To live healthier and to live in joy to the max - these are the wishes expressed by the legendary actress Vesna Pećanac opening the film festival for which Montenegro is recognizable, the biggest film festival in Montenegro and one of the most important in the region, the jubilee, 35th Film Festival Herceg Novi - Montenegro Film Festival, the night before last, at the Kanli Tower.
Pećanac, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Festival Council, elicited a long, thunderous, respectful applause, while many in the audience greeted her by standing up to show their presence. Elegant appearance on stage, refinement, joy, anxiety, melancholy and beauty at the same time, her, festival and layering of female characters that she presented in her career awakened emotions among the audience, as well as in the actress herself.
"My joy, the joy of my heart is immeasurable. My special honor, my joy and my pride and all the love of my heart is with you. I said I'm coming, I have to, and here I am, I came," said the actress at the opening of the festival, which she subsequently declared open.
The council of the festival previously, in the explanation of the awarded award, reminded that Vesna is from Pećan acting in films Živka Nikolić "Unseen miracle", "In the name of the people", "Temptation of the devil", "The death of Mr. Goluža", as well as in the series "Đekna has not died yet, and we don't know how", as well as in many other roles on film and in the theater, characterizing the characters women that we still recognize every day, "and who will remain forever engraved in our personal and collective memories, reflecting an extremely complex social and cultural context and, especially, the position of women in it". Thus, Pećanac brought to life the vision of the great director, and with her masterful and original poetics she contributed to exposing and portraying society, mentality, and life, primarily in Montenegro, which Nikolić was focused on and which inspired and encouraged him to the end.
And yet, despite her legacy, the actress indirectly shocked the local public at the beginning of the year after the media reported that she was feeding herself in a charity kitchen in Belgrade... Some time after that, she also received Montenegrin citizenship, as a person who made a special contribution to culture Montenegro.
And besides her, the winners of lifetime achievement awards are also a well-known, distinguished director Želimir Žilnik, kao and an experienced director of photography Bojan Baseli, who also addressed the audience.
"Films, especially when you watch them over the decades, are always a kind of reminder and a kind of document about an epoch, about culture, about life, the changes that we all went through. When we talk about the past, we always look through slightly more positive glasses, as a better part of our lives, so even these films of mine, which once barely passed through the eye of a needle, now when gathered in a pile act as a strong, staunch work, although in the moment when they were made they were exposed to my concern that they would be stopped, demolished or forgotten", said Žilnik.
The council of the festival pointed out that, first of all, "Želimir Žilnik's authentic and radical approach to our social reality forms the recognizable backbone of the most significant author's expressions originating from the former Yugoslavia".
Baseli addressed the audience at the Kanli tower with a video message, and a friend accepted the award on his behalf Sladjana Vujović. He said that "no recognition carries such emotions as the one awarded by the city of your childhood" and expressed his regret that he was not able to receive it in person.
"I am sure that even today there are children from Novi Sad who dream of filmmaking. Although today the world is different, connected by technology into a global community, the realization of children's dreams still requires persistence, love, willingness to sacrifice, failures, starting from the beginning. My message to young people, dreamers of big dreams is: believe in your path", said Bazeli, who also worked on films such as "The Ring", "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and "Hairspray" Adam Šenkmen, "King of New York", "China Girl" and "Body Snatchers" Abel Ferrara, “A Cure for Wellness” and “The Lone Ranger” Mount Verbinski, but also many others through his collaborations with doyens of Hollywood like Paul Shredder, Michael Bay...
Director General of the Directorate for Creativity in the Ministry of Culture and Media, Milena Durutović she said at the opening that the jubilee being celebrated this year was possible thanks to the vision of the founder of the festival, the people he was Milan Zmugić, but also to the knowledge, energy and experience that was passed on by the recently deceased Zoran Zivkovic.
"It is nice to see that this tradition has been maintained by the great commitment and dedicated work of the people who organize the festival today. Dedicated to artistic research, this program functions as an incentive for unusual visual experiences, offering us new views on the current moment of modernity, one of the possible reflections of the dynamic movements of the global art system," said Durutović.
President of the Municipality of Herceg Novi Stevan Katic reminded that during more than three decades the new film festival has become a manifestation of special importance for the culture of Montenegro, the largest event dedicated to the seventh art in the country and one of the most significant in the region. He pointed out that the anniversary edition is a kind of tribute to the "children of film", to those who built the festival in the past decades, as well as to those in whose hands its future is, as well as to the impressive tradition that sets the festival apart from many regional festivals.
"All past years, as well as today, Herceg Novi has been the home and constant support of the Film Festival. Ever since it was founded by Milan Žmukić, the Herzegovina festival has existed in four countries and changed its name, but always managed to stay true to its mission - dedicated first and foremost to film art, promotion of cinematography, affirmation and connection of creators, meeting the audience with the magic of films from of the whole world", said Katic.
The program opened with "Labor Day", and will close with "Triangle of Sadness".
On the same evening, the competition selection of the festival was opened with Pjera Žalica's new film "Labor Day", and then Sonja Tarokić's "Collections" was shown.
Žalica thanked the audience for loving art and film, and after the screening he went on stage together with an ensemble of actors consisting of: Jasna Žalica, Muhamed Hadžović, Vedran Đekić, Branimir Popović, Dženita Imamović-Omerović, and with them were producers Rusmir Efendić , Aida Husenović and co-producer Ivan Đurović.
The jubilee edition of the festival, which is a manifestation of national importance, brings films in five selections and accompanying programs until August 28: feature films at the Kanli Tower, documentaries at the House of Ivo Andrić, student films at the amphitheater in front of the Burovina Palace, and a program at the Forte Mare Fortress The festival networks of the Adriatic region and the out-of-competition selection Kino Evropa, with the exception that the Cannes winner, "Triangle of Sorrow" by Ruben Ostlund, will close the festival on August 28 at the Kanli Tower.
In case of rain, the film screenings will be held at alternative locations, namely: the competitive selection of a feature film will be shown in the Park Hall instead of the Kanli Tower. The competitive selection of the documentary film will be shown in the City Music Pavilion (Karača), instead of in the courtyard of the House of Ivo Andrić, and the student films will be shown in the Music School (Trg Mića Pavlović). The start of the program is the same - feature films at 20.30:21 p.m., and documentaries and student films at XNUMX p.m. In case of rain, the screenings within the "Kino Evropa" and "Adriatic Audience Award" programs will be postponed, and the public will be informed later about the dates and locations of the screenings.
All information about the films and the complete program can be viewed on the filmfestival.me website, and current events on the Festival's social networks.
Bonus video:
