Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, Lazar Ristovski has led a vibrant and illustrious career as a Renaissance man of the film world.

Born in Yugoslavia on October 26, 1952, Ristovski went to Teachers High School before pursuing his acting career at the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Belgrade. Since then, he has appeared on stage 4,000 times, and in leading roles on television series and dramas over 40 times.

The Serbian actor’s extensive filmography, which stretches back 30 years, contains many films that have appeared at independent film festivals worldwide. After playing the lead role of Blacky in Emir Kusturica’s Underground (1995), the film was awarded the Palme D'Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival. The Second Wife (1998), in which he also starred, was screened at the Venice Film Festival. That same year, his film The Powder Keg (1998), won Best European Film (FIPRESCI) and Best Film in all categories by the Critics at the Venice Film Festival.

Ristovski wrote, produced, directed, and played the lead role in The White Suit (1999), a comedy/drama about a man’s memorable experiences on his train ride home to his mother’s funeral. The film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Critics Week Program, and was proposed as the Yugoslavian candidate for the Oscars. It won ‘Best Art Film’ at Gibelina, Italy, and ‘Best Film’ in the European Competition at the Panorama of European Cinema, Athens, as well as ‘Best Photography’ at the Mostra de Valencia.

Following this success, the film savant produced and starred in a comedy called Boomerang (2001). Written about a cast of crazy characters set against the backdrop of a Serbian café, was screened at the Berlin Film Festival . In 2006, Ristovski played Kaminofsky alongside Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench in the James Bond action thriller, Casino Royale. More recently, his projects have included Honeymoons (2009), Devil’s Town (2009), and St. George Shoots the Dragon (2009).

Lazar Ristovski’s films can be found on Raindance TV (http://raindance.tv/), including the highly acclaimed Belo odelo (The White Suit) (1999); Boomerang (2001); A Little Night Music (2002), a comedy-thriller about two silly men who work at a morgue; and the fairy-tale horror film, A Tailor’s Secret (2006). Other films featured on Raindance.tv are Sutra ujutru (Tomorrow Morning) (2006), which won awards at the Brothers Manaki International Film Festival, the Cottbus Film Festival of Young East European Cinema, and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Lastly, Ristovski’s Optimisti (The Optimists) (2006), a film in which he acted and produced, was awarded at the Festroia-Troia International Film Festival, Geneva Cinema Tout Ecran, and the Valladolid International Film Festival.

Ristovski is the sole owner of the Zillion Film Company, which offers co-production services for feature films based in Serbia. For more about the actor/director/producer/screenwriter or any of his films, please visit http://www.zillionfilm.com/eng/zillion/index.html.