"Poetry of Resistance" is the absolute winner of the 41st FIAT

The play "Poetry of Resistance", produced by Troubleyn/Jan Fabre from Belgium, is the absolute winner of the 41st edition of the FIAT festival, the festival jury decided. The performance won the FIAT PROVIDNOST 2026 award for overall artistic impression, as well as the award for best play, while Csedric Charron i Anabelle Chambon named best actor and actress.

The special jury award went to the play "Die Puppe - LUTKA", produced by Sukka off from Poland and Kosovo, directed and performed by Sylvie Lajbig i Piotr WegrzynskiThe "Nikola Bošković" award for best young actor was given to Branko Mihajloski for the role in the play "Teorema" by the Ziaten Elec Theater from North Macedonia, directed by Mirko Radonjić.

Jury in composition Sonja Vukicevic, president of the jury, choreographer and ballerina, Vukosava Tomović, producer, and Vjera Nikolić, composer, unanimously decided on the winners of the festival awards.

The explanation of the Special Award states that the performance "Die Puppe - LUTKA" stood out for its specific way of depicting the body, through a combination of sculpture, artistic photography, body choreography and painting.

"Through the stage expressiveness and courage of the artistic process, the play speaks about the use of the human being throughout history, or rather, about the world that controls man as a puppet," the jury assessed.

Mihajloski was awarded for, as stated in the explanation, exceptional acting techniques that evoke the relationship between people and the sexes that remains undefined. Through Pasolini's interpretation and asexuality, the play opens up questions about man, his body, identity and the limits of freedom.

When it comes to the main festival awards, "Poetry of Resistance" took home the most awards. In addition to the award for best play and the FIAT PROVIDNOST 2026 award, Csedric Charron was also awarded for best actor and Anabelle Chambon for best actress.

The award for best director went to Jan Fabre.

The jury's explanation states that the play "perfectly conveys the role of a person who can be everything in all societies and all changes in the human race."

"True freedom lives in art and in those who continue to dream, dance, speak and love – even until the bullets stop flying," the jury said in its statement.

This year's 41st edition of the FIAT festival once again brought together artists of alternative expression from different parts of the world and offered a space for performances that question society, identity, freedom and the position of the individual.

As highlighted in the statement, the festival has retained its role as a space of artistic resistance and freedom this year, despite the fact that it does not have the status of a festival or event of particular importance for the culture of Montenegro.