Damjana

Damjana
Promotional image for the show
Genre	War miniseries Drama
Based on	Based on Damjana by Todor Miroslavov Valerieva
Written by	Nayda Kaloyanova Karavelova
Directed by	Duska Dimitroska
Starring	Zoran Vozetić Kiel Langov Hratch Samuelian Miroslav Pogonchev Nicolaos Kainowski Eduard Mijatović Igor Rozman Grigori Sashov Dimitrov Jamin Ilievski Haro Mkrtchyan
Country of origin	Syara
Original language(s)	Syaran
No. of episodes	10
Production
Producer(s)	Trayko Plamenov Ivanov
Production location(s)	Syara
Cinematography	Sanasar Takoushian
Editor(s)	Zlatan Turundzhov
Running time	600 minutes
Production company(s)	Fused Productions
Budget	$85 million
Release
Original network	AVT
Original release	May 23 (2020-05-23) – July 25, 2020 (2020-07-25)

Damjana is a Syaran ten-part television miniseries produced for AVT. Damjana is based on the book of the same name by Todor Miroslavov Valerieva, which chronicles the experience of a squad of Syaran motorized infantry during the Zemplen War. The series was written by Nayda Kaloyanova Karavelova and directed by Duska Dimitroska for Fused Productions. The show premiered on May 23, 2020, a decade after the beginning of the war, and aired its final installment on 25 July the same year, a week after the ten year anniversary of the war's end.

Named after the armored personnel carrier the squad rode in during the war, Damjana focuses mostly on the interpersonal relationships and experiences of the squad throughout the conflict. Although some of the events depicted in the show sparked controversy in Syara, the show was a major commercial and critical success. Damjana was voted the best television show of the 2010s despite its late entry, and became very popular with Syaran veterans for its accurate depiction of the Syaran National Army.

Production

Valerieva, a former noncommissioned officer in the Syaran Army, published Damjana in 2014. The book was a major success and became a bestseller in Syara, prompting the AVT affiliated Fused Productions company to secure a deal to produce a television series based on the book. Valerieva was brought upon to serve as a consultant for the production and appears as a cameo in several of the episodes. The series follows the duration of the Zemplen War shortly after its beginnings in June 2008 and concludes in July 2010, shortly after the Treaty of Aragon was signed. Filming was down in Syara from March 2019-Feburary 2020. There was a strong push to finish the series by the ten year anniversary of the war, and post production didn't finish until early May 2020.

Crew

The series was directed by Duska Dimitroska, with screenplay written by Nayda Kaloyanova Karavelova. Both women had previously worked together on a number of projects with Fused Productions, which they felt helped ease the process. Karavelova, who's brother had been wounded in the war, stated she had a strong desire to express the conflict "honestly and authentically". Karavelova conducted extended interviews with former members of the squad to fully grasp their personality and speaking mannerisms, while Dimitroska and lead cinematographer Sanasar Takoushian met with numerous veterans to ensure the series was portrayed realistically.

Cast

About 20 starring cast members appear in the series, with a larger number of supporting cast. The principle characters the series followed were the original ten members of the squad, three of which were replaced during the series in accordance with real life events. Additional members of 3rd Platoon and Delta Company appear throughout the series.

The primary cast include:

• Junior Sergeant Domagoj Matkovićm, leader of Second Squad, portrayed by Zoran Vozetić
• Private First Class Dzvonko Soposki, machinegunner, portrayed by Kiel Langov
• Private First Class Arseni Nokiv, heavy grenadier, portrayed by Eduard Mijatović
• Private Angjelko Matliev, ammo carrier, portrayed by Hratch Samuelian
• Corporal Hrayr Sandrui, team leader, portrayed by Haro Mkrtchyan
• Private First Class Blazhe Merakovski, rifleman, portrayed by Igor Rozman
• Private Kliment Mitkov Bukhalov, rifleman, portrayed by Grigori Sashov Dimitrov
• Corporal Todor Miroslvov Valerieva, vehicle commander, portrayed by Miroslav Pognochev
• Private Yorgos Atsev, vehicle driver, portrayed by Jamin Ilievski
• Private First Class Marin Debeljak, vehicle gunner, portrayed by Nicolaos Kainowski
• Private First Class Emil Micallef, heavy grenadier, portrayed by Serije Kochevski (first appearance Episode 4)
• Private First Class Bared Kellejian, rifleman, portrayed by Sisag Cholakian (first appearance Episode 5)
• Private Blagun Georgiev Hadjiivanov, rifleman, rifleman, portrayed by Apostol Zdravkov Vranchev (first appearance Episode 8)

Format

The series consists of ten episodes told in chronological order from near the beginning of the war to a few days after its ends. The episodes are sequenced to coincide with the duration of the war, but the timeframe each episode takes place in varies from a single day to several weeks. The series features no soundtrack; rather popular songs from the era and prior are sung a cappella by the characters intermediately throughout the series.

Describing the series as "part-documentary, part-drama, part-comedy," Director Duska Dimitroska has said the series intended to focus on the experiences of the soldiers as a group of people rather than as a military force. Combat scenes are relatively uncommon, with most of the show focusing on the dialouge between the characters and how their relations with one another develop over the war. According to writer Nayda Kaloyanova Karavelova, the show was not intended to be "pro or anti-anything; it's just the experience these men had during this time".

While an overarching theme is not present for most the series, a common element for each episode features a debate between the squad members, usually on topics unrelated to the war such as favorite cuisine or the best dog breeds.