The second edition of the international feature film competition festival, The Novi Sad Film Festival, has begun in Novi Sad. This year, it has gathered renowned figures from the film industry, including Oscar winners, and offers the audience more than 30 films, seven premieres, and contributions from four continents.

At last night’s opening ceremony, this year's laureates were officially announced: Zoran Perišić, who received the award for his contribution to the international development of animation and visual effects from the acting director of the Film Center of Serbia, Ivan Karl; Olivera Katarina, who was awarded for her contribution to domestic cinema and addressed the audience via video, with her son set to receive the award at the festival's closing; and István Szabó, honored for his contribution to international cinema, who will receive his award tomorrow, September 21.

After the awards ceremony, at 7 PM at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, a conversation will be held with István Szabó, the Oscar-winning director of Mephisto, which will be open to the public. István Szabó is a Hungarian director and a living legend of world cinema. In addition to his Oscar win, Szabó has been nominated three more times for the prestigious Academy Award for the films Confidence, Colonel Redl, and Hanussen. His films have been nominated twice for Golden Globes, and Colonel Redl received the BAFTA Award and the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The screenplays for Sweet Emma, Dear Böbe, and Sunshine won the European Film Academy Award for Best Screenplay, as well as a special jury prize in Berlin. The Day of Daydreaming and 25 Fireman’s Street have won awards in Locarno, and Father won the Grand Prix at the Moscow Film Festival. Admission is free, but due to limited seating, registration is required. Sign up via THIS LINK.

Among the seven announced premieres in the main competitive selection of international films, three have already taken place at the festival. These include the national premieres of Voy, Voy, Voy!, Egypt's Oscar candidate directed by Omar Hilal; Šalša, a horror-comedy directed by Dražen Žarković; and the regional premiere of HWJN, directed by Yasir Alyasiri.

Until September 22, visitors can look forward to two national and two regional premieres: the debut feature films Lena and Vladimir (North Macedonia) directed by Igor Aleksov, and The Quiet Maid (Spain), a satirical drama directed by Miguel Faus. Additionally, there’s Her Body (Slovakia and Czech Republic), the debut feature of Czech writer and director Natálie Císařovská, who has found success in short and documentary films; and Jigarthanda Double X (India), a Tarantino-esque western comedy-drama directed by Karthik Subbaraj, notable for featuring a digitally reconstructed appearance by the legendary actor Clint Eastwood.

Among the domestic works in the A Sad Novi selection, the audience will have the opportunity to watch a film this weekend that has won over viewers at first sight and is described as one of the most authentic expressions of domestic cinema in recent decades. This is That’s It for Today by Marko Đorđević, which tells the story of ordinary people. Additionally, there’s The Step by Igor Pavlović, an animated speculative fiction film that portrays the inner struggle of a young man as he attempts to authentically understand the world he finds himself in, but to which he does not belong.

In addition to these, the audience at the second edition of the Novi Sad Film Festival has the opportunity to watch films in the competitive selection for high school films, the competitive selection for student films, and the Game Cinematics selection, which connects film and the IT sector. The Novi Sad Film Festival is the only festival featuring this selection. There are also screenings in the non-competitive selections of Eco Film and Documentary Film.

This year, the festival is taking place at eight locations: the Cultural Center of Novi Sad, Neoplanta Open Air in the courtyard of the Cultural Center, the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, the Rajko Mamuzić Gift Collection Gallery, the "Laza Kostić" Gymnasium, Arena Cineplex, Zenit Books bookstore, and the Svilara Cultural Station.

Find entire program of the second Novi Sad Film Festival on the link, where you can also download the program in PDF format. Tickets for all film screenings can be found only at the meeting point of the Novi Sad Film Festival, located in front of the Cultural Center of Novi Sad.

Another Oscar Winner at the Novi Sad Film Festival! 

Today, September 20, the exhibition The Power of Love will be opened at 7 PM at the Svilara Cultural Station. The exhibition is dedicated to one of the most renowned film and television set designers, Vlastimir Gavrik, an Oscar winner as part of a group of set designers for the film Nicholas and Alexandra. The exhibition will also feature a screening of the documentary film of the same name about this great film artist.

Starting today, the Cultural Center of Novi Sad will host an exhibition of posters from the film selections of the Novi Sad Film Festival, inspired by LEGO characters, created by authors Danilo and Mateja Bojat.

Love Party Will Kick Off With a Concert by Božo Vrećo for the Festival's finale

The finale of this year's Novi Sad Film Festival will feature the Žurka the Love Party on September 21 at 6 PM at Neoplanta Open Air in the courtyard of the Cultural Center of Novi Sad. This year, the event will have a humanitarian character, and registration is required; details can be found on the Novi Sad Film Festival's Instagram profile. The festival will close with a concert by the renowned Balkan artist Božo Vreća, accompanied by the Camerata Novi Sad orchestra, at the Great Stage of the Serbian National Theatre on September 22. Tickets can be purchased at Gigstix sales points and online at their website: gigstix.com.

The festival was supported by: City of Novi Sad, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Cultural Center of Novi Sad, Schweppes, Converse, Stojanov, Kalem by Zak, Maxim and co. Open Air is sponsored by Neoplanta. The general sponsor of the festival is Blanc 1664.

Photo: V. Veličković