Films that confront us with reality

About the courage of women from the Sinjajevina pastures, about people who can stop the war, about the fight for a workers' future, unexpected journeys, friendships, events... About growing up, encounters with reality, people who changed history, changed music, monuments that don't let us forget, and mysterious Christmas packages. Stories about all of this and much more can be seen by visitors to this year's 17th edition of the UnderhillFest International Documentary Film Festival, the organizers announced.

Underhill will open on June 9th in Podgorica, with the film "To Hold a Mountain" directed by Biljana Tutorov i Petar Glomazić. The screening will traditionally be held in Njegošev Park, on the basketball court, at 21 p.m., and admission is free. After winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best International Documentary at the world-renowned Sundance Film Festival, this powerful documentary portrait of Sinjajevina is now coming to the Podgorica audience, and will have its regional premiere at Underhill.

"On the distant heights of Sinjajevina, Race and her thirteen-year-old daughter Nada "Every summer they return to their ancestral pastures, where they herd their cattle, collect medicinal herbs and live in symbiosis with the mountain they call 'Mother'. However, their fragile world is threatened when the Montenegrin government launches plans to create a military training ground for NATO in the heart of this protected area. Gara, a mother of six, suddenly emerges as the leader of the movement to defend Sinjajevina, and with her daughter Nada she leads two important life battles - an ecological one, for the preservation of nature, and a personal, family one - confronting patriarchy and violence against women," the film's description in the Underhill trailer states.

A mother and daughter in the rugged mountains of Montenegro proudly defend their nomadic herding tradition and their mountain from becoming a NATO military training ground, confronting violence against women and nature. Along with the protagonists Mileva Gara Jovanović and Nada Stanišić, they also appear Rajka Radonjic, Ljiljana Saranovic and others. The film was shot on Mount Sinjajevina over a period of seven years.

"The Mountain" was created 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.

UnderhillFest will last until June 17th, and during the nine festival days, Podgorica will once again become a regional center of documentary film, say the organizers.

“The audience will have the opportunity to watch 28 of the most significant documentary works from the past year - films that have marked major world festivals and won prestigious awards. Festival selector Vuk Perovic "This year, too, brings a carefully crafted program of feature-length documentaries through international, regional and out-of-competition selections, as well as the '7 Short' program - powerful and authentic short documentary stories," the announcement said.

The organizers have only announced a few titles so far, but they are important and big enough to attract visitors and confirm the festival's significance. The program includes, among others, the film "Slet 1988" Mars Popivoda.

"In the movie 'Date 1988', a ballerina Sonja Vukicevic (74) moves through the utopian architecture of socialist modernism - her body becomes the archive of the last mass performance in Yugoslavia. Her movements resonate with the rhythms of the past and the realities of the present, intertwining with the diary of a teenager from 1988 and revealing the transition from socialist collectivism to growing individualism, while at the same time a new national collective body is taking shape that will soon determine the future of the country,” the description reads.

Popivoda is a filmmaker, artist and researcher whose work explores the relationships between memory, history and ideology. Her films and artworks have been screened at the world's most important festivals and institutions such as Berlinale, MoMA and Tate Modern.

In addition, the winner of the Pula Film Festival is also coming to Podgorica - the film "Peacemaker". The author of the film Ivan Ramljak is one of the most significant Croatian documentarians of the middle generation, recognizable for his distinctive approach to historical themes.

“In 1991, at the entrance to Tenja, he was killed Josip Reihl Kir, "The chief of the Osijek police, a man dedicated to negotiations and avoiding war. 'The Peacemaker' is the story of the last few months of his life at the dawn of the bloody Croatian-Serbian war, which Kir tried with all his might to prevent, told through the statements of several witnesses and using archival materials from that time. Even today, after more than thirty years, many elements of that murder remain unexplained, and the possible perpetrators - unknown," the synopsis states.

Yesterday, the film "The Tale of Siljan" by the award-winning director of "Land of Honey" was announced. Tamara Kotevska.

""A visually powerful story set in the heart of rural Macedonia comes to us. Nikola, a farmer struggling with the harsh reality of new government policies, is unable to sell his produce, or even his land. When his family leaves in search of a better life abroad, Nikola takes a job as a worker at a landfill, where he meets an injured white stork, Silijana. As he cares for the bird, an unusual bond is formed between man and animal. The result is a deeply moving film that touches on climate change, economic migration, resilience, and the quiet power of connection," the announcement reads.

In addition to the previous ones, the film "Lessons from My Dad" has also been announced, described as a film essay that deals with the relationship between the director and her late father.

"My father left behind hundreds of hours of recorded material - from family footage, footage of the city of Osijek from the 1980s until his death, to footage from his travels. Looking at all of this footage made during his lifetime today, the director Dalia Dozet "He's trying to understand and rediscover their relationship, to tell his dad everything he hasn't said before," the announcement reads.

This year, the "Daslačak" awards in the regional and international selection will be decided by a jury consisting of: director Maja Novaković (Serbia), dramatic and audiovisual artist Dusan Vuleković (Montenegro) and director Dejan Petrović (Serbia).

The jury that will decide on the “Dandelion” awards in the “7 Short” category is composed of: Mateja Raickovic (Montenegro), Elena Melloncelli (Italy) and Kaća Žarić (Montenegro).

"UnderhillFest today represents one of the most important cultural events in Podgorica and Montenegro, a festival that has been gathering authors, artists and audiences from Montenegro, the region and the world for 17 years. Through carefully selected films and accompanying programs, the festival not only promotes documentary film as an important art form, but also positions Podgorica as a regional center of contemporary culture and film dialogue," say the organizers.

Rothko Stuart's concert for the end

This year's edition of the festival once again brings the program "In Focus" which UnderhillFest is implementing in cooperation with the Center for Women's Rights, as well as a selection of music documentaries at the Center for Women's Rights Ribnica, which explores the power of music, rhythm and culture through film.

For the youngest fans of documentary expression, the Teen Docs program has been prepared - a documentary film school for high school students, which encourages creativity, critical thinking and the development of film literacy among young people.

"As a traditional supporter of UnderhillFest, the company 'One' is crowning the festival's finale this year with a concert by Rothko Stewart, bringing the energy of its new campaign 'Spread a Good VIBE'. This musical gift, realized in cooperation with the NGO Youth Education Center (EYC) and our festival, celebrates freedom, creativity and connection - values ​​that we are jointly strengthening among young people in Montenegro through the Vibe story," the statement reads.