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When Father Was Away on Business
Overlook Pick

When Father Was Away on Business

73
User Score148 ratings
TMDB 7.316+19852h 16mSH
Drama

Synopsis

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.

Director
Emir KusturicaFrom TMDB credits
Studio
Forum Sarajevo3 production companies
Release
January 15, 1985Released
Box Office

Top Cast

8 of 30
Moreno de Bartoli
Malik
Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović
Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović
Mehmed 'Meša' Zolj, otac
Mirjana Karanović
Mirjana Karanović
Senija 'Sena' Zolj, majka
Mustafa Nadarević
Mustafa Nadarević
Zijah 'Zijo' Zulfikarpašić
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan
Ankica Vidmar
Predrag Laković
Predrag Laković
Kućepazitelj Franjo
Pavle Vuisić
Pavle Vuisić
Muzafer Zulfikarpašić, dedo
Slobodan Aligrudić
Slobodan Aligrudić
Ostoja Cekić

Trailers & Photos

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Reviews

From TMDB users
deepkino
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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