
Stevan Lee Mraovitch is a Serbo-American writer, director, producer, and poet whose emotionally grounded storytelling is shaped by a rich multicultural heritage. Born in New York to Taiwanese and Serbian parents and raised in Paris, he crafts human-centered narratives that explore themes of exile, faith, and social invisibility.
A graduate of Columbia University's MFA Film program, Mraovitch refined his cinematic voice under the mentorship of Michael Hausman and has collaborated with figures including David Mamet, Barry Levinson, and Julie Delpy. His work blends humor and heart, often focusing on characters living at society's margins and the quiet, transformative connections they forge.
His debut feature, Holidays at All Cost, won both the Audience and Jury Awards at the Austin Film Festival. He followed with Doctor, Doctor, a dark comedy about a hypochondriac turned accidental hero, and Where There Is Love, There Is No Darkness, a poetic exploration of dignity and spiritual resilience. The latter won Best Feature - World Cinema in Kansas City, the Special Jury Award in Arizona, and screened at the 47th Moscow International Film Festival, a prestigious Category A event.
Also a published poet, Mraovitch authored Analgesia - The Scars of Love and Revolts, a collection meditating on memory, identity, and brotherhood. Across film and poetry, he creates intimate portraits of the unseen-stories that listen where the world turns away.
Awards Won
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2025, Arizona International Film Festival
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Winner: Special jury award for "Where There Is Love, There Is No Darkness"
2025, KC FilmFest International
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Winner: Best World Cinema Narrative Feature for "Where There Is Love, There Is No Darkness"
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2021, Austin Film Festival
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Winner: Comedy Vanguard Jury Award for "Holidays at All Cost"
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Winner: Audience Award, Comedy Vanguard for "Holidays at All Cost"
2021, Edmonton International Film Festival
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Winner: Jury Award, Best International Feature (Dramatic) for "Holidays at All Cost"
2021, Marbella Film Festival
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Winner: Festival Prize, Best Script for "Holidays at All Cost"
2021, Austrian Filmfestival
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Winner: Austrian Indie Adler, Best International Feature for "Holidays at All Cost"
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Winner: Jury Prize, Best Comedy for "Holidays at All Cost"
2022, Dublin International Comedy Film Festival
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Winner: The Fleabag Award, Best Screenplay in a Feature for "Holidays at All Cost"
Nominations
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2021, Marbella Film Festival
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Nominee: Festival Prize, Best Feature for "Holidays at All Cost"
2018, The Lebanese Movie Awards
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Nominee: LMA, Best Lebanese Motion Picture for "The Traveller" (Shared with Romain Richard)
2022, Dublin International Comedy Film Festival
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Nominee: Jury Prize, Best International Feature for "Holidays at All Cost"
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Nominee: The Michaela Coel Award For Best Direction, Best Direction for "Holidays at All Cost"