Herceg Novi Festival Opens, Daughter Accepts Diklic Award
Herceg Novi opened its 39th Film Festival on Saturday night, the first edition accredited by the world producers federation, with the award for Bogdan Diklic accepted by his daughter Sofija.
There was not a spare seat to be found below the Kanli Kula fortress on Saturday night. The red carpet on the town square started rolling out at 8 p.m., people had been sitting on the ramparts for hours before that, and by the time the ceremony opened at 9 p.m., the open-air venue was filled to the last seat. In all that crowd, it was easy to miss one thing: the man who would receive the evening’s biggest honor, acting legend Bogdan Diklic, was not in Herceg Novi at all.
With that ceremony, the town opened the 39th Film Festival, the Montenegro Film Festival, running through August 28 under the slogan “All the Colors of Film.” This is the first edition held under accreditation from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), a recognition that Montenegro’s Minister of Culture, Tamara Vujovic, called a turning point from the stage.
“Our festival has achieved one of the greatest successes in its history by receiving accreditation from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations,” Vujovic said, adding that Herceg Novi now takes its place alongside Cannes, Venice and Locarno on the world’s film map.
The minister also noted that “film is a field of public interest for Montenegro,” announced that audiences would see as many as four Montenegrin films during the festival, including the Sarajevo laureate “Planina,” and singled out the arrival of Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, calling it “a special honor, and a major boost to the festival’s international reputation.” Farhadi will present his new film, “Parallel Stories,” at the Forte Mare fortress. She closed her remarks by saying: “We are opening this new edition believing that this year, and every year to come, will bring new partnerships, inspiration, wonderful stories and even richer programs.”
Before her, the audience was welcomed by the president of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, Stevan Katic, who noted that the town has been home to this festival for 39 years now: “In the days ahead, we celebrate the art of film. Our town becomes a great open-air stage for cinema, and that is a special charm of this event.” He added that this year’s slogan also carries an obligation, calling it “a spectrum we must carefully nurture.”
An Award That Reached a Daughter
The most solemn moment of the evening was the presentation of the Milan Zmukic Award for outstanding contribution to film art, named after the festival’s founder. This year’s laureate is Bogdan Diklic, an actor whose filmography, from “Maratonci trce pocasni krug” through “Cudo nevidjeno” to “Nacionalna klasa,” needed no introduction for the audience at Kanli Kula. Illness kept Diklic from traveling to Herceg Novi, so his daughter, Sofija Diklic, stepped onto the stage to accept the award on his behalf.
“Dad sends his warmest regards to all of you, and he’s very sorry he isn’t here tonight,” Sofija Diklic told the crowd. She said she had convinced her father to travel to Herceg Novi together and shoot a film, and that he had agreed, adding: “This really is a great honor and joy for him."
"Dom” Opens Out of Competition
After the ceremony, outside the competition selection, the festival screened the Montenegrin premiere of the Danish film “Dom” (Home), the first feature by director and actress Marijana Jankovic, who was born in Montenegro. The film had its world premiere in Rotterdam and stars Nada Sargin and Zlatko Buric. It follows six-year-old Maja, who moves with her parents from the former Yugoslavia to Denmark in search of a better life, while her two older brothers stay behind. The choice to open the festival with this particular film was no accident: it tells the director’s own story of leaving and being left behind, seen through the eyes of a child who has no say in the decision to move.
Ten Films for the Golden Mimosa, and a Festival Within a Festival
The program running through August 28 extends well beyond a single premiere. Ten feature films from Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia and Montenegro are competing for the Golden Mimosa. The documentary program includes 26 titles, 24 of which are in competition, screening in the garden of the Ivo Andric Nobel House. The student program comprises 30 films from film academies in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Ljubljana, Skopje and Cetinje.
New this year is a series program, premiering four regional pilot episodes: “Ljuljaj me nezno,” co-directed by Nevio Marasovic and Sandra Mitrovic; “Pupin,” by Danilo Beckovic; “Bice novih leta,” by Gvozden Djuric; and “Trezor,” by Bojana Andric. The festival will close on August 28 with “Planina,” a Montenegro-Serbia-Slovenia-Croatia co-production directed by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomaz.
Alongside the cast and crew of “Dom,” Saturday’s red carpet also drew Dragan Bjelogrlic, Branislav Trifunovic, Nenad Jezdic, Natasa Ninkovic, Milan Maric, Senad Sahmanovic, Nikola Vukcevic, Sebastijan Kavaca and American actor John Savage. The ceremony was hosted by Goran Slavic, while actors Marija Bergam and Milos Pejovic will host the festival’s programs over the coming days. The feature program is curated by journalist and film critic Vuk Perovic, the documentary program by Vladimir Perovic, and the student program by director Sara Stijovic, while the jury includes Sebastijan Kavaca, Ljiljana Blagojevic, Branka Pujic, Drasko Djurovic, Pegah Ahangarani and Gegerin Zakojan.
Screenings are held across five venues in town. Tickets are required only for the programs at the Kanli Kula and Forte Mare fortresses, while every other festival offering is free. Running alongside the film program from August 22 to 25 is the third edition of the Montenegro Film Rendezvous, the festival’s industry segment that brings regional filmmakers together with European producers and distributors.
Herceg Novi has once again shown that, as the minister of culture put it, a good festival is always more than watching a good film. But the image from the stage, where the loudest applause of the night went to an empty seat and a daughter speaking on her father’s behalf, is what will be remembered longest from this opening night.
