The sixth Kosovo and Metohija International Film Festival (KMMFF) will be held under the slogan “Here!”m November 3rd to 5th at the Gračanica Cultural Center.
Following the events on the domestic film scene, KMMFF this year focuses on domestic cinema hits, as well as titles that represent a new wave and bring new energy to our cinematography. In addition to domestic films, foreign films that have marked important European festivals in 2020 will also be shown.
The festival will officially open on Tuesday, November 3rd at 7 pm with the film Name of the People directed by Darko Bajić. It is a historical saga about Svetozar Miletić, a respected lawyer, former mayor of Novi Sad and one of the most important and influential Serbian politicians in Austro-Hungary in the second half of the 19th century, with the screenplay written by Milovan Vitezovic. The film stars by Ljubomir Bandović, while the other roles are played by Žarko Laušević, Katarina Žutić, Anja Pavićević, Andrija Kuzmanović, Nikola Ristanovski, Milutin Mima Karadžić…
In the selection of domestic films, the audience get a chance to see the second documentary film by Jelena Radenović, The Art of Memory. The theme of the film are the monumental spomeniks erected in the period of socialism, which have recently been “rediscovered” by a new audience around the world. One of the interlocutors in the film is prof. Miodrag Živković, sculptor, author of the monument in Tjentište, Kadinjača, in Kragujevac…
Debut feature film by young director Milena Grujić, A.S. (25) directed and written by Milenais inspired by the true event and will also be presented to the audience at KMMFF. After its premiere at the Auteur’s Film Festival in Belgrade A.S. (25) caused an uproar due to its “black-wave courage”. At the 55th Film Meetings in Niš, Vladimir Gvojić received the Tsar Constantine Award for his role of in this film.
Vladimir Gvojić – A. S. (25).
The cinema hit, whose regular distribution was unfortunately interrupted by the coronarvirus pandemic, Hotel Belgrade is also coming to the audience in Gracanica. This comedy has already shown great cinematic potential at the premiere, and it may well prove to be a hit that will return the audience to cinemas in full capacity as soon as the time is right.
My Morning Laughter was the most talked about film of the year, winningthe Grand Prix of the Auteur’s Film Festival, after which it received other awards at festivals in Kiev, Leskovac, Pančevo, Kragujevac, Niš, Motovun… This unpretentious “comedy of despair” definitely marked the previous film year and brought new energy to our cinematography.
Father, directed by Srdan Golubović, had its world premiere at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, where it won two awards, after which it opened the 48th Belgrade FEST at the end of February. The film is currently in competition for the awards of the European Film Academy (EFA), and it has won numerous awards at our and world festivals since its premiere.
The Norwegian-Swedish film Hope, directed by Marija Sedal, is the winner of the Palić European Film Festival. The film is about the relationship between two artists who are in crisis due to the illness of the main character. The jury of the Palić festival pointed out that the film “touched them in a surprising way with the rawness with which it approached its topic, and at the same time it was never creepy”. “It also enchanted us with its warm portrayal of the extended family and their response to the most devastating news a family can receive.”
Sweat is a Polish-Swedish co-production directed by Magnus von Horn, which appeared in 2015 as a debutant with the award-winning film The Here After, and which was one of the favorites of the Cannes Film Festival this year, which unfortunately did not take place due to the pandemic. The film follows three days in the life of a fitness influencer Silvija Zajc, who has hundreds of thousands of followers on social networks. Although she is surrounded by loyal workers and people who admire her, she is looking for an intimate relationship.
Another European film that the audience will have the opportunity to see is Patrols by Stefan Komandarev. Based on a true story, the script for the film considers modern Bulgarian society, with all its current problems and absurdities. This film is also a minority Serbian co-production and is a kind of sequel to Komadarev’s latest film Directions, which was shown in 2017 in the A certain look selection in Cannes.
As every year, the youngest audience will have their own special space at the festival and will be able to enjoy select children’s and animated films.
Kosovo and Metohija International Film Festival is organized by the European Cultural Forum in cooperation with the House of Culture Gračanica, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia.
It will soon be announced who the guests of this year’s Festival are, and the program and festival schedule have been published on the FB and IG pages of the Festival.
After previous successful and well-attended editions, KMMFF continues to work on raising cultural awareness and strengthening the cultural content in Serbian communities in Kosovo and Metohija, using film as a means of expression available to a wide audience. The ticket price for films at the Festival is symbolic – 100 dinars for all 2D screenings.