The 43rd Belgrade International Film Festival – FEST kicks off tomorrow at the Serbian capital, bringing to the local audience Interntional awarded and festival circuit films, including ‘71 by Yann Demange, White God by Cornel Mundruczo, Maps to the Stars by David Cronenberg, Damien Chazelle‘s Whiplash, The Theory of everything by James Marsh and many others.

FEST 2015 has invited names such as actor Richard Dreyfuss, Iranian new wave director Mohsen Makhmalbaf with his latest film The President, South Korean director King Sang-Man presenting his latest (and partially shot in Serbia) Tenor, Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov which will receive an award for exceptional contribution to the art of film, one that legendary Serbian actress Milena Dravic will be receiving too. French director David Oelhoffen will also be attending with his Far from Men , while another french prduction, Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent will be opening FEST 2015.

Since its inception, back in 1971,  FEST has wellcomed four million visitors and almost 4000 relevant international films, which have had their Yugoslav/Serbian and often regional premiere on the Festival. The main novelty of FEST 2015 is its competition programme, with three additional competition section - the Main Program (International Competition), the Serbian Film (domestic films in several categories) and the Frontiers programme. Fifteen -dominated by themes of growing up in atypical environments- films are competing for the Belgrade Victor Award with the majority of the authors attending the festival to discuss their films with the journalists and the audience. 

Several Balkan films and co-productions are included in the different sections of the festival, a quite powerful presence of today’s Balkan film industry:

Panorama 

The Cut by Fatih Akin, Germany/France/Italy/Russia/Canada/Poland/Turkey, 2014

International Competition 

The Lamb by Kutlug Ataman, Turkey, 2014 

These are the Rules by Ognjen Svilicic, Croatia/France/Serbia/FYROM, 2014 

Xenia by Panos H. Kutras, Greece/France/Belgium, 2014 

The Sky above us by Marinus Groothoff, Serbia/Netherlands/Belgium, 2015 

A Quintet by Sanela Salketić, Ariel Shaban, Roberto Cuzzillo, Elie Lamah & Mauro Mueller, USA/Germany/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Turkey,/Italy/Switzerland 2014 

Children of the Sun by Antonio Mitrikeski, FYROM, 2014

Cure: Life of another by Andrea Staka, Switzerland/Croatia/Bosnia-Herzegovina 

Inferno by Vinko Moderndorfer, Slovenia, 2014 

Zagreb Cappuccino by Vanja Svilicic, Croatia, 2014 

Microwave 

Blackness by Luka Bursac, Serbia, 2014 

Inside by Mirko Abrlic & Jelena Markovic, Serbia, 2015 

Marked by Sasa Radojevic, Serbia, 2015 

Memoirs of a broken mind by Danilo-Lola Ilic, Serbia,

Ocean by Tamara Drakulic, Serbia, 2014 

The Healing by Ivan Jovic, Serbia, 2014

The Loop by Milutin Petrovic, Serbia, 2015 

Barbarians by Ivan Ikic, Serbia/Montenegro/Slovenia, 2014 

Enclave by Goran Radovanovic, Serbia/Germany, 2014 

Equals by Dejan Karaklajic, Ivica Vidanovic, Igor Stoimenov, Darko Lungulov, Milos Petricic & Mladen Djordjevic, Serbia, 2014 

Little Buddho by Danilo Beckovic, Serbia, 2014

Monument to Michael Jackson by Darko Lungulov, Serbia/Germany/FYROM/Croatia, 2014

No one’s child by Vuk Rsumovic, Serbia 2014 

The Disobedient by Mina Djukic, Serbia,/France/Germany, 2014 

The man who defended Gavrilo Princip by Srdjan Koljevic, Serbia, 2014 

Travelator by Dusan Milic, Serbia, 2014 

Under the slogan Brave New World, the first Belgrade Film Festival – FEST was opened with Mash by Robert Altman on January 9, 1971. Originally conceived as an annual review of the best films of the season, FEST became the most important film festival and one of the most important cultural events not only in Belgrade or the ex-Yugoslavia, but also throughout the former Eastern Block.