Final screenings of FAST FORWARD 2020 and the accompanying programme

The last day of the FAST FORWARD Human Rights Film Festival Montenegro 2020 closes with the film EMA, at 22h00, by one of the leading Chilean film directors Pablo Larrain, which critics say leaves without text because the visual elements are paralyzing and the dance scenes are stunning.

Before that, the programme of the FAST FORWARD 2020 includes the films PROCESS SANDŽAK, at 18h00, by journalist and director Aleksandar Reljić from Novi Sad and THE PAINTED BIRD, at 19h00, by the Czech director Václav Marhoul.

The documentary PROCESS SANDŽAK tells the story of torture and framed judicial and political trials of the Bosniak population of Sandžak during the 1993 and 1994 wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The convicts are still fighting for justice, but the public is blind and deaf to their appeals.

THE PAINTED BIRD is one of 10 films shortlisted for an Oscar in the category for best foreign feature film, and from the Venice Film Festival brings the UNICEF award in the competition programme, while in the Czech Republic this film won numerous awards for best film, best director, best photography, best sound, best art direction, best editing, etc. It is the story of a Jewish boy who, separated from his persecuted parents, wanders in occupied Eastern Europe during World War II, encountering unreasonable violence and inhuman torture, and in doing so becomes himself a victim of brutal abuse. At the turning point, a peasant shows him the flight of a bird that was captured and, having been painted, released back into its flock. The bird, which is now different from the others, is torn apart. This key lesson depicts the boy’s own experience: diversity is fatal ….

Also, on the last day of the FAST FORWARD Festival, as part of the accompanying programme related to dealing with the past, promotion of the book and a virtual photo exhibition “Life in Limbo – a book of scars will be organized, where its authors Igor Čoko and Slaven Rašković will speak from 12-13h. This is followed by a panel discussion Shadow of the 90s over the Balkans with Hrvoje Klasić, a historian from Zagreb, Filip Švarm, a journalist from Belgrade, Balša Brković, a writer from Podgorica and Aleksandar Reljić, a journalist and director from Novi Sad. Introductory speeches are given by Natasa Govedarica, Programme director of the Forum ZfD Office in Belgrade, and Miloš Vukanović, advisor at the CCE.

For those who missed yesterday programme, films from the fourth day of the FAST FORWARD 2020 Festival – LET THERE BE COLOUR  by Bosnian director Ado Hasanović, XY CHELSEA, by Tim Travers Hawkins, MARE, by Croatian director Andrea Štaka, and for whom Marija Škaričić received the Heart of Sarajevo for a striking interpretation of the main character, and BREAKING NEWS, by the Czech author Tomaš Bojar –  are still available.

All films are free of charge and can be watched through the site ubrzaj.me, where detailed instructions are available.

The FAST FORWARD Festival 2020 is organized with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the German Forum ZfD, in cooperation with the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF), Beldocs and the Montenegrin Cinematheque. Media sponsors are RTCG (television and portal) and Vijesti (newspaper, portal and television), and the Festival has also media supported from the media portal CdM, Radio Berane and Radio Kotor.

Milena Vujović, PR of the FAST FORWARD Human Rights Film Festival Montenegro