After a family tragedy, Amiraga, a Roma boy from a shantytown in Niš, ends up in a harsh Belgrade home for neglected children: a place where abandoned children themselves dictate the rules, hierarchy and laws of survival. Growing up among children of the most diverse ethnic, religious and social origins, Amiraga makes his way through a broken world which depicts contemporary Europe itself: divided, wounded, and eager to belong. Over the years, trauma from the past turns into anger and a sense of responsibility, turning the wounded boy into both a protector and thus a threat to his environment. Returning again and again to his barrio, Amiraga has to face family trauma, suppressed truths and the question: does the escape from one world mean you belong to another?

Luka Mihailović emphasises some of the aspects of this new work: “City of Pain is a coming-of-age drama about the growing up of marginalised people. The authenticity of the text itself and its heroes implies that the series must carry audiovisual and emotional credibility in order to reach its full potential. The rawness of the text, as well as the topics themselves, would require a realistic visual approach, but also a stylisation in showing the inner state of the protagonist.

Luka Mihailović wrote the script with Meti Kamberi, the young author of the novel. The cast is led by Kristijan Selimi, Miodrag Jovanović, Ljuba Bandović, and Milica Janevski.

Režim and TS Media are producing. The shooting sharted on 20 August 2026 and is expected to be finished late October – mid-November 2026.

The series is planned to be aired during the autumn of 2027.

Production Information:

Producers:
Režim (Serbia)
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TS Media (Serbia)

Credits:
Director: Luka Mihailović
Scriptwriters: Meti Kamberi, Luka Mihailović
DoP: Vladimir Đurić
Editors: Matija Đukanović, Nikola Puzić
Production designer: Damjan Paranosić
Costume designer: Marija Milekić
Mask designer: Marija Kovačević Jovanović
Sound designer: Branko Topalović
Cast: Kristijan Selimi, Miodrag Jovanović, Ljuba Bandović, Milica Janevski, Velija Alija, Iva Velimović, Rista Milutinović, Agim Šingoli, Natalija Stepanović, Mila Protić