Eighth Bašta Fest
July 1 – 4, 2021

You can see the official poster of the festival and the detailed film and music program by clicking on the pictures.

Actress Milica Janevski opened the eighth Bašta Fest.
Closing film: “Loan Shark” (dir. Nemanja Ćeranić, Serbia).

PROGRAMMER

Programmer of the competition program of the eighth Bašta Fest: Maja Šuša (actress, artistic director of the festival).

AWARDS

The jury consisting of: Branka Katić, Ivan Bakrač, Asja Krsmanović, awarded:
Golden Imagination (the best film as a whole): “Marlon Brando” (dir. Vincent Tilanus, The Netherlands).
Jury’s explanation: For a playful, honest, direct and touching depiction of the end of adolescent friendship, in which two young people shape each other, they leave behind a trace that proves that parting does not mean the loss of love and instils hope that growing up brings happiness, not only nostalgia.

Golden interpretation (best female role): Jelena Stupljanin and Anita Ognjanović, for the characters of Jovana and Sara in the film “Everything in its Right Place” (directed by Nikola Stojanović, Serbia).
Jury’s explanation: It is a pleasure to watch these two actresses create their own microcosm in which happiness and sorrow break between just one sentence. They perfectly evoked the dynamics of the female half of the broken family, the connection and animosity that mother and daughter carry. One led us to the feverish and desperate homelessness of unrequited love, brought closer the need of a lonely woman to be seen and loved, while the other, with a reduced and powerful emotional state, evoked all the love and hunger of a daughter for an emotionally inaccessible father.

Golden interpretation (best male role): Igor Benčina for the character of Dušan in the film “The Last Image of a Father” (dir. Stefan Đođrević, Serbia)
Jury’s explanation: A warm, dignified, precisely portrayed parting and defeat of a man before life in moments when we can do nothing for ourselves or for those who remain after we are gone, a feeling of sadness because of blind and complicated lives and our loss in them. As we watch the father make the most difficult life decision, a heated sense of pity awakens in us. Actor Igor Benčina brings us a character who manages to be bigger than life.

Special awards:

for screenplay by Nađa Petrović for the film “Everything in its Right Place” (dir. Nikola Stojanović, Serbia)
Jury’s explanation: For a layered picture of a family that failed to stay together and a subtle portrayal of their everyday life filled with great disappointments and small pleasures, where both pain and comfort come from the same source, from those closest to them. This screenplay is a universal story of human nature.

For actor Pavle Čemerikić for the films “Prom night” (dir. Gvozden Ilić) and “Bonkers” (dir. Luka Mihailović, Serbia)
Jury’s explanation: The second special jury award is given to a young actor who has a wonderful gift to seduce us from the first moment he appears on the screen. His humor and inspired acting expression enchanted us in two films from this year’s selection.

The jury, composed of: Mikša Anđelić, awarded the prize:
Golden visualization (the best camera): Director of Photography Milica Cvetković for the film “Bonkers”
(dir. Luka Mihailović, Serbia)

This award was established and awarded for the first time in 2016 with the support of Cineplanet rentals.

The youth jury consisting of: Tijana Spasojević, Vanja Jevtić and Nemanja Jovanović, awarded the prize:
Youth Jury Award (Best Film): “Red Wine” (dir. Santiago Menghini, Canada)
Jury’s explanation: The winner of the 8th Bašta Fest is the Canadian film “Red Wine” directed by Santiago Menghini. The film is characterized by a sufficient amount of uncertainty that keeps the audience’s attention. A large number of twists represent the unpredictability of this genre well. The constant tension and anticipation of the unfolding of the action were turning points for us.

Bašta Fest awarded:

Baš ta Čast – to Milisav Mijatović Javor, for his brave and selfless commitment in many rescue operations.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

The dumbest film in the world – Miloš Tomić’s workshop
Number of participants: 3
Location: Gallery of the Institution “Kultura” Bajina Basta
Date: 30.06. – 01.07.2021.

Through several introductory musical and drawing challenges, the workshop participants approached the film and played with many of its clichés: How the film is conceived, how it is shot in impossible conditions, how it is poorly acted… Participants went through a series of sweet “torments” while attempting to record a story they came up with in various ways.

BAŠTA PITCH

As part of the eighth Bašta Fest, with the support of the Film Center of Serbia, Bašta Pitch was held for the second time. Bašta Pitch is a free project pitching workshop for young filmmakers from Serbia. Four projects were selected from the applications by the mentor Raško Miljković, and the directors, in several days of work with him and producer Milan Stojanović, went through the preparation for the final pitch (presentation) on the last day of the festival, when the jury chose the winner. The winner of the second Bašta Pitch is the director Tamara Broćić with her project “Cvat”, which received a cash prize of €500 towards kick-starting its realization. The jury consisted of: festival selector Maja Šuša and mentors Raško Miljković and Milan Stojanović.

Participants in the second Bašta Pitch were:

„Cvat“ – Tamara Broćić
„Bele rade“ – Gvozden Ilić
„Mačke“ – Danilo Stanimirović
„Vedro nebo“ – Milica Cvetković

OFF PROGRAMME

Exhibition “Traces of a Time: Film Poster 1945 – 1970”
Location: Gallery of the Institution “Kultura”
Dates: July 1 – 4, 2021

BAŠTA NETWORK

Guests: Le Grec, a French institution for the production of the first short film in cooperation with the French Institute in Serbia.

Bašta Fest x Le Grec caravan: screenings in Belgrade 27.06, Niš 28.06. and Novi Sad 29.06. in cooperation with KC Grad in Belgrade, Young Ambassadors in Niš and KC Svilara in Novi Sad.

THE BAŠTA FEST TEAM

Jovan Jelisavčić – Founder and director of the festival
Maja Šuša – Founder, artistic director and programmer
Marija Simić – The main organizer of the festival
Milica Milosavljević – Visual identity and design
Ana Kostić – Social Media Manager
Igor Milakov – Social Media Manager
Stefan Saveski – Music Program Coordinator
Kosta Ilić – Organizer of the music program
Lena Radulović – Guest Service Manager
Jovana Jankov – Volunteer organizer
Nikola Terzić – Coordinator of the photo/video team
Branko Mijanović – Technical Assistant

Camera and photo team:
Milena Arsenić
Anja Simić
Džejlan Ibrahimović
Jovan Radaković
Marija Radisavljević
Marija Pešić
Editors:
Nevena Bakić
Mirko Pantelić

Volunteer team:
Marta Jovanović
Una Jovanović
Miljana Milojković
Tatjana Marjanović
Marija Vasilić
Ana Ninković
Julija Simić
Jelena Janković