Professor Kosta Vujic's Hat

Set in the mid 19th century, Professor Kosta Vujic's Hat follows the classroom life of Kosta Vujić, a spirited gymnasium teacher who runs an unusual group of pupils. The film stages their lessons, playful rivalries and sudden intellectual breakthroughs as Vujić pushes students to question accepted answers and think for themselves. Among the boys are young talents who show signs of future achievement in mathematics, music and geography, and the story shows their growth through classroom debates, apprenticeship with mentors and small personal tests. The tone is comic and affectionate, concentrating on daily schoolroom dynamics and mentorship rather than later historical fame, and it keeps the focus on how education shapes character.

Released in 2012 and directed by Zdravko Šotra, the movie adapts Milovan Vitezović's story that first appeared as a 1972 TV drama. Aleksandar Berček stars as Professor Vujić, with Miloš Biković, Ljubomir Bulajić and Branimir Brstina among the principal cast.

On the commercial side the film had a modest run in Serbia and nearby markets, and it did not register major international box office milestones. Detailed gross figures are not widely published, so exact revenue totals are not available here.

Because it dramatizes real figures who later became important in Serbian science, music and geography, the story has a familiar place in national culture. This 2012 revival reintroduced younger audiences to those personalities and sparked renewed interest in period school life, teaching methods and how classrooms can affect public life.

Reaction was mixed, reflected in a middling average rating from viewers. Critics often praised Aleksandar Berček's central performance and the film's period detail, while some pointed to uneven comic timing and a scattershot script. Major themes include the role of a teacher, youthful ambition, collective intellectual curiosity and the social roots of later achievement. It appeals to viewers interested in history and education.