Kuči, and especially the village of Fundina, have always been known for their humanity, heroism and togetherness, values that are passed down from generation to generation in stories. Memories of these qualities live on in numerous testimonies and documentary records, including two documentaries Filip Rašović - “The Bitch of the Trough: Life at the Crossroads of Time” and “Examples of Fundino”
This time, Filip, in collaboration with his wife Ana, realized a joint project - the publication "Fundina: Paths of Tradition and Unity". This book, created during several months of fieldwork in 2025, with the support of the Fund for the Protection and Exercise of Minority Rights of Montenegro, is dedicated to the people, nature and cultural heritage of the village of Fundina, near Podgorica.
"The publication 'Fundina: Paths of Tradition and Unity', which resulted from a project supported by the Fund for the Protection and Realization of Minority Rights of Montenegro, preserves the stories of locals that come from oral tradition and everyday experiences. We thought they were worth writing down," Filip Rašović reveals in an interview for "Vijesti" what the project "Fundina: Paths of Tradition and Unity" brings that the audience did not have the opportunity to see in the documentary "Examples of Fudnina".
As he points out, the film "Examples of Fundino" interviewed people who had a lot to share, but unfortunately, many of the interviewees are no longer with us.
"The video remains as a testimony of a time and a few important examples. Since there are still many stories about history, shared glories, work and socializing, it was natural for us to continue on the same path, but in the form of a book. This time, we wanted to use photographs to convey the spirit of the place, not just its visible image," emphasizes Filip, while Ana adds that the stories they recorded were later compared.
"We looked for their common threads and differences, in order to shape them as faithfully and completely as possible for the book. This created a layered material that combines the personal tone of the narrator and the collective memory of the community," adds Ana.
After filming the film "Examples of Fundino", which was created out of a desire to get to know their homeland better and learn more about its past through research, Filip came across what he says he expected - even more stories and traces worth preserving.
“The publication was conceived in this form from the beginning, as a connected whole that leads the reader gradually, from nature and sources, to the community and memories of people. As a photographer, it was natural for me to accompany the research with photographs. They are not just illustrations, but a way to show the space and the feeling of a place. Each photograph has been carefully selected to accompany the story it belongs to and to complement it,” said Filip.
In the documentary about Fundina, the voices are mostly those of older locals, those who still remember the stories of tradition, history and togetherness that shaped this place. It is similar in the publication, where it is precisely their memories that form the basis of the narrative of humanity, harmony and effort. However, it is important that younger generations also learn about these stories and continue to pass them on, because more and more of them are slowly returning to the village, recognizing the value of the heritage left to them by their ancestors. It is precisely in this return that the hope lies that Fundina will continue to live not only through memories, but also through new experiences and generations that preserve the spirit of togetherness.
"This year, in parallel with our research, numerous work events were held in the village, and it turned out that Fundina is full of young people who love their place and want to work, and many of them did not even know each other before. At these events, the same atmosphere as before was felt: working side by side, just like their ancestors did. Such events help young people learn about tradition and history through personal experience, and publications like this spread these stories beyond Fundina, to remind us of our community when it is forgotten," said Ana.
In Fundina, Orthodox, Catholic and Islamic faiths naturally intertwine through godparenthood, marriages and everyday life, creating a community where mutual respect and understanding have always been more important than differences. Such an image of a village today acts almost symbolically as a reminder that harmony and coexistence are possible even in times when divisions are once again omnipresent.
"In places where several peoples and religions live in harmony, there is a sense of well-being. Good relationships are not questioned, in the end, we only distinguish a good person from a bad one. Every time brings its challenges and misunderstandings, but the biggest problem is most often ignorance. From ignorance comes fear, and from fear comes many divisions that still plague us today. That is why it is important to learn and question ourselves every day because only then can we truly understand others. This publication is a small part of the big puzzle that we need to put together as people. Because, in the end, we all have similar desires; sometimes we just don't recognize them in time," Filip believes.
The publication is also published in English, available for free in digital form on the website www.knjigafundina.me. The interlocutors of "Vijesti" do not hide the fact that it is very important that this content be open and accessible to everyone, and not limited to institutions, because we all need to learn from such examples.
"It was logical for us to make the publication freely available on the internet, today it is understood that the content can also be read on a phone. We also translated it into English so that it would reach the widest possible audience: young people from our diaspora who grew up outside Montenegro, but also their friends and colleagues to whom they can show their region. Open access means that we do not keep these examples of togetherness in institutions, but share them with everyone who wants to learn, research or simply get to know Fundina," concludes Ana.
Bonus video:
