Special Tribeca Podcast: Branislav Jankic dir. of WHITE BELT (2026)

Special Tribeca Podcast: Branislav Jankic dir. of WHITE BELT (2026)

From First Time Go by Benjamin Duchek

June 9, 2026 · 14 min · Season 4

About this episode

Filmmaker Branislav Jankic discusses his journey and the making of his film WHITE BELT at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival.

The journey from Yugoslavia to New York City is a wild one, and filmmaker Branislav Jankic has been a keen observer along the way. Coming off a debut feature that was released at the height of COVID, Branislav is now at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival with a story about his wife called WHITE BELT (2026) . The film traces the journey of supermodel Monika "Jac" Jagaciak from the runway to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). It's a tight, accomplished film that shows what he's learned about the process, and it was so cool for him to explain how he made such an exciting and personal film. In this episode, Branislav and I discuss: the tight runtime for this film and how he was able to condense so much into the film; how he got involved in filmmaking -- going from Yugoslavia, Germany, all the way to Tribeca; why he's able to tackle topics like " addiction, fetishism, and the complexities of identity"; his debut feature, THE WITCH'S CAULDRON (2020), and what he learned from it; what WHITE BELT is about, in his words; why he didn't mention himself in the film and his advice for filming when you're married to the subject; why Tribeca and what's next for him. Links: Follow Monika On Instagram

People in this episode

Host: Benjamin Duchek

Guest: Branislav Jankic

Topics covered

  • filmmaking
  • personal stories
  • identity
  • addiction
  • BJJ
  • film festivals

Keywords

  • Branislav Jankic
  • WHITE BELT
  • Tribeca Film Festival
  • Yugoslavia
  • BJJ
  • Monika Jagaciak
  • filmmaking process
  • addiction
  • identity

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: WHITE BELT, THE WITCH'S CAULDRON

Places: Yugoslavia, Germany, New York City

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