

The film tells the story of the four men who founded the Yugoslav basketball school and who significantly contributed to the development of basketball in Europe -

Nebojša Popović Nebojša Popović ( sr-cyr, Небојша Поповић; 8 February 1923 – 20 October 2001) was a Serbian basketball player, coach and administrator. He represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team internationally. He is the basketbal ...

Borislav Stanković ),Boris (Борис) , image = Borislav Bora Stanković.jpg , imagesize = , caption = , order = 2nd , office = Secretary General of FIBA , term_start = 1 January 1976 , ter ...

Radomir Šaper Radomir “Raša” Šaper ( sr-cyr, Радомир Шапер; 9 December 1925 – 6 December 1998), was a Serbian professor and Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy of the University of Belgrade, a member of the Yugoslav nation ...

and

Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of S ...

. The main event is the final match of the

, held in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

between the national teams of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Cast

;The Four Pioneers *

Strahinja Blažić Strahinja ( sr-cyr, Страхиња) is a Serbian given name meaning “great fear”. The name is a protective name, dating back to medieval Serbia, the oldest written document with this name being from 1322 as 'Страхинья'.Moroshkin, Mi ...

* Aleksandar Radojičić as Bora Stanković *

Miloš Biković Miloš Biković ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Биковић, ; born January 13, 1988) is a Serbian and Russian actor and producer. His best known films are box office hits ''Serf (film), Serf'', ''Serf 2'', ''The Challenge (2023 film), The Challenge'' ...

, the president of the

Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia The Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Košarkaški savez Jugoslavije, Кошаркашки савез Југославије; ; ) was a non-profit organization and the national sports governing body for basketball in Socialist Fe ...

* Marko Janketić as

, ;Team Roster *

Sergej Trifunović Sergej Trifunović ( sr-cyr, Сергеј Трифуновић, ; born 2 September 1972) is a Serbian actor, comedian, singer, politician and citizen activist.

Ranko Žeravica Ranko Žeravica ( sr-cyr, Ранко Жеравица; 17 November 1929 – 29 October 2015) was a Serbian professional basketball coach. With a career that spanned over 50 years, he is most noted for his work with the senior Yugoslav national ...

, the head coach * Saško Kocev as

Lazar Lečić Lazar "Grk" Lečić (; 30 January 1939 – 13 August 2024) was a Yugoslav and later Macedonian professional basketball coach and player. He is considered the founder of Macedonian basketball, who had a huge role in the exit of Macedonian baske ...

, the assistant coach * Igor Kovač as

Ratomir Tvrdić Ratomir "Rato" Tvrdić (14 September 1943 – 20 August 2024) was a Croatian professional basketball player. Professional career Tvrdić played club basketball with the Croatian team KK Split. With Split, he won two national Yugoslav League ch ...

Jovan Belobrković Jovan may refer to: *Jovan (given name), a list of people with this given name *Jovan, Mawal, a village on the western coastal region of Maharashtra, India *Jōvan Musk, a cologne *Deli Jovan, a mountain in eastern Serbia *Róbert Jován (born 196 ...

Ljubodrag Simonović Ljubodrag "Duci" Simonović ( sr-Cyrl, Љубодраг Дуци Симоновић, ); born 1 January 1949) is a Serbian philosopher, author and retired basketball player. He played with Red Star Belgrade, with which he won two National Champi ...

Dražen Lakić Dražen is a Serbo-Croatian masculine given name, derived from Slavic root '' drag'' ("dear, beloved"). Notable people with the name include: * Dražen Besek (born 1963), Croatian football player and manager * Dražen Biškup (born 1965), Croa ...

Vinko Jelovac Vinko Jelovac (alternate spelling: Vinto Jelovac) (born 18 November 1948 in Pazin, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia) is a former Slovenian-Croatian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of tall, and a weight of , he played at the center ...

* Miodrag Radonjić as

Trajko Rajković Trajko Rajković ( sr-cyr, Трајко Рајковић; 7 December 1937 – 27 May 1970) was a Yugoslav professional basketball player. He represented Yugoslavia internationally. Playing career Rajković played for OKK Beograd, during their s ...

* Toni Cahunek as Aljoša Žorga *

Stefan Kapičić Stefan Kapičić (; born 1 December 1978) is a Serbian actor best known for his role voicing Colossus in the Deadpool franchise. He is also one of three members of the Council for Film Industry of Montenegro. Early life Kapičić was born 1 D ...

Dragan Kapičić Dragan Kapičić ( sr-cyr, Драган Капичић; 7 August 1948 – 24 June 2024) was a Serbian professional basketball player and executive. Club career Kapičić played with Crvena zvezda, in his hometown of Belgrade, in the Yugoslav ...

. Kapičić plays the role of his own father. * Jure Henigman as

Ivo Daneu Ivo Daneu (born 6 October 1937) is a retired Slovenian professional basketball player and basketball coach, coach. During his playing career, at a height of tall, he played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. He represented the Yug ...

* Krešimir Petar Ćosić as

Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first ...

. Ćosić plays the role of his own father. * Matko Knesaurek as

Damir Šolman Damir Šolman (7 September 1948 – 2 May 2023) was a Croatian professional basketball player. Professional career Šolman was a FIBA European Selection, in 1974. National team career Šolman competed with the senior Yugoslavian national basket ...

* Goran Bogdan as

Nikola Plećaš Nikola Plećaš (born January 10, 1948) is a former Yugoslavian professional basketball player. At a height of tall, and a weight of , he played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. He was considered to be one of the greatest Europea ...

Peđa Marjanović Predrag ( sr-cyr, Предраг) is a Slavic masculine given name, predominantly borne by ethnic Slavs, derived from ''pre-'' ("very, much") and '' -drag'' ("dear, beloved"), both common in Slavic dithematic names. It roughly means "very beloved ...

as Dragutin Čermak * Robert Kurbaša as

Petar Skansi Petar Skansi (23 November 1943 – 4 April 2022) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. During his playing career, he played for Jugoplastika and Maxmobili Pesaro. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. He wa ...

;Other characters * Leon Lučev as Major Dane Štukalo * Iva Babic as Maja Bedeković-Popović, wife of Nebojša Popović and

Crvena zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

player *

Nina Janković Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms * National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq *Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology * No incom ...

Ljubica Otašević Ljubica "Buba" Otašević ( sr-cyr, Љубица Оташевић; born August 2, 1933 – April 12, 1998) was a Yugoslav and Serbian actress, body double, and basketball player. Early life Born in the village of Ljutovnica near Gornji Milanova ...

player *

Radovan Vujović Radovan Vujović (born 8 September 1984) is a Serbian actor, comedian and director. After graduating Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade in 2005, he became a member of the Boško Buha Theatre. Since 2010, he works as a member of the Yugoslav ...

Srđan Kalember Srđan Kalember ( sr-cyr, Срђан Калембер; June 5, 1928 – February 2, 2016), also known in France by his nickname Serge ( sr-cyr, Серж), was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He won 9 Yugoslav First Basketball ...

player * Stevan Piale as

Aleksandar Gec Aleksandar Gec ( sr-cyr, Александар Гец; 3 March 1928 – 12 April 2008) was a Serbian professional basketball player, coach and administrator. He was the first basketball star of Crvena zvezda. He represented the Yugoslavia national ...

player * Nebojša Dugalić as

Vladimir Dedijer Vladimir Dedijer ( sr-Cyrl, Владимир Дедијер; 4 February 1914 – 30 November 1990) was a Yugoslav partisan fighter during World War II who became known as a politician, human rights activist, and historian. In the early postwar ...

* Jasa Jamnik as

Stane Dolanc Stane Dolanc (16 November 1925 – 13 December 1999) was a Slovenian communist politician during SFR Yugoslavia. Dolanc was one of president Josip Broz Tito's closest collaborators and one of the most influential people in Yugoslav federal p ...

* Miša Nestorović as

Aristotle Onassis Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; , ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975) was a Greek and Argentine business magnate. He amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men. He was marri ...

* Dejan Denić as

Radivoj Korać Radivoj Korać ( sr-cyrl, Радивој Кораћ; 5 November 1938 – 2 June 1969) was a Yugoslav professional basketball player. He represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team internationally. Korać is well-known for holding t ...

Boban Marjanović Boban Marjanović ( sr-Cyrl, Бобан Марјановић; born August 15, 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He also represents the Serbia men' ...

Jānis Krūmiņš Jānis Krūmiņš (30 January 1930 – 20 November 1994) was a Soviet-Latvian professional basketball player. Helped by his height (about 220 cm, or 7'3"), he was the first giant center that dominated under European baskets, for years. As ...

(uncredited cameo) *

Lazar Ristovski Lazar "Laza" Ristovski ( sr-Cyrl, Лазар Ристовски, born 26 October 1952) is a Serbian former actor, director, producer and writer. He has appeared on stage about 4,000 times, and starred in over 90 films and 30 TV series, mostly i ...

Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...

* John Savage as William Jones, the Secretary General of the FIBA.

References

External links

* 2015 films 2015 drama films 2010s sports drama films 2010s Serbian-language films Basketball films Films set in Yugoslavia Films set in Serbia Films set in Ljubljana Cultural depictions of Aristotle Onassis Films about Josip Broz Tito Serbian sports drama films Cultural depictions of Serbian people Films shot in Serbia {{2010s-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links