The best play of the Festival of International Alternative Theater (FIAT), which ended last night in Podgorica, is "City of Demons", directed by Andraš Urban and performed by the "Kosztolanyi Dezso" Theater and MASZK from Subotica.
In explaining the decision, the FIAT jury assessed that "City of Demons" "approaches the absurdity of the everyday relationship to the Other with a strange stage aesthetic, trying to outplay the grotesque reality it is surrounded by with theatrical means."
"At the same time, a full-blooded offshoot of political theater and an imaginative, playful escape into introspection, 'City of Demons' stands out in this year's festival context as a play that seamlessly combines its own uncompromising ethical program with aesthetic breakthroughs towards the new," the explanation states, adding that the new work More than all other works this year, Andraša Urbana succeeds in being "an abused child of its time and a specific space, and precisely because of this it stands out as the best performance of the Festival".
The jury unanimously awarded Urban the award for the best director, "for the precision of the director's handwriting and the achievement of compactness in the ratio of different theatrical elements, ranging from visual to olfactory".
The jury awarded Zdravko Stojmirov for the best acting performance, for his role in the play "Diary of a Madman", explaining that the Macedonian actor stood out as the most impressive actor of this year's festival, primarily due to the ascetic dedication and maximum concentration that characterizes his monodramatic performance.
The president of the FIAT jury was Sonja Vukićević, a choreographer and ballerina from Serbia, and the members were Matko Botić, a critic and theater expert from Croatia, and Vasko Raičević, a Montenegrin playwright.
On the first day, the Zagreb-Rijeka co-production presented "Requiem for Organs - Penance", and then "City of Demons" by MASZK from Subotica. On the second night of the festival, the Ljubljana Mini Theater played "Stools", after which the Bosnian Theater and SARTR showed "Stories from the Eastern Side".
The renewed FIAT concluded with "Diary of a Madman" by the Little Drama Theater from Bitola and "Fathers are the City(s)" by CNP, and as a highlight, the controversial Rijeka group "Let 3" performed in the courtyard of Kuslev's house.
FIAT was renewed on September 1, at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro and with the help of the Capital City of Podgorica and Montenegrin Telekom as the general sponsor.
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