What Needs to Be Done
dir. Srđan Kovačević; Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia; 2025; 88 min

Winner of two Golden Arenas at the 73rd Pula Film Festival, What Needs to Be Done reveals the darker side of a Europe built on cheap labour, coercion, and exploitation, while highlighting the perseverance of those who refuse to accept such conditions as normal. Srđan Kovačević received the Golden Arena for Best Director, while Klara Šovagović and Damir Čučić won the Golden Arena for Best Editing. The film had previously been awarded at the DOK Leipzig and Beldocs festivals.

A former electrician, a social worker, and a trade union activist join forces in what seems like an impossible mission. Workers who, in search of a better life, accept poor working conditions, excessive overtime, crowded container accommodation, and employer intimidation turn to Laura Orel, Goran Lukić, and Goran Zrnić from the Workers’ Counselling Centre. Whether they come from the Balkans, Africa, or Asia, they seek help there every day—deceived, hungry, deprived of their wages, and stripped of hope for a better future.

Following his acclaimed documentary Factory to the Workers (2021), Kovačević once again explores themes of labour, workers’ rights, and solidarity. The Pula Film Festival jury praised the film for its powerful emotional impact and subtle cinematic language, through which it tells a story that, despite social injustice, leaves room for hope and faith that change begins with caring for one another. The precise and unobtrusive editing of Klara Šovagović and Damir Čučić weaves together diverse voices and situations into a compelling portrait of collective resilience.