Train Driver's Diary
2016 film

Train Driver's Diary (Serbian: Дневник машиновође / Dnevnik mašinovođe) is a 2016 Serbian drama film directed by Miloš Radović. It was selected as the Serbian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Plot
The film tells the story of a train driver Ilija who accidentally runs over many people during his employment. His beautiful girlfriend also dies on the railroad. One day on the railway he sees a young boy who wishes to commit suicide and Ilija saves him. Thus Sima becomes his adopted son. At first Ilija is against his wish to also become a train driver because of his own bad experiences but then Ilija changes his mind when he sees that Sima is determined. However later the young man becomes depressed because he does not run over anyone and is in a constant state of dread. Ilija is ready to sacrifice his own life to heal Sima's melancholy. Luckily, Sima runs over another man – Ljuba the Maniac instead of Ilija.
The public source identifies “Train Driver's Diary” as 2016 film. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Train, Driver's and Diary.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Train Driver's Diary”, the useful work is to connect “2016 film” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q26683595. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2016.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Train Driver's Diary”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Train Driver's Diary primary sources, Train Driver's Diary archive and Train research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Train Driver's Diary”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Train Driver's Diary” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.