The jubilee 18th Ceremony of the Karić Brothers Award was held on November 30th 2015 at the National Theatre in Belgrade. The Award Ceremony aroused unprecedented public interest and the auditorium was packed.
Belgrade was not only the capital of the state that night but also the capital of culture, art, humanitarian work and deserving achievements worthy of admiration that have indebted mankind. Main Stage of the National Theater in Belgrade hosted 18th Jubilee Award Ceremony of the prestigious Karić Brothers Award.
Members and representatives of the Karić family greeted many eminent guests from the field of science, culture as well as the diplomatic corps at the hall of the National Theater. Among numerous guests were fashion designer Verica Rakočević with husband, singer-songwriter Aleksandra Kovač, Davis Cup selector of the Serbian National team Bogdan Obradović, film director Božidar Bota Nikolić, singer Željko Vasić, basketball player Dejan Tomašević, FC Red Star Belgrade director Zvezdan Terzić and many others.
The Award Ceremony started with the “Karić Brothers” Award official hymn followed by the national anthem of the Republic of Serbia.
The hosts of the award show Dragana Savatić and Dejan Pantelić, well-known faces of the former BK television, greeted everyone. Then followed the welcoming speech by the founder and honorary president of the Karić Foundation, Milanka Karić.
The first prize was awarded to the best Yugoslav and Serbian football player, the 3d Star of FC Red Star Belgrade of all times, Dragan Džajić, for his outstanding accomplishments and enormous contribution to sport.
„I’ve experienced great things in life and won many trophies in my football career, but the Karić Foundation takes particular care and attention about everything and even the prizes. I’ve given 53 years of my life to FC Red Star Belgrade, so forgive me for being a little immodest when I say that it is quite enough for one such recognition. This will certainly remain one of the most important trophies I have ever received.“, said Dragan Džajić.
The famous football player was presented the award by Dragomir J. Karić and Danijela Karić Martać.
The next prize for outstanding contribution to the development of science and research was awarded to Emil Morsch, the founder of the first data bank for stem cells out of bone marrow and the first foundation to help fight leukemia in Germany. Unfortunately, he was not able to attend the award ceremony.
“Dear Karić family, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the work you do and for this award. Due to my health problems, unfortunately, I am not able to receive your recognition in person. I wish you a successful award ceremony. Thank you very much “, said Emil Morsch in a video message.
The Award was received on Mr. Emil Morsch behalf by his longtime friend Branislav Basara who once again expressed appreciation to the Karić family.
The third prize was received by the prominent ballet artist Konstantin Kostjukov for his exceptional contribution to culture and art.
“Dear ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight. I would like to congratulate all the winners and say that it’s a great honor to be in the company of such people. Journalists often ask me these days what this award means to me. I was taught from an early age what the meaning of life is, so everyone has their own answer to that question. In fact, this award means how much one has dedicated him/herself to something. The very essence is to discover our talent in time, everyone has one and that is how I would define this award, I do what I love and at no time did I deal with my self-promotion, but with the promotion of ballet art. For me, this award means I am on the right track. But I’m not alone, my parents are with me, too, because they are the ones that helped me discover what I love, also my friends and my colleagues are on this path, the audience as well, both here and abroad, audience that pushed me to some new, risky challenges, which I gladly accepted to prove myself. Thank you to the Karić Foundation for recognizing my gift, thank you all for being here! ”, said Kostjukov.
The next Karić Brothers Award was presented to Steven Seagal, a Hollywood star and legendary action hero, black belt holder, aikido master, master of martial arts, musician, writer. He was awarded for benevelance and humanitarian activities.
“I would like to thank the Karić family, I am honored to be here in the company of great and magical people who also received the Award. It is really an honor to follow many leaders who have been awarded before me, such as Vladimir Putin and many other extraordinary people. This is an opportunity not to talk about what I did, but what one family can do with all the wisdom, knowledge and skills. If God has given us all talent and wisdom, I am grateful that I can use it to make the world a better place, so that our children can have a happy future on this planet where we are all members of one family. I would ask everyone present to do everything in their power to be better people to ensure a future for all the people in the world. I realize what kind of great people and souls we have here in this hall tonight, in Serbia, all over the world, 17 great Roman emperors originated from here and that certainly means something. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and I ask everyone to take care of one another “, the actor was extensive.
After the well-known actor, the Karić Brothers Award was presented to the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Ábishuly Nazarbayev, for strengthening democracy, peace, cooperation and friendship among nations. H.E. the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Hungary Nurbach Rustemov thanked for the award on his behalf.
“I am very glad and very honored to receive the “Karić Brothers“ high award on behalf of the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Ábishuly Nazarbayev. The Award of the Karić Foundation testifies to the good relations and friendship of the President of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Serbia. I thank the Government of the R. Serbia for supporting Kazakhstan in its efforts to be elected a member, but not a permanent one, of the UN Security Council. President Nazarbayev instructed me to convey his greetings to you. Dear friends, I know from reliable sources that there are no unresolved issues between Serbia and Kazakhstan. The positions on many international issues of our two countries are largely identical. Thank you for your attention, “said the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Hungary.
The ceremony ended with the song “For many years” performed by the choir octet “Braća Baruh”.
The show program was carefully designed and performed by top artists. It was an unforgettable evening of enjoyment in the art from all meridians and times thanks to the choir octet”Braća Baruh”, singer Danica Krstić, ensemble “Vrelo”, ballerina Rajna Remović, KUD “Gradimir”, Ensemble of the Kazakh National Academy of Arts Zhurgenov.
