SPOMENKA SARAGA is the Director of the Zagreb TourFilm Festival, which is being held this year for the 14th time in Croatia’s capital city, Zagreb. A film producer, director, tourism journalist, and passionate adventurer, Spomenka travels to some of the world’s most fascinating destinations. She gained extensive filmmaking experience at the renowned Jadran Film Studio — often referred to at the time as the European Hollywood — where she worked on demanding financial and production responsibilities alongside acclaimed directors, actors, and producers.
After 30 years at Jadran Film, she founded her own company, Balduči Film, which over the past two decades has produced numerous successful feature films, documentaries, promotional films, commercials, and co-productions of travel documentaries and television entertainment programs, primarily in collaboration with producers and actors from the United States, South Korea, China, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Among Balduči Film’s notable productions is the Chinese television show DAY DAY UP, which has been viewed by more than 400 million people in China, as well as several Korean tourism and entertainment programs, including Miss Korea, Friends in Croatia (featuring some of Korea’s most popular actors), 24 Hours, and others. Through the production and coordination of Korean television travel and tourism programs in Croatia, she has, in many ways, contributed to the growth in the number of tourists arriving from South Korea.
Balduči Film also produced the first Indonesian feature film ever shot in Croatia, SORE – Wife from the Future, which was Indonesia’s submission for the 2025 Academy Awards.
She has participated in numerous international congresses and panel discussions dedicated to film tourism and its promotion (including events in Montenegro), and has served as a jury member at many film festivals worldwide.
Spomenka has received numerous awards at Croatian and international film festivals, including: Premio alla Carriera (Career Achievement Award), presented by Italian tourism journalists in 2008 and Grand Prix, Baku, 2017 .
Tourism films produced by Balduči Film and Spomenka Saraga have won more than 400 international awards. On two occasions, Balduči Film productions were ranked among the Top 10 tourism films in the world.
Spomenka is also a member of CIFFT (International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals) and the Croatian Society of Film Professionals.