Billboards appeared in Budva in which the Cadmus Cineplex cinema, which is managed by the company "Lovćen film", thanks the citizens of Budva for eight years of cooperation, for visits... On the posters, the dates of the beginning and end of the cinema's operation are highlighted: May 2015 - February 2023, which and the officially confirmed writing of "Vijesta" that the cinema in Budva will close in a few days.
This ends a saga that has been going on for more than eight years, in which there were reports, lawsuits, court cases... All this is now getting its finale by shutting down the project which, as they claimed in the Lovćen film, had more than 5.000 events a year and almost 400.000 viewers since its inception.
Budva has now waited for the closure of the cult cinema "Zeta Film" two decades ago, when the company of the same name was privatized and the Bishop's was turned into a discotheque. the needs of the cinema and invested millions in it.
In "Lovćen Film" they stated several times that it is a paradox that the Municipality announces its candidacy for the European capital of culture at all bells and whistles, while at the same time doing everything to shut down the only cultural project that works all year round and which, in addition to cinema screenings, organizes children's workshops, free screenings for kindergartens and schools, literary clubs, theater performances, concerts and the like.
The municipality and "Lovćen film" concluded the contract in 2014, after the Municipal Assembly gave the green light. By contract, the municipality has committed to give "Lovćen film" about 20 square meters of business and about 1.500 square meters of non-residential space in the TQ Plaza complex for 200 years, and pays 199 euros annually in subsidies. The cinema was officially opened in 2015, but after the change of government in Budva in 2016, the Municipality initiated a court case to terminate the contract, and deleted subsidies from the budget. Mutual lawsuits and several court cases between the two parties follow. For the past seven years, the Municipality did not pay subsidies to the account of "Lovćen Film", so the company collected the obligation from the Municipality by forced means, by activating promissory notes.
Cadmus Cineplex is a cinema with four screens that was opened back in 2015, during the DPS rule. This was precisely the reason that the arrival of the new city administration started a series of court cases that have not been completed to this day
What is certain is that the Municipality has not fulfilled any of its obligations for several years. Also, the latest municipal administration refused to include obligations for the cinema in the 2023 budget, which, it seems, was the last straw and led to the termination of the ongoing negotiations.
In December, "Lovćen film" sent the last reminder before terminating the contract until the end of January.
"News" confirmed that "Lovćen Film" warned the Municipality that it will close the cinema already at the beginning of February if the Municipality does not immediately settle all its obligations and fulfill all that it has committed to in the contract. Since nothing has happened in this matter to date, it is clear that already in the first days of February, Budva will be left without its only cinema, and that the Municipality will enter into another court case, which will certainly cost millions. Also, it is clear that, due to the existence of another dispute concerning the determination of the nullity of the basic contract, it will certainly not be possible to open the cinema again for at least another four years, i.e. until all disputes are legally concluded. By then, the equipment located in the TQ center, in the space planned for the cinema, will certainly be completely devalued and obsolete. The citizens of Budva will again pay for all this, both financially and because of the loss of one of the most important cultural and entertainment projects in the city.
In August, the SDT rejected Krapović's criminal charges
The municipality of Budva, as "Vijesti" was told in "Lovćen Film", received a written notification from the Special State Prosecutor's Office in August of last year that the criminal charges filed against the actor in the business of opening a cinema in Budva during the term of office of Mayor Dragan Krapović were dismissed. .
The municipality still refuses to deliver the rejection notice to the representatives of "Lovćen Film", as told to Vijesti, fearing that it will be evidence in favor of the cinema owners in the disputes between "Lovćen Film" and the Municipality of Budva.
Bonus video:
