Proof that heroes don't always wear capes

That not all heroes wear capes is proof Race, the protagonist of the Montenegrin feature-length documentary film "The Mountain", was noticed by the selectors of the renowned Sundance Film Festival and highlighted this in the description of the achievement on their website.

At this year's, in many ways significant, edition of "Sundance", the world premiere of "The Mountain", also known as "To Hold a Mountain", directed by Biljana Tutorov i Petar Glomazić, on January 26th as part of the prestigious competitive selection in the world documentary category "World Cinema Documentary Competition".

For the first time since the death of its founder, the legendary Robert Redford, but also the last edition in the famous Park City in the mountains of Utah, the most important American independent film festival "Sundance" is held from January 22 to February 1, this year. From the next edition, the festival will move to the neighboring state of Colorado, to the town of Boulder.

"The feature-length documentary film program showcases the boldest and most exceptional achievements of contemporary documentary filmmaking by authors from around the world," the category description states.

The film “The Mountain” was shot from 2018 to 2025 in Sinjajevina in northern Montenegro, the largest pasture area in the Balkans, mostly at the Okrugljak katun location, but also in the wider surroundings. The first film from Montenegro to be selected for the renowned festival, and screenings will be held after the premiere, on January 27, 29 and 30, as well as on February 1.

In the "Meet the Artists" section on the festival's website, the author duo who wrote the screenplay, directed and produced, Tutorov and Glomazić, summarized the film from their perspective, revealing that there is much more to the whole story than meets the eye.

"The film is about Gara and Nada, a mother and daughter who spent their summers herding cattle in the UNESCO-protected highlands. We met them at an extremely dramatic moment, when their precious mountain was about to be turned into a (NATO) military training ground. Gara became the leader of the local community in the fight to save the mountain. However, from our first meeting, it was clear that there was something more behind it and that Gara and Nada were part of a larger story, similar to epics from ancient times, but painfully rooted in the present. Their fate bears echoes of Greek tragedy," Tutorov concluded, adding:

"We didn't ask questions. We listened, and the story unfolded itself," she said.

Glomazić also pointed out that the heroines of "The Mountain" represent mothers and daughters throughout the centuries who, despite everything, have nurtured culture and love.

"In this film, we contemplated the deep connections between women and the land, patriarchy and militarization, duty and love," said Glomazić.

On the festival's official website, the film's description points out that the protagonist Gara is "proof that not all heroes wear capes."

“In the remote mountains of Montenegro, a mother and daughter shepherdess proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of it becoming a NATO training ground, awakening memories of the violence that destroyed their family. Race", the protagonist of the film 'To Hold a Mountain', is living proof that not all heroes wear capes. She spends her days herding sheep, making cheese and fighting to protect her favorite place in the world, all while making sure that young Nada grows up to be good, capable and empowered," the film's description states.

Near Mileva Gara Jovanović, heroines of the film su i Nada Stanisic, Rajka Radonjic, Ljiljana Saranovic and others.

The Sandensa website adds that the co-director duo Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić create a tender, visually stunning portrait of a remote mountain community of women, those who engage in hard work, but also provide support and participate in the resistance of citizens.

"Despite daily hardships and the lasting effects of generational trauma, they remain loving and proud, caring and dignified, nurturing not only each other but also the animals they rely on for survival. The film powerfully portrays the importance of love, perseverance and perseverance in a time when the past haunts and the future seems threatened," the Sundance website states.

The synopsis also reminds us that mother and daughter proudly defend their mountain, but also the entire nomadic cattle-breeding tradition, from the formation of a NATO military training ground.

"They are connected by an extraordinary love, but also by bitter memories. In September 2019, the first international military exercise was held on Sinjajevina. Military maneuvers began in the heart of the pasture, without prior consultation with the herding communities that have used this pasture for centuries. Gara (59), a mother of six children, a leader of the local community in the fight to protect the mountain, and her youngest daughter Nada (13) are fighting two important battles in their lives - an ecological one, for the preservation of nature, and a personal, family one - confronting patriarchy and violence against women," the synopsis stated earlier.

Tutorov added in her review that during the seven years of filming, they experienced life among the local community, in a small shepherd's hut without electricity or signal, which was an adventure in itself. They were impatiently waiting for the film to take on its own life and share an incredible story.

She previously stated that the film was conceived as a kind of existentialist fairy tale or feminist western opera.

"I was inspired by our powerful female protagonists who were true partners in the film process and beyond, their organic relationship to the nature with which they live in symbiosis, the cyclical dramaturgy/choreography of their lives, the emotional layers of the story we participated in over seven seasons and almost 230 days in the mountains," she said.

Glomazić said that he himself had the privilege of growing up in a family firmly connected to its roots and rural life in the rugged Montenegrin mountains, and for "Sandens" he described Montenegro as a mountainous, Mediterranean country with heavenly landscapes.

"I wanted to present to the audience this fairy-tale world in which nature and man are still inextricably linked and where simple human life allows us to easily perceive the fundamental and universal values ​​of our existence: love, solidarity, sacrifice for others, modesty, tireless work. Our protagonists appeared before us as timeless characters of ancient drama," he said.

When it was announced that the premiere would be held at Sundance, the directors expressed great satisfaction, recalling the fact that it was one of the best possible platforms for launching an auteur documentary film.

"Our film is an ambitious auteur film, but it grew out of our activism that gave the film an ethical framework. The global visibility that Sundance provides is invaluable in order to widely discuss the very important topics that Gara and Nada's dramas connect - militarization, ecology, (lack of) women's rights. We are grateful to the entire community of herders on Sinjajevina who welcomed us most warmly and with whom we shared years of joint efforts to protect this mountain and make this film," they emphasized on that occasion.

The film's creative team, in addition to Tutorov and Glomazić, is completed by: director of photography Eva Kraljevic, assembler George Cragg, original music composer Drasko Adzic, sound designer Julius Zornik, while he was in charge of color correction Emil Svetlik. The film is produced by Biljana Tutorov, executive producer. Megan Gelstein i Bianca Oana, as well as producers Petar Glomazić, Quentin Laurent i Rok Biček, co-producer Dijana Cetina Mladjenovic and associate producer Velisa Popovic.

The film was made with the support of the Film Center of Montenegro, the Film Center of Serbia, CNC France - Cinéma du Monde, the Slovenian Film Center, the Croatian Audiovisual Center, the PACA Fund of the South of France Region, RTV Slovenia, the Tax Shelter Belgium program, the InMaat Foundation, the Doc Society Climate Story Fund, the Uniqua See Future Foundation, the Catapult Film Fund, Chicken & Egg Films, the Diane Weyermann fellowship, the IDA Enterprise Grant, as well as the Council of Europe and EURIMAGES.

More than 100 films will be screened in different categories, and as many as 90 of them are world premieres. In the same competitive category with the film “The Mountain”, there were nine other films from all over the world. The festival received more than 16.000 applications from 164 countries.

Recognized worldwide as a festival that provides promising filmmakers working in auteur, documentary and independent films with the opportunity to promote their projects and attract the attention of the wider public, Sundance is once again bringing together big world stars this year. However, the festival is also known for hosting some of the most respected contemporary directors, including Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson i Darren Aronofsky, experienced their big breakthrough there, and the films included in the program are recommended by festivals, professionals, critics, and viewers around the world.