For the first time since the crisis of the Fest, that is, since the end of its previous edition on February 25, 2024, it can be said that this year, this most beloved film festival will still be held.
Fest Committee has done everything in his power, and only more is waiting City council.
Namely, at the last session of the Festival Committee (whose minutes we had access to), it was decided to entrust Miroslav Mogorović with the work related to the program concept of the festival, and that Ivan Aranđelović should remain involved in the work on program selection. Let us remind you that the recent amendment of the Decision on Manifestations, according to which the Manifestation Board, and not the City Assembly as was the case before, chooses associates who will propose the program, enabled the Fest Board to hire experts of its choice.
Mogorović and Aranđelović were elected
So it has now been decided that Miroslav Mogorović will be entrusted with the work related to the program conception of the festival, and that Ivan Aranđelović will remain involved in the work on program selection.
All that remains is to choose the executive producer, which should be done by the City Assembly. The Fest board is therefore asking the Secretariat for Culture for an urgent opinion on whether the producer will be CEBEF, as it was until now, or some other legal entity. The emphasis of this decision is on the word "urgent", because it is necessary to start the organization of the 53rd edition of the Fest as soon as possible.
It was also decided that this year's Fest to be held from September 12 to 23, although October is still being considered, and the final decision will be influenced by the available dates of the Sava Center, in whose hall the festival will be held.
Budget and selection
It is already known that the budget will be significantly reduced. (Since the doubts about the Fest have been ongoing, there were even moments when the budget was completely uncertain.) Therefore, at the Board meeting, it was proposed to reduce the number of films and potentially shorten the duration of the festival.
In a written statement to the public, Miroslav Mogorović said that "the preliminary selection has already been prepared, some attractive films have already been confirmed, and in cooperation with my team of collaborators and colleagues, we will soon complete the program of the upcoming FEST".
He also announced the following: "We will reposition FEST not only in term, but also in what is much more necessary, in the essential sense. The new term brings a chance for more current films, better quality guests and a positive influence on domestic and regional cinematography. After a long break, FEST is returning to its Sava Center, and we are looking forward to meeting a loyal audience, and we are working to attract and build a new generation of film fans".
Waiting for the City Assembly
Miroslav Mogorović has thirty years of experience in organizing international film festivals, he was the executive producer of Fest, the Palić festival, he is the founder and director of the Dead Lake - Horror and Wine Festival held in Palić, the Lakedance festival of independent American film, and the program director of the Kosovo and Metohija International Film Festival.
He is best known to the public as a producer of over 35 feature films, including "Love and Other Crimes" and "Strahinja Banović" directed by Stefan Arsenijević, "Nobody's Child" by Vuk Ršumović, "Zvizdan" by Dalibor Matanić, "Dovlatov" by Aleksej German Jr., "Guardians of the Formula" by Dragan Bjelogrić, "It's Not Bad to Be Human" by Dušan Kovačević, "Requiem for Mrs. J" by Bojan Vuletić, "The Last Serb in Croatia" by Peđo Ličina, "Enclave" by Goran Radovanović, and "Agi and Ema" by Milutin Petrović.
Ivan Aranđelović has been preparing the selection of films for the Fest since its last year's edition, regardless of the uncertain fate of the festival, and he is best known to the public as the editor of the Film Program of the Belgrade Cultural Center, whose Hall was awarded the prize for the best cinema program in Europe by the European Network of Cinemas.
So: the people who have already proven that they know how to work properly are here, now we just have to wait for the City Assembly to decide who will be the producer of the Fest, so that the implementation of the 53rd edition of the Fest starts to come true.
