Serbian filmmaker Dušan Milić and Serbian-born Danish actor Danica Curic sat down with Screen to talk about Darkling, the filmmaker’s fourth feature and Serbia’s entry for best international feature at the Oscars.

Set in post-war Kosovo, Milić’s film portrays a mother and daughter and grandfather living in fear amid the threat of being driven from their home, the fading hope of a return of the girl’s father from the war, and an unseen peril that surrounds them in the forest.

Shot on location in Southern Serbia, Milić talks about using horror tropes to create the film’s tension and portrayal of fear and anguish, hitting the jackpot by casting Curic, a former Berlinale star of tomorrow, and why he hopes his film is not seen as a political statement.

Curic discusses physical challenges, working opposite her young first time film actor Milona Ilov and speaking Serbian in a film role for the first time.

Film Deluxe International and This and That Productions produced with Italy’s A_Lab, Bulgaria’s RFF International, Denmark’s Space Rocket Nation and Greece’s Graal S.A. Wide Management are handling sales.