Milatović: Culture is a space for unity, bigotry and intolerance must not prevail

Culture is a space of unity, not separation, which is why bigotry and intolerance must never win, said the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović.

Last night, he attended a repeat screening of the film "Roda" at the closing of the Dzada Film Festival in Podgorica. The screening of the film was suspended last week, following the incident in Zabjelo and the outcry of a group of individuals that the film was in Albanian.

The organizers then decided that the film would still be shown, but not outdoors, but in the Montenegrin Film Archive.

The Basic State Prosecutor's Office announced on September 5th that they had filed a case regarding the interruption of the screening, but have not since announced whether they have made a decision in the case.

"Tonight, with the repeated screening of the film 'Roda', we send a clear message - Montenegro is and must remain a civil society in which freedom of artistic expression, cultural diversity and mutual respect are nurtured. This great Montenegrin film, shot in the Albanian language, which treats universal themes, shows the richness of our multiethnic harmony. In a country where all languages, cultures and religions are respected and valued, there is no room for divisions. Only in this way can we build a modern, democratic and European Montenegro. Culture is a space of unity, not separation. And that is why bigotry and intolerance must not win. Never," Milatović wrote on Iks.