In never more difficult circumstances, when it comes to organization, from September 6 to 15, the Festival of International Alternative Theater FIAT will be held, which will not stop no matter what, said the director and director of FIAT Ana Vukotić at a press conference. The program of the 39th edition of the event begins on Friday with the play "Death and its whims" by the director Lidija Dedović, produced by the Montenegrin National Theater on whose Studio Stage the play will be performed at 19 p.m.
Under the slogan "FIAT Pendulum" more than 30 programs have been prepared for ten festival days, nine performances in the competitive selection, nine in the "Off selection", and as the audience is used to, there is also a diverse music, art, film and literary program. segment.
Selector of the main competition program Ana Vujosevic she announced performances from Lithuania, Italy, France, Kosovo, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, as well as from Montenegro, while Vukotić also announced an interesting accompanying program.
"And this year it was "to be or not to be", but FIAT will still be there this year. We overcome financial, but also various other problems. The selection is inspired by the failures of civilization, so in a way it is a theme, that is, something that is common to all plays and projects, unfortunately death, violence, crimes, and all of this is something that we seriously have to face and something that we have to to react and take responsibility. So, let's dig into some of our deep fears and try to restore humanity," said Vujošević.

This year's jury is chaired by a choreographer and ballerina Sonja Vukićević, and the members are a theater director Mirko Radonjic and an actor Aleksandar Gavranić. FIAT is held at the following locations: Culture and Information Center "Budo Tomović", Montenegrin National Theatre, courtyard of Kuslev's house, plateau of the National Library "Radosav Ljumović", CKZ Ribnica, New Contemporary Art Gallery (201) and ART Gallery.
Vukotić expressed her gratitude to partners, sponsors and friends, and to all people who understand FIAT and contribute to its realization at the highest possible level.
"We are used to the fact that he always deals with the budget, the status of FIAT, institutionalization and various problems that still exist. It seems to me that we have never realized a festival under more difficult circumstances, but despite everything, we managed to offer the audience a quality program", she said.
FIAT film and music program editors Vladimir Vučinić i Damir Murseljević presented the content in these segments, while Murseljević pointed out that "FIAT is something much more than a festival, a brand and a symbol".

Representative of the Secretariat for Culture of the Capital City of Podgorica Jelena Đurđić she greeted the organizers, pointing out that FIAT has occupied an important place in the cultural calendar of Podgorica and Montenegro for decades.
"FIAT is not only an event, but also a movement and a space for the exchange of artistic and social ideas, which transcend the boundaries of the conventional and unite us through art. Through FIAT, Podgorica is transformed into a scene where the boundaries of art are reexamined, where the walls between artists and the audience are torn down, and where doors are opened to new, unconventional perspectives. FIAT shows the power of art to communicate, inspire, but also to challenge us to think about the world around us," she said, adding that FIAT offers an opportunity to experience and understand art outside of standard frameworks, and to grow as a community through that experience.
Jelena Jovanovic-Nikolic, Acting Director of the Directorate for Cultural and Artistic Creativity in the Ministry of Culture and Media, she recalled the importance of alternative artistic expression in culture and art, which since its appearance in the 60s of the 20th century until today "represents one of the most prominent, but also the least studied phenomena ".
"Alternative artistic expression arises from dissatisfaction with the existing dominant models of cultural life... We from the Ministry of Culture and Media recognize the importance and continuously support the development of FIAT, a festival that nurtures authentic expression in the field of theater art and production with a historical tradition of almost four decades, aware that this festival has outgrown the current methods of co-financing through the competitive line of support for artistic manifestations and festivals", she said.

When asked by "Vijesti" about the initiative for FIAT to become a manifestation of national importance for the culture of Montenegro, about which "Vijesti" wrote earlier, Vukotić and Jovanović-Nikolić replied that negotiations are ongoing.
"We reopened that topic, but in a slightly deeper way, and that is what we have initiated several times. It is about establishing a cultural institution in a private-public partnership in culture with multiple actors, which would be healthy for FIAT," said Vukotić.
Jovanović-Nikolić said that she cannot promise concrete things and set deadlines, but she confirmed that work is being done on the issue of the functioning of FIAT, and that the establishment of the best possible model is expected.
Cooperation between culture and politics: "Stop gambling and betting"
FIAT is part of the "Stop Gambling and Betting!" campaign, in partnership with the Government of Montenegro, the Coordinating Body for the Protection and Advancement of Public Interest in the Field of Games of Chance, the Ministry of Finance, the Directorate of Games of Chance.
Vukotić said that this is an example of how culture and politics can find a common language and deal with socially responsible topics, regardless of the colors of any political party. On this occasion, he also spoke at the press conference Momo Koprivica who, as the Deputy Prime Minister, emphasized the exceptional importance of FIAT "which is one of the most important festivals of the cultural and theater atlas of Montenegro, and a very important sign of recognizing the culture of our country".
"This year, FIAT goes one step further, not only as an event that celebrates art and creativity, but also as a platform for social responsibility. In partnership with the Government, the campaign "Stop Betting and Gambling" is launched, which aims to draw attention to the alarming data on gambling in our country and all the problems that this phenomenon causes. Montenegro ranks third in Europe in terms of the rate of adolescents who bet with 13 percent, while as many as 32 percent of students in our country have gambling experience, although the participation of minors in betting and gambling is prohibited by law. It is even more worrying that Montenegro ranks first in Europe in terms of the number of students who gamble excessively, as many as 35 percent of them", he pointed out, noting that gambling in Montenegro is insufficiently treated as a serious social problem, while the situation is further aggravated by advertisers.
Vukotić said that in this way they are establishing a kind of "counterpoint" to advertisers, and that they have hired selected figures from public life who will send a message about the harmful impact of gambling, with the aim of prevention, stressing the importance of media support.
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