Award to Haris Pašović: Humanity at the Center of the “World of Possibilities”

In the amphitheater of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Stanjevići, the drama program of the XXXIX Grad Teatar festival continued last night with the performance of the play "The World of Possibilities", written and directed by Haris Pašović, created as part of the international project Enabled Theatre, co-produced by the JU "Grad Teatar", the Serbian National Theatre, the East–West Centre from Sarajevo and the Dance Centre "Tala" from Zagreb.

Before the performance, Haris Pašović was presented with the "City of Theatre" award for his outstanding contribution to theatre art for the year 2024/2025. This award is symbolically linked to his decades-long commitment to improving contemporary theatre in the region.

The evening was opened by the director of the City Theatre Public Institution, Milena Lubarda Marojević"Tonight is a special evening and a real holiday for all of us who work at the Grad Teatar festival, and it is an opportunity for the Grad Teatar to award the eponymous award for the 27th time," said Lubarda Marojević, pointing out that this year's award has two laureates - Haris Pašović and Milan NeškovićShe then reflected on the process of creating the play “A World of Possibilities,” emphasizing its deeply social character.

"When we, together with colleagues from Sarajevo, Zagreb and Novi Sad, embarked on this adventure called 'The World of Possibilities', we had high expectations. The most important expectation was to include people who live every day with various forms of disabilities and developmental disabilities and their families in the creative process, to make them visible to the eyes of the artistic audience, to make them visible in your eyes and to show one great truth, which is that a disability, just like physical characteristics, is not what characterizes a person, but there is an essence and personality of these people that we often do not see at first glance, and which actually carries with it a wonderful world. Truly, a world of possibilities."

Lubarda Marojević emphasized that the play exceeded all expectations. "The driving force behind everything that has happened with this project and that continues to live on is found in the soul of one extraordinary man, and that is Haris Pašović, a long-time collaborator and friend of the festival, director, theater author, to whom we have the honor of awarding the Grad teatar award tonight. The jury of the Grad teatar festival decided on the awards as follows - Branislava Liješević, the long-time director of the institution and festival Grad teatar and a person whose name we associate with all the best that we think of when we think of the institution and the brand of this festival, then Bozena Jelušić, Master of Literature, professor of literature, long-time collaborator and friend of the festival and Bojana Kovačević, producer and director of the National Theatre from Sombor”.

Liješević, also the president of the jury for the Grad Teatar award, in her speech evoked the long and emotional mark that Haris Pašović left on the festival and the regional theater scene.

"The award to Haris Pašović should have been given back in 1991 after the play 'Waiting for Godot'. However, the award for dramatic creativity began to be given in 1994. We remembered that play for a long time, both because of the extraordinary direction and the anthological cast in which they were Zarko Lausevic, Miki Manojlovic, Miodrag Krivokapic, Slavko Stimac", said Liješević, highlighting one of the most symbolic elements of the play."

"We also remembered the famous Beckett tree that came out of the suitcase directed by Pašović. We were waiting for that tree to sprout leaves from the suitcase. We were also waiting for his new plays, remembering 'Spring Awakening', 'The Bird' at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, and Buñuel's 'Hamlet' at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. However, the next time the suitcase was opened, the ruins of a city came out. And in the center was our director, who, together with Susan Sontag evaluated a new Sarajevo Godot in 1993. Many of his fellow citizens remained alive and mentally healthy thanks to the plays he made under shells at that time, in Sarajevo theaters without electricity, water, or food," said Liješević, citing Antigone as the fundamental force of Pašović's art: "I was created for love, not hate. And that is why, in today's world that prides itself on divisions, his East-West theater shines. Haris connects and reconciles East and West, but also Budva and Sarajevo, and with his presence connects the distant 1991 with today's 2025 when the time in between will merge into one point, at this moment tonight when he will finally climb the stage and receive the award that, if the time had been happier, he would have received more than three decades ago. We are happy that this, one of the most important European directors, a painter of the largest formats, is still so active and inspired, believes that Godo will come as soon as tomorrow, that he has given us a new world, 'The World of Possibilities', an extraordinary "a play that has opened many European doors for our festival and that gives us the opportunity to award it this, for us, most significant City of Theatre award, in 2025."

The award was presented to Pašović by a member of the Council of the Public Institution City Theatre, Anita ŠabotićPašović, visibly moved, was grateful to both the City Theatre and the audience.

"You know, in our languages, the words 'humble' and 'humility' don't always have a positive meaning. 'What do you have to humble yourself for?', that's what they say. But humility is the basis of many cultures' worldview, both religiously and artistically, and in every other sense. In this time of narcissism, in which 'me' always comes first, I stand humbly in front of this award. Because what Brana said is as if it were about someone else," said Pašović, admitting that the news of the award caught him by surprise.

"When Milena called me, I was in a car somewhere near Loznica. It's hard to shock me, but this really shocked me. I wondered why me? I'm still a student at the Academy in my head, I'm still learning, I'm still in the theater of change and I don't see myself at all as someone who is now some person who needs to receive some recognition."

Pašović thanked all the people who have been part of his journey.

"Thousands of people have participated in my artistic and life biography: actors, musicians, choreographers, technicians, electricians, stage workers, ticket sellers, cleaners... People from all over the world, and especially those from the former Yugoslav region, without whom I would not exist. What could I do if they had not all offered their talent and knowledge, their love for theater, art and life, to somehow enable me to contribute a little to all of this," said Pašović, addressing the actresses in particular. To Lidija Stevanović i Gordani Djurdjevic: "Lidija played in my first student rehearsal 45 years ago. Then she played Chekhov's Eight Ladies. And Gordana played in my play Jelka at the Ivanovs' 43 years ago. That shared journey continues to this day. And with these ladies and many other great actresses and actors, I came to this evening and this play that is so important in my life, not only artistically but in every other way. Three years ago we started working on the Enabled Theatre project. We were lucky to be supported by Creative Europe and to be able to work for a year with people with developmental disabilities, with their families, therapists, experts... We were in Sarajevo, Novi Sad, Zagreb, Budva. And that changed our lives." Pašović also mentioned the young pianist from Budva who plays in the play. "We met Matija Molčanova, who overcame all the obstacles of autism and became a great musician studying in Cetinje, he is playing for you tonight. And his mother, Ana Brazak", she helped us a lot in everything," said Pašović and concluded that he sees Budva as his city.

"It's always really wonderful to come to Budva, I experience it as my city, I experience Montenegro as my country and I don't think I'll change that. I feel very happy here with you and I'm very happy that you accepted me into your home." This was followed by the performance of the play "The World of Possibilities", which, in the year it has been in front of the audience, has been performed in five countries and seven cities. It won numerous awards: the award for the best play as a whole (Radio-Television of Vojvodina), the award for the best male role (Aljoša Đidić), the award for best supporting actor (Milan Kovacevic), and the Grand Prix for the best partnership (Actor's Festival in Nikšić).

The cast consists of an impressive ensemble: Gordana Djurdjevic Dimic, Lidija Stevanovic, Sanja Ristic Krajnov, Jelena Antonijevic, Katarina Bradonjic, Marija Feldesi, Milan Kovacevic, Marko Savkovic, Vukasin Randjelovic, Aljosa Djidic, Aleksandar Sarapa i Rade Perović. He signs the music Dino Šukalo, and performed live on the piano by Budva pianist Matija Molčanov, a young artist who overcame the challenges of autism and became a symbol of strength and opportunity.