Emir Nemanja Kusturica is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films. He is a two-time winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes (for When Father Was Away on Business and Underground), as well as being a Commander of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Since the mid-2000s, Kusturica's primary residence is Drvengrad, a village in the Mokra Gora region of Serbia. He had portions of the historic village reconstructed for his film Life Is a Miracle.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 24, 1954 (71)
- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Director, actor, writer and producer, also composer
- 20 on MovieCove · 44 credits in all
What are Emir Kusturica's films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 16
A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 7 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 8
Gentle 5 · Charged 10 · Intense 4
Steady 7 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 3
A split, not a type: Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1
Casual 5 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 4
Easy watch 7 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 5
A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 4
Roles they play
Usually the Mentor: 2 of 5 analyzed roles.
- Shapeshifteras Ariel Neel Auguste in Widow of St. Pierre (2000)
- Mentoras Vladimir in The Good Thief (2002)
- Heroas Grigoriev in Farewell (2009)
- Mentoras Secondo in The Ice Forest (2014)
- Heroas Kosta in On the Milky Road (2016)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet7
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous5
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Emir Kusturica's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Emir Kusturica's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
44 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 21 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
El Pepe: A Supreme Life(2018)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Balkan Line(2019)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Untold Stories of Eastern Europe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
On the Milky Road(2016)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Words with Gods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Ice Forest(2014)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The Scapegoat(2013)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
The Whirl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
7 Days in Havana(2011)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Mozzarella Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Nicostratos the Pelican (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Farewell(2009)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Maradona by Kusturica(2008)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Le Temps des Gitans Punk Opera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Promise Me This(2007)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Gucha! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Secret Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Le court des grands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
TropiAbbas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Life Is a Miracle(2004)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Good Thief(2002)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Strawberries in the Supermarket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Super 8 Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Widow of St. Pierre(2000)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Black Cat, White Cat(1998)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Once Upon a Time There Was a Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Underground(1995)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Arizona Dream(1993)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Bolo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Time of the Gypsies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Time of the Gypsies(1988)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Byzantine Empire '88 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
The Magpie Strategy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Worker's Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Buffet Titanic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Guernica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Brides Are Coming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Walter Defends Sarajevo(1972)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all filmsCrime No Punishment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Magic Bus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Woman from Čurug (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 44 titles, 41 of them dated from 1972 to 2019.
Biggest box office
Farewell (2009)
Highest rated
Time of the Gypsies (1988)
Most popular right now
The Good Thief (2002)
Film career
Top draw in 1 MovieCove title.
- 1995Screen debut· Underground
- 2011First top-billed film· Nicostratos the Pelican
- 2011Career best· Nicostratos the Pelican
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Emir Kusturica's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up13
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved7
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser8
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 78/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Emir Kusturica's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Emir Kusturica work with?
People who share at least 2 of Emir Kusturica's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Svetolik Zajc shares the most, 6.
Writers
- Gordan MihicShared titles: Black Cat, White Cat (1998), Time of the Gypsies (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Gordan Mihic
- Abdulah SidranShared titles: When Father Was Away on Business (1985), Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Abdulah Sidran
Actors
- Miki ManojlovićShared titles: On the Milky Road (2016), Promise Me This (2007), Black Cat, White Cat (1998), Underground (1995), When Father Was Away on Business (1985)See all 5 shared titles with Miki Manojlović
- Stribor KusturicaShared titles: On the Milky Road (2016), Maradona by Kusturica (2008), Promise Me This (2007), All the Invisible Children (2005), Life Is a Miracle (2004)See all 5 shared titles with Stribor Kusturica
- Mirjana KaranovićShared titles: Life Is a Miracle (2004), Underground (1995), When Father Was Away on Business (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Mirjana Karanović
- Slavko StimacShared titles: Life Is a Miracle (2004), Underground (1995), Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Slavko Stimac
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Svetolik ZajcShared titles: El Pepe: A Supreme Life (2018), On the Milky Road (2016), Maradona by Kusturica (2008), Promise Me This (2007), Life Is a Miracle (2004), Black Cat, White Cat (1998)See all 6 shared titles with Svetolik Zajc
- Vilko FilacShared titles: Underground (1995), Arizona Dream (1993), Time of the Gypsies (1988), When Father Was Away on Business (1985), Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (1981)See all 5 shared titles with Vilko Filac
- Goran BregovicShared titles: Underground (1995), Arizona Dream (1993), Time of the Gypsies (1988)See all 3 shared titles with Goran Bregovic
- Andrija ZafranovicShared titles: Arizona Dream (1993), Time of the Gypsies (1988), When Father Was Away on Business (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Andrija Zafranovic
Producers
- Maja KusturicaShared titles: Maradona by Kusturica (2008), Promise Me This (2007), Life Is a Miracle (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Maja Kusturica
- Paula Alvarez VaccaroShared titles: On the Milky Road (2016), Maradona by Kusturica (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Paula Alvarez Vaccaro
- Gaël NouailleShared titles: 7 Days in Havana (2011), Maradona by Kusturica (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Gaël Nouaille
- Marc MissonnierShared titles: Maradona by Kusturica (2008), Promise Me This (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Marc Missonnier
Mixed roles
- Nele KarajlicShared titles: Life Is a Miracle (2004), Black Cat, White Cat (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Nele Karajlic
