With excellent films and playful rituals to ward off bad luck, another edition of Bašta Fest opened tonight in Bajina Bašta. This thirteenth edition—held under the symbolic slogan “Knock on Wood”—brings together 26 films from 24 countries, the majority of which will have their Serbian premieres at the festival.

Actor Jovan Jelisavčić, one of the founders of Bašta Fest, welcomed the audience to the packed “Vlaja” cinema, the venue for the festival’s main program.

“I hope you enjoy yourselves, watch the films, and discuss them afterwards. I hope you have a great time and enjoy the parties here, and that you visit our lakes, as well as the Drina River and Tara Mountain,” said Jelisavčić, reminding the audience that for the Bašta Fest community, the natural wealth of Western Serbia is just as exciting as the stories on the big screen.

Continuing the important tradition of having the festival opened by a young acting star who made a significant mark over the past year, Bašta Fest bestowed this honor upon actor Ognjen Mićović. Known for his roles in the series “The Fortress” and the film “Guardians of the Formula: Chain Reaction”, Mićović also highlighted the Bašta community as one of the festival’s greatest assets.

“Bašta Fest is, above all, a community of good people that recognizes the importance of providing a proper platform for young filmmakers. That platform acts as a springboard, launching quality stories out into the world. The films I have watched and discovered here over the years have truly left a lasting impression on me,” said Mićović while opening the festival. “I feel we should take even greater pride in our national cinema, rooting for our films and supporting them by attending festivals like this one; by showing up and watching these movies, we encourage and inspire filmmakers to keep telling their stories.”

In the spirit of this year’s festival slogan, Mićović then invited the audience to stand up and move around, to knock on wood, and—from the stage—he poured out water to ensure the best possible outcome for the thirteenth edition of Bašta Fest.

On the opening night, the audience had the opportunity to watch nine films from the competition program—divided into two thematic blocks: “System Crasher” and “Family Time”—and to participate in a discussion with Milica Janevski, an actress who captivated the crowd with her performance in the film “Upon Sunrise”.

Seventeen more films from around the world will be screened before the festival concludes; on the final day, following the awards ceremony, the audience will be able to enjoy the film “Yugo Florida” by Vladimir Tagić.