Film Center Serbia would like to remind the public that the Ministry of Culture and Information entrusted the organization of the election for the Serbian Oscar candidate to Film Center Serbia precisely because of numerous objections from professional associations, film workers and the general public.
Starting from the letter of the Ministry of Culture in which the organization of the selection of candidates is entrusted to Film Center Serbia (dated August 28th, 2020) until today, Film Center Serbia has provided all conditions for transparent work of the commission that will decide on the selection and has made professional associations, film productions, media, and the general public aware of the new procedures and criteria.
On October 1st, the Management Board of Film Center Serbia passed the Instruction on the selection of the Serbian candidate for Oscar, which clearly defines the criteria, conditions, manner and procedure of selecting candidates and regulates the formation, competence, selection of members and the decision-making process. The instruction is a public document, harmonized with the rules of the American Film Academy for the 93rd Academy awards, it can be found on the website of Film Center Serbia and all interested parties and media had an insight into it as it was drafted.
Thanks to Film Center Serbia, the Serbian Oscar candidate is chosen by an expert commission composed of representatives of relevant professional associations, which has not been the case until now. The members of the commission were appointed by the FCS Management Board on November 13th, and their names are available to the public.
We believe that unfounded accusations in the media and the placement of false information about the election procedures, presented at a time when the commission has not yet made a final decision on naming the Serbian Oscar candidate, do damage to Serbian film and its reputation on the international film scene.