Jovan Todorović

Jovan Todorović is a Serbian-American film director, photographer, and multidisciplinary artist whose work encompasses documentaries, commercials, music videos, and narrative cinema. Todorović studied film at Columbia College Chicago and later earned a degree in Film and TV Directing as well as an MFA from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America. His approach to storytelling utilizes heightened visual, auditory, and textural experiences to explore the human experience and foster connectivity through empathy.

Todorović gained international recognition with his debut feature documentary, "The Belgrade Phantom," which recounts a 1979 folk tale about a stolen Porsche driven through Belgrade at night. The film premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and was later screened at Centre Pompidou within the Hors Pistes program. It received the Silver Eye Award at the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, Best Documentary at the Gotham Screen Film Festival, and the FIPRESCI Award from Serbian critics. He followed this with "Juvenile," a short documentary offering an observational portrait of daily life inside the Popovac Juvenile Correctional Institution, the largest such facility in the Balkans. His short film "You're Dead, America" is a meditation on death, decay, and rebirth, examining the concept of the American Dream.

With experience as a commercial photographer and as a director for commercial broadcasting and music videos, Todorović integrates art direction, lighting, and contemporary style into his projects. His expertise in both photography and filmmaking informs his cinematic approach. He has directed commercials, music videos, and short films for clients such as Samsung, T-Mobile, Adidas, Puma, Bacardi, MTV, and Diesel. He directed the global Adidas film "See My Creativity," highlighting women in sports, and "The Future Isn't Waiting" for Nike Japan, which addressed bullying and discrimination. Todorović has served as a jury member for the Young Director Award in Cannes, and his MTV spots received Ogilvy's David Award Grand Prix for Best TVCs in East Europe. His commercial work has also been recognized at the IdejaX Festival in Croatia and Croatian FESTO.

Todorović's music video credits include Jessie Ware's "Spotlight," filmed on Tito's Blue Train, as well as Major Lazer & Anitta's "Make It Hot," SOHN's "Hard Liquor," Rosie Lowe's "Birdsong," Paul Kalkbrenner's "Schwer," and Inhaler's "Your House." "Schwer" was noted for its fusion of volumetric capture and live action. His editorial and personal photography has appeared in Flaunt, Interview, Teeth Magazine, ODDA, Escape into Life, and Fubiz. He also photographed and directed elements of the Katy Perry INDI fragrance campaign.

Todorović is the founder, producer, and lead vocalist of ZNTNDR, an electronic music and video project based between Belgrade and New York. The project's "Untitled Us" was featured by Nowness and shortlisted at the UK Music Video Awards for Best Alternative Video – International and Best Cinematography. His work has received recognition from AICP, FIPRESCI, Cannes Lions, Clio, CICLOPE, 1.4 Awards, Shots, LUX, and Golden Drum. Having lived and worked across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States, Todorović creates films shaped by a strong visual sensibility and an interest in identity, belonging, memory, and human connection.