When a movie becomes a lesson about life

Two documentaries by prominent Montenegrin authors Sara Stijović and Mladen Ivanović, along with the rest of the rich program, will mark Monday at Underhill.

The short documentary film "Butterfly" by the director will be screened tomorrow at 21 pm on the basketball court in Njegoš Park in Podgorica. Sara Stijović, who is also a guest of the festival.

"'Butterfly' was created in collaboration with the residents of the "Mladost" Home for Uncared Children in Bijela. In the last seven years, not a single child has continued their education after leaving the Home. In a bid to change that one day, 15 children – aged 6 to 12 – participated behind and in front of the camera. They learned about acting, camera, sound, and directing from us, the film crew. However, their life stories overcame the prepared script. Reality became more important than fiction, and honest conversation more valuable than written dialogue. Thus, a lesson about film became a lesson about life," the announcement states.

The film "Butterfly" was produced by the Faculty of Dramatic Arts Cetinje, and premiered at the prestigious Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival in Belgrade. It is a graduation thesis from the specialist studies of film directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts Cetinje, created under the mentorship of prof. Marija Perović.

""After the Belgrade audience at Beldocs had the opportunity to see it as part of the "Povetarac" program, the film will be presented to the domestic audience at UnderhillFest," the University of Montenegro said.

The project brings an extremely important and moving story created in cooperation with the residents of the "Mladost" Home in Bijela.

"'Butterfly' becomes a heartfelt encounter with reality, where a lesson about film grows into a lesson about life and sends a powerful message that love is the only way," the statement added.

Director Sara Stijović emphasizes that she consciously entered into this process with the primary goal of protecting the anonymity and identity of the children, refusing to exploit their difficult life stories for the sake of sensationalism:

"I tried to ensure that the visual image brings lightness of existence, cheerfulness and laughter. The balance between the weight of the story and the joy of life was my ultimate desire... I love film, as a form of art and creative work, because of its power to preserve a moment from the ravages of time. That is why I worked to ensure that The Butterfly came into being and that the life that was recorded exists, preserved and loved," Stijović emphasized.

Speaking about the symbolism of the title itself, the author explains that the butterfly motif was planned in the hope that it would lead to two ideas.

"'Butterfly', as a swimming style, is the most difficult to master. Whoever masters it has come a long way in development. That's why the film begins with scenes of butterfly swimming. On the other hand, the butterfly, as a living being, is so delicate and fragile and yet one of the strongest and most beautiful on the planet," she said.

Sara Stijović completed her undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Cetinje (BA), after which she obtained her master's degree at the renowned international master's program KinoEyes – European Film Masters (MA). She is the first Montenegrin director selected for the La Fabrique Cinéma program (Cannes '73) and the winner of the Royal Dutch Foundation award. She is an alumna of the prestigious programs Sarajevo Talents, Al Jazeera Business, CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator, as well as a participant in this year's Slano Film Days 2026. She is currently developing her debut feature documentary film "Thirteenth Fish", while her short films have so far been screened at festivals with BAFTA and Oscar qualifications.

The film crew is completed by a director of photography. Nemanja Dabanović, assembler Will Domingos, sound designer Luka Barajevic.

The film was made with the support of the Film Center of Montenegro.

"The Faculty of Dramatic Arts Cetinje extends its sincere congratulations to Sara Stijović and the entire film crew on the regional premiere and wishes them a successful meeting with the Montenegrin audience at UnderhillFest," the statement said.

The program continues with a film by Mladen Ivanović, followed by Pepe Lubojacki

After "Butterflies" by Sara Stijović, in 9:30 p.m., at the same place, the film "Monument to the Revolution" by director Mladen Ivanovic, who is a guest of the festival.

"The monument to the uprising of the people of Banija and Kordun, one of the most significant monuments ever built in the former Yugoslavia. Following random and less random visitors, through years of filming, the film records its gradual decline, which in a figurative sense represents not only the disappearance of a monument, but also the erosion of the collective memory and values ​​that it symbolized," states the description of the film from the regional selection.

Afterwards, at 10:30 PM in Njegošev Park, the film "When Pigeons Were Gilded" directed by Pepe Lubojacki. It is a documentary film from the international selection, which follows a pivotal year in the lives of four members of a family.

"Their shared past has grown into a present marked by deep disagreements. While Pepa, the film's author and narrator, has "order" in her life, her brother and two cousins, David and Marko, have ended up on the streets, where each of them faces addiction. The film represents a fragile balance between love and contempt, care and self-destruction, attempting to answer the question of whether family saves our lives or, on the contrary, destroys them," the announcement reads.

"Celtic Utopia" on the "Music Documentaries" program at "Ribnica"

In addition to the program in Njegošev Park, as part of the "Music Documentaries" program of the 17th UnderhillFest, on Monday at 21 p.m. soon The film "Celtic Utopia" by the director will be screened at the Cultural Events Center "Ribnica" Dennis Harvey i Lars Loven.

"The story of Ireland and its vibrant music scene is also the story of a post-colonial society struggling with its heritage. The music carries within it the voice of the oppressed, but also the dream of a bright future. Prominent groups such as "The Mary Wallopers" and "Lankum" bring sharp points and even sharper songs, which, fortunately, are abundant in the film," the announcement states.

All conversations with guests, the audience that will not attend the event, will be able to follow the conversations live via UnderhillFest's social networks and YouTube channel with the support of One.