The famous actor Andrija Milošević is the winner of the "Veljko Mandić" award, which is awarded biennially as part of the International Actor's Festival in Nikšić. The decision on the award, which will be presented to Milošević at the opening of the 17th International Festival of Actors, on November 23, was made by a jury composed of prof. Dr. Siniša Jelušić, Dr. Miodrag Čizmović and director Andro Martinović. The "Veljko Mandić" award is given for an exceptional contribution to theater art.
"I didn't expect an award. In general, I don't expect anything, so this news made me happy. I am very honored to receive this prestigious award named after one of our greatest actors. I am also extremely glad that I will receive the same in my city", said Milošević to "Vijesta".
This year's edition of the festival will last from November 23 to 29, and in the competition part, seven theater plays from the region will be shown.
As the Festival's selector, playwright Radisav Jevrić, said at the press conference, there were exceptional performances that were submitted for participation, but due to technical conditions, it was not possible to include them.
"This is an international festival, but it could be said that it is also an ex ju festival, considering that it was conceived that way and that it was caught. The performances that will all be performed in the competition part are of different genres. What I would suggest for some future work is that the festival really takes on that international dimension and that we do not limit ourselves to the ex-Yugoslav post. I think that would be a new quality of the festival", Jevrić said at the press conference.
The artistic director of the Nikšić Theater and the president of the Festival Council, Janko Jelić, said that, given the relatively short period since the new management of the Theatre, they managed to prepare a good Festival with quality performances. In addition to him, the Council also includes the director Goran Bulajić, the secretary of the Secretariat for Culture, Dejan Ivanović, the actor Velimir Kasalica and the director of the Theater Radinko Krulanović.
"We will have a diverse company of both actors and theater, with different conceptions, and the audience will be able to see different types of theater at this festival," said Jelić.
According to him, the jury consisting of Milorad Damjanović, a drama artist from Belgrade, director Zoran Rakočević and actor Dobrilo Boban Čvorović, will have a lot of work to do. The round tables after the performances will be led by Goran Bulajić, while executive director Tanja Perišić is in charge of organizational affairs.
Director of the Theater Radinko Krulanović pointed out that the 17th edition of the Festival will be organized with the financial help of the local administration, which has not only stood behind the International Festival of Actors, but also behind all the activities that the JU implements.
"This theater festival is extremely important for the city of Nikšić and I can say that it is one of the things from the previous period that were always done correctly, if not very well. We decided to continue in that spirit, to support the International Festival of Actors and we prepared as a Municipality, together with the Theatre, to hold it independently. Of course, we also expect help from the relevant ministry, to the extent that it was the case in previous years, if not more," said the president of the municipality of Nikšić, Marko Kovačević.
He pointed out that the new management of the Municipality, together with cultural institutions from the town under Trebjes, made an effort to organize various cultural contents and that the space was open to all cultural enthusiasts, and that they would continue in that spirit.
I didn't expect an award. In general, I don't expect anything, so this news made me happy. I am very honored to receive this prestigious award named after one of our greatest actors. I am also extremely glad that I will receive it in my city", the laureate of the "Veljko Mandić" award, actor Andrija Milošević, told "Vijesta"
According to the Secretary of the Secretariat for Culture, Dejan Ivanović, the 17th edition of the International Festival of Actors will be the crown of the November cultural offer in our city, and Nikšić will be the "regional theater epicenter" in the period from November 23 to 29.
"I invite all lovers of theater art, not only from our city but also from other Montenegrin cities, to visit Nikšić on those days and enjoy the true theatrical spectacle of the most eminent theater houses from the region," Ivanović said.
The organizer of the festival is the Nikšić Theater, and the sponsor is the Municipality of Nikšić.
Prize giving and the performance "Lungs" for the beginning
The festival will be opened with the awarding of the "Veljko Mandić" award. On the first evening of the festival, the play "Pluća", directed by Aida Bukvić, will be shown, which is a co-production of the Exit Theater from Zagreb and the City Theater from Sisak. Jadranka Đokić and Amar Bukvić will tell a warm, witty, emotional, and at times brutally honest story in a humorous-romantic drama about life.
On the second evening, the repertoire includes the play "Horses kill, don't they?", directed by Kokan Mladenović based on the text by Maja Pelević, and performed by the City Theater from Podgorica. A play with strong social involvement, with strong and painful social cuts, in which some honest people participate in contemporary reality TV, because it is the only way to survive, is performed by a large cast.
Bitef Theater from Belgrade will present the play "MIRA" for which the concept, direction and stage design was done by Andraš Urban. The play, which is characterized as a "sad-happy story for the masses", premiered in 2019, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Bitef Theater, and is dedicated to director Miri Trailović. The female cast is led by Mirjana Karanović.
The play "Antigone" was directed by Nenad Todorović, and it was co-produced by the National Theater of Pristina and the National Theater of Timočka Krajina "Zoran Radmilović" from Zaječar. Todorović's play, which is initially by Sophocles, and is made up of different "Antigones" written by Bertold Brecht, Jean Anouy, and also has segments of Aeschylus' "Seven Against You", premiered in May of this year.
Chamber theater "55" from Sarajevo will present itself to the Nikšić audience with the play "Do you remember Doli Bel", directed and adapted by Kokan Mladenović, based on the iconic text by Abdulah Sidran. The cast of the play, which premiered in 2019 and has won numerous awards, is led by Emir Hadžihafizbegović. The National Theater of the Republic of Srpska from Banja Luka will perform the play "Lonely West" directed by Belinda Božičković, based on the text of the contemporary Irish writer Martin McDonagh. The play is about everyday topics, alienation, pain and misunderstanding. On the final evening of the festival, when the prizes will be awarded, the play "Bollywood" will be performed, based on the text by Maja Prelević, directed by Nataša Poplavska, and performed by the actors of the Comedy Theater from Skopje. It is about the first musical of the Comedy Theater.
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