Between 19 and 23 October, our reactor hosted a film crew that shot several key scenes for the movie Chain Reaction (“Lančana reakcija”). The film is a co-production between Serbian and Slovenian production companies and tells the story of how the 1958 reactor accident in Vinča forged friendships between France and the former Yugoslavia.
During the accident, six people received excessive radiation exposure. They were quickly transported to France, where they received advanced medical treatment. This involved the first bone marrow transplant in which the donor was not a family member of the patient.
At the request of the film crew, all modern and even less modern equipment was removed from the reactor platform and parts of the reactor hall and basement in order to recreate the atmosphere of a nuclear institution from the 1950s. Authenticity was further enhanced by a team of scenographers who prepared additional props for the filming.
The crew was led by the well-known Serbian actor and director Dragan Bjelogrlić, who also plays a small role in the film. Filming took place over three nights, as weather conditions are most favourable for image quality during that time. Some scenes were also filmed in the parking area between the Physics and Chemistry buildings.
The filming was also noticed by Slovenian media outlets N1 and 24UR.
We also collected some highlights from the filming, available at this link.
