The 39th Herceg Novi Film Festival – Montenegro Film Festival reveals its full programme
Herceg Novi Film Festival – Montenegro Film Festival, the largest film festival in Montenegro and one of the most important in Southeast Europe, will kick off its 39th edition on August 22 with a red-carpet ceremony during which the “Milan Žmukić” Award for outstanding contribution to film art will be handed out to the prolific Serbian actor Bogdan Diklić. After the ceremony, the audience will have the opportunity to watch the festival’s opener (out of the competition), a bitter-sweet drama “Home” directed by Montenegro-born director and actress Marijana Janković at the Kanli Kula fortress. Janković, who is one of Denmark’s most prominent actresses and a rising director, world-premiered her film at IFFR at the beginning of the year, to critics’ acclaim. This heartwarming drama was largely inspired by the helmer’s personal childhood experience, when she followed her parents in quest for a better life in Denmark in the 1990’s. “Home”‘s cast is stellar. Along with Janković, who established herself as one of Denmark’s leading actresses in the past three decades, Dejan Čukić and Zlatko Burić (Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Pusher” from 1996, Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness” from 2022, among others…) shine in their roles as the 2nd and 1st generation of guest workers. The film also stars Trine Dyrholm and Claes Bang.
The opening will be preceded by a red-carpet ceremony in the town’s main square, where the audience will have the opportunity to welcome numerous guests from the world of film, culture and public life. The opening programme will be hosted by actors Miloš Pejović and Marija Bergam.
Until August 28, audiences can look forward to a rich film programme under the slogan “All the Colours of Film”. During the one week, the latest regional films, a selection of the finest titles in European cinema, documentaries from around the world, student films, premieres of new TV series from the region, as well as a programme dedicated to film professionals – Montenegro Film Rendezvous will be presented to the audience.
The closing film of the festival is “To Hold a Mountain” by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić, a visually impressive and emotionally powerful film that brought Montenegrin cinema a historic international success – the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Best International Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.
This year’s festival programme was presented at a press conference held on Friday, 7 August at the Ivo Andrić House in Herceg Novi. Speakers at the press conference were: President of the Council Aleksandra Božović, Feature Film Programme selector Vuk Perović, Documentary Film Programme selector Vladimir Perović, Student Film Programme selector Sara Stijović and editor of the Herceg Novi – Series programme Stefan Bošković.
Ten Feature Films Competing for the Golden Mimosa
The Feature Film Competition, selected by journalist and film critic Vuk Perović, presents ten new films by authors from Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia and Montenegro. This year’s selection brings together diverse authorial poetics and films made in almost every part of the region, as well as filmmakers who closely observe the contemporary world, its fractures, fears and need for belonging.
Two Slovenian films compete for the awards – “Hidden People” by Miha Hočevar, a story of an unusual friendship that changes the lives of its protagonists, and “Everything That’s Wrong with You” by Urška Menart, a film about closeness that emerges where we least expect it.
From Serbia come “3 Weeks After” by Miroslav Terzić, following its success at the Karlovy Vary and Pula festivals, “No Fairy Dust” by Maja Miloš, a provocative contemporary anti-fairy tale that refuses to compromise, and “Our Father” by Goran Stanković, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Three films come from North Macedonia – “Mother” by Teona Strugar Mitevska, following last year’s premiere in Venice, “17” by Kosara Mitić, screened at the Berlinale, and “Skateboarding Is Not for Girls” by Dina Duma, which arrives in Herceg Novi straight from Tribeca. The film tells a story of girls who find freedom through skateboarding and believe in a better future.
The selection is rounded out by the Croatian film “Honey Bunny” (“Koke”) directed by Igor Jelinović, winner of four Golden Arenas at the Pula Film Festival, including Best Film (producer Rea Rajcic), Best Screenplay (Igor Jelinovic), Best leading Actress (Snjezana Sinovcic) Best Supporting Actress (Aleksandra Jankovic), and Montenegro’s “Black Trumpet”, directed by Bojan Stijović, a powerful drama about an individual’s conflict with their environment, family relationships and patriarchal patterns, which premiered at the renowned Bishkek festival.
The best films in this programme will be selected by a jury comprising Chief Programmer for the Palm Springs International Film Festival Alissa Simon, Elena Kristodoulidou who chairs the Cinema Advisory Committee, is a member of the Cyprus Film Commission, president of the SEE Executive Committee (Southeastern Cinema Network), and Cyprus’s official representative at EFAD , Slovenian actor Sebastian Cavazza, Serbian theater, film and television actress Ljiljana Blagojević and Montenegrin film director, author and academic Draško Dragutin Đurov.
Documentary Highlights, Regional TV Series and special programmes
The Documentary Film Selection comprises of 26 films by authors from around the world that creatively reflect on contemporary topics. The programme in the courtyard of the Ivo Andrić House will open on Sunday, 23 August, and over five evenings will present 24 films competing for the Golden Mimosa and two films out of competition. The programme selector is distinguished director Vladimir Perović, while the awards will be decided by an international jury comprising Pegah Ahangarani, Geregin Zakoyan, Rada Šešić, Miloš Jaćimović and Nikola Marković.
The programme dedicated to regional TV series, entitled Herceg Novi – Series, introduced last year, offers audiences an exclusive preview of productions yet to have their television premieres. The programme features one episode each from the series “Rock Me Gently”, “Pupin”, “The Home Resort” and “The Vault”, accompanied by conversations with authors, actors, producers and directors. The programme editor is writer, playwright and screenwriter Stefan Bošković.
At the Forte Mare fortress, audiences can look forward to European films from the Adriatic Region Festival Network programme, as well as films from the new New African Voices programme, which for the first time brings a selection of contemporary films from the African continent to Montenegrin audiences. The festival week will also be complemented by numerous conversations with filmmakers, book and publication launches and other accompanying programmes.
Herceg Novi brings the Film Industry together again
A special emphasis of this year’s edition will be on the development and networking of film professionals through a rich industry programme implemented by the Film Centre of Montenegro in partnership with the Festival.
During the seven festival days, the third edition of Montenegro Film Rendezvous will be held, a platform bringing together filmmakers, producers and decision-makers from the region, Europe and the entire world in order to develop Montenegrin projects, establish partnerships and create new financing opportunities.
With the support of the Embassy of France and the French Institute in Montenegro, the programme will include the Female Filmmakers workshop, intended for female directors and producers developing international co-productions. In cooperation with the International Organisation of La Francophonie (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, OIF), the New African Voices programme will also be presented, giving audiences an opportunity to discover projects in development as well as films by prominent directors and producers from Francophone countries.
The industry programme will also include the ReActing+ Regional Acting Workshop, a new module of the ReActing as a Star programme, with the support of the British Council, as well as the EAVE on Demand RE-ACT workshop within the RE-ACT programme, which Montenegro joined this year.
Participants can also look forward to Creative Europe – MEDIA panels, masterclasses and an Info Day dedicated to the development of television series.
The patrons of the 39th Herceg Novi Film Festival – Montenegro Film Festival are the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro and the Municipality of Herceg Novi, while the executive producer is the Herceg-fest Public Cultural Institution and the partner is the Film Centre of Montenegro.
All information about the programme, films and guests is available at http://www.filmfestival.me, as well as on the Festival’s official Instagram and Facebook pages.
At Mića Pavlović Square, under the open sky, audiences can see 30 student films from academies in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Ljubljana, Skopje and Cetinje. The Student Film Programme selector is young director Sara Stijović, while the awards will be decided by a jury comprising Serbian actress Branka Pujić Jovanović, Bosnian playwright and dramatist Armin Behrem and Montenegrin scriptwriter Ernesto Kolari.
Films competing for the Golden Mimosa:
17, Kosara Mitić (MK,RS, SI)
Black Trumpet, Bojan Stijović (ME)
Honey Bunny, Igor Jelinović (HR, RS)
Mother, Teona Strugar Mitevska (BE, MK, SE, DK, BA)
Our Father, Goran Stankovi (I, MK, ME, BA)
No Fairy Dust, Maja Miloš (I, NL, ME, SI, HR)
Skateboarding Is Not for Girls, Dina Duma (MK, B, SI, HR)
Hidden People, Miha Hočevar (SI, RS, IS)
Everything That’s Wrong with You, Urša Menart (SI, D, RS
3 Weeks Later, Miroslav Terzić (RS, BG, I, HR, LU)
Documentaries:
Black Cat, White Shani, Alemdar Faig (AZ) – short
A Future Without Sea Ice, Adam Sébire (GL, NO) – short
Correct Me If I’m Wrong, Tyler Hill (US, DE, CN) short
30, Marijana Oštrić (HR) – short
Nazul, Yousef Ghanati (IR) – short
Intersecting Memories, Shayma’ Awawdeh (F, PS) – short
Badge Film, María Rojas Arias, Andrés Jurado (CO, PT) – short
Penekelemes, Onyeka Igwe (UK, NG) – short
Heartbeat, Jay Rosenblatt, Stephanie Rapp (USA) – short
Noćna smjena, Megumi Lim (UA) – short
The Right to Be Forgotten, Lisa Mazenauer (SUI) – short
+10k, Gala Hernández López (F, ES) – short
Ceasefire, Jakob Krese (DE, I, SI) – short
Puolanka: Lov na cice, Inka Achté, Einari Paakkanen (FI) – short
Window Memories, Amin Pakparvar, Mehraneh Salimian (USA, DE) – shortPS
Son, Leona Cauklija (SE) – short
I Believe the Portrait Saved Me, Alban Muja (XK, NL) – short
Guardian of the Well, Bentley Brown, Tahir Ben Mahamat Zene (TD) – short
The Divine Feminine, Ivana Todorović (RS) – short
Notes and Songs of the Younger Brother, Đorđe Vojvodić (ME) – short
Chilapa Girl, Juana Lotero López (CO) – short
Zalazak, Miloš Jaćimović (RS, ME, HR)
Country, Katarina Radmilović (RS)
Život njima uprkos, Antonia Colodro, Alaa Hathleen (CL, PS) – short
There Will Be Everything – Maestro Radovan Papović, Čedomir D. Marković (ME)
What the Mud Whispers, Dea Tcholokava (GE) – short
Student film competition:
In Transit, ADU Zagreb, 2024, Lucija Brkić
Blue Jupiter, FDU Cetinje, 2025, Jakša Minić
Adopted, Yet His Own, FDU Belgrade, 2026, Karlo Radoš
December, AU Banja Luka, 2026, Kolja Vasić
This Is Not Kika, FDU Cetinje, 2025, Tamara Pavićević
Tarik, FDU Belgrade, 2025, Adem Tutić
Hibernation, FDU Cetinje, 2026, Mina Miljanić
Al Capone In Kindergarten, ADU Zagreb, 2026, Tadija Čaluković
How Can A Blind Man Believe In God?, FDU Belgrade, 2026, Uma Zuban
68 Seconds, FDU Cetinje, 2025, Itana Vukosavljević
Vain Desire For The Past, FDU Skopje, 2025, Darko Gjurovikj
Darling, Are We Okay?, ADU Zagreb, 2025, Nina Damjanović
The Fig Tree, AU Novi Sad, 2025, Nađa Mišković
Everything I Ever Wanted To Hear, AGRFT Ljubljana, 2025, Ema Paš
Existence Is A Coincidence, FDU Belgrade, 2025, Veljko Petrović
Under Supervision, AU Banja Luka, 2026, David Jelić
The Housing Question, ADU Zagreb, 2026, Marko Plejić
People, Places, Pontes, FDU Cetinje, 2026, Anja Šćepanović
Sunday Has Dawned, FDU Belgrade, 2024, Maya Janković
Below The Surface, Studio Dashak, AU Banja Luka, 2025, Maja Ćetojević
Witnesses, FDU Skopje, 2025, Jana Golaboska
Metanoia, AU Banja Luka, 2026, Saša Tomić
The Intermediary, Pablik, ASU Sarajevo, 2026, Emir Solaković
Pigeon, AU Banja Luka, 2025, Vuk Popović
Fateorchoe, FDU Skopje, 2025, Bojana Miovska
Whirlwind, FDU Cetinje, 2026, Aleksa Bujišić
Cracked, ADU Zagreb, 2026, Milorad Milatović
As If I Am Not There, Bigoc, AU Banja Luka, 2026, Milica Vujasin
Where The Water Once Was, FDU Belgrade, 2025, Vanja Vujin
How I Waited For The Sun, AGRFT Ljubljana, 2025, Veronika Francesca Štefančić
