Scriptwriter
Born:
03.06.1980, Pančevo (Serbia)
Education:
Faculty of Dramatic Arts (Film and Television Production, 2011)
IT Academy (web design, 2009)
Place of Residence:
Pančevo (Serbia)
Biography
Marko Backović was born in 1980 in Pančevo. In 2015, he graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, the Department of Film and Tv Production. He has written screenplays for 12 short films and directed few music videos.
His short films have been screened in many festivals and won awards. He is skilled in writing low budget genre movies, engaging only few actors and using minimum recording locations. He has currently finalized several scripts (all genres) and still some to be finished recently.
Sample of previous work
Projects in development
MRTAV UGAO / BLIND SPOT
feature film
developed script
Jovan is the biologist who gets the job of monitoring animals and maintenance of equipment in a isolated research station located in the uninhabited forest. When he realizes he is not alone in the woods, fear, suspicion and paranoia will start to poison that idyllic atmosphere.
Attached to the project: co-writer, director, producer
Looking for: co-producer
Keywords: thriller, mystery, horror, wood, isolation, suspense, tense, dark
U VRTLOGU LUDILA / IN THE MAELSTROM OF MADNESS
feature film
developed script
IN THE MAELSTROM OF MADNESS is a tense road trip thriller that follows a series of strange events that happen to a writer from London traveling to Serbia to propose to his girlfriend. Through a series of accidental circumstances he becomes an unwilling participant in a bizarre series of crimes, before being forced to fight for his very survival.
Attached to the project: co-writer, director, producer
Looking for: co-producer
Keywords: thriller, suspense, unexpected, road movie
Filmography and Awards
2017 SINĐELIĆI, TV series, writer
2015 NOĆNA LINIJA, short film, writer/director – FSFF Belgrade: Best screenplay
2014 MAMULA, feature film by Milan Todorović, story by
2013 UKRONIJA, short film, writer/director
2012 BANATSKI TROUGAO, short film, writer/director – Prokuplje film festival: Special Award
2012 POZDRAV IZ BEOGRADA, short film, writer/director
2011 1. MAJ: DEVOJAČKI BUNAR 2, short film, writer/director – FSFF: Public Award
2011 ŠIFRA: PARANOIČNA AKTIVNOST, short film, writer/director
2010 IZMEĐU SMRTI I JAVE, short film, writer/director – Srpski Hollywood: Second Award
2008 DEVOJAČKI BUNAR, short film, writer/director – Beokon, Belgrade: Special Public Award; Freenet, Niš: Public Award; Prvi kadar, Sarajevo: Special Award; Žisel, Omoljica: Best Editing Award
2007 NOĆNI JAHAČI 2, short film, writer/director
2007 KUKURUZ, short film, writer/director – In Trash Festival, Pančevo: Special Award
2006 NOĆNI JAHAČI, short film, writer/director
My five favourite films
- Game (1997)
by David Fincher - Big Lebowski (1998)
by J.Coen & E.Coen - The Warriors (1979)
by Walter Hill - Martyrs (2008)
by Pascal Laugier - I Saw the Devil (2010)
by Jee-Woon Kim
Favourite scene I wrote
41.INT/EXT. CABIN, IN FRONT OF A CABIN – NIGHT
The interior of the cabin is illuminated only by monitor’s light, showing images of the forest.
Jovan is sleeping. Clock shows 3:13.
KNOCK KNOCK! Someone knocks on the door.
Jovan wakes up. Straightens on bed. Listens. Again knock. Now he is certain that he wasn’t dreaming.
JOVAN
Who is that?
No reply.
Jovan waits a few moments. Gives time to the unknown guest to answer. Nothing.
He resolutely stands up and grabs the pepper spray off the table, and a flashlight. He opens the door. There’s no one.
He is visibly annoyed.
He runs to the right corner of cabin and looks behind, lighting with flashlight. There is nothing unusual.
In his other hand he is holding the pepper spray.
He turns and runs to the left corner of the cabin. There is also nothing.
He comes to the door and stops at the threshold, lighting the space in front of cabin with flashlight. He concentrates to hear any sound.
It’s nothing.
He suspect that someone might be on the roof. Checks the rooftop with flashlight. There’s no one. Rotates around himself.
JOVAN
Uncle Sreten, are you here?
No replies. He is trying to overcome his rising fear.
JOVAN
Mihajlo?
Silence. He is waiting for someone to show up. There’s no one.
From the cabin we can hear the phone ringing. He slowly walks towards the cabin in suspicion.
Once again, he looks around and closes the door. The phone is still ringing.
Jovan cautiously approaches the phone and picks it up.
He does not speak. After a few moments, on the other side he hears a woman’s voice.
WOMAN (OOV)
Boris?
JOVAN
Hello.
A few seconds of silence.
WOMAN (OOV)
Boris?
JOVAN
You’re mistaken.
Pause. Few moments of silence.
WOMAN (OOV)
Is that Boris?
Jovan thinks.
JOVAN
Boris who?
Silence.
WOMAN (OOV)
Boris Pavasović?
Pause.
JOVAN
No, ma’am, there is no Boris.
You have the wrong number.
WOMAN (OOV)
But he always called me from this number…
Those words catch Jovan’s attention.
JOVAN
How do you mean someone calling
you from this number? There’s nobody
here but me. When did he call you?
Silence.
WOMAN (OOV)
Who are you?
JOVAN
Jovan, I work here. When did he
call you?
WOMAN (OOV)
Every day… until a couple of
days ago. Since then he stopped
calling. I’m worried.
JOVAN
Wait, wait… slowly. What does
he do?
WOMAN (OOV)
He’s a biologist. He was given the
job of monitoring the animals in a
nature preserve, but he stopped
calling a couple days ago.
Jovan looks at the framed image of a woman on the table. He takes the frame in his hands and continues talking.
JOVAN
Please calm… he is probably my predecessor. I’m doing the same job
as him…
Connection is starting to cramp.
WOMAN (OOV)
Hello, please don’t hang up…
JOVAN
Hello, hello, can you hear me?
Jovan returns the frame with picture on the table in front of him.
WOMAN (OOV)
Something interrupts…
JOVAN
(louder)
I say… I’m a biologist and I
suppose that I have come here as a replacement, I haven’t met anyone
here… I really don’t know why he
didn’t call you…
The woman thinks a moment.
JOVAN
Hello…
Pause.
WOMAN (OOV)
How come you didn’t see him=
Silence.
JOVAN
Believe me, I did not, and did you
try to call the company headquarters? There’s nobody here but me.
After few moments of silence.
WOMEN (OOV)
Are you sure?
Pause.
JOVAN
What?
WOMAN (OOV)
He complained that someone is in
the woods. He said that someone was watching him… He was terrified…
Jovan gulps.
JOVAN
How do you mean someone watching him?
The woman begins to sob.
WOMAN (OOV)
What’s going on, where’s my Boris?
JOVAN
Calm down, ma’am, I believe that
there is some misunderstanding…
The woman is quietly crying.
WOMAN (OOV)
Do not lie to me, what did you do
to him?
JOVAN
Me?
(surprised)
… believe me…
The connection is broken.
JOVAN
Hello, hellooo!
Hangs up slowly. Thinks. Looks at the picture on the table. He is worried.
My favourite film quote
“All great films without exception contain an important element of NO REASON, and you know why? Because life itself is filled with NO REASON”
–
Rubber (2010)
