Twelfth Bašta Fest
24 – 26 October, 2025
You can see the official poster of the festival and the detailed film program by clicking on the pictures.
The twelfth Bašta Fest was opened by actress Nevena Nerandžić.
Closing film: “78 days” (dir. Emilija Gašić, Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina/Republika Srpska).
PROGRAMMER
Programmer of the competition programme of the twelfth Bašta Fest: Maja Šuša (actress, Artistic director of the festival).
AWARDS
The jury, composed of Tamara Dragičević, actress, Andrija Mardešić, director, and Jelena Mišeljić, producer, awarded the following awards:
Golden Imagination (the Best Film overall): the film “Our Room” (dir. Jaume Claret Muxart, Spain).
Jury explanation: This film in a unique way embodies the festival’s idea of “starting from your yard”, showing that “your own room” is both a space of intimacy and a space of the world. In closed spaces, we see different types of care and tenderness that together build a story of inner freedom. Intertwining narrative subtlety and sensuality, this film, in which little happens and much is felt, opens up the possibility for reflection, far from the noise.
Golden Interpretation (the Best Female role): Marylou Cabanel for the role of Johannes in the film “Clamor”, (dir. Salomé Da Souza, France)
Jury’s explanation: The beautiful savagery that bursts from every scene, skillfully mixed with fragility and deep emotionality, is what makes the awarded performance unique. The young actress boldly and easily channels the energy and composure of the character in a way that even much more experienced colleagues would envy. The emotion that the actress conveys is universal – it goes beyond the taboo subject of the film. In a situation that is socially unacceptable, thanks to her authentic and seductive acting, we continue to root for her character, understanding and sympathizing with her until the last frame.
Golden Interpretation (the Best Male role): Goran Bogdan for the role of Dragan in the film “The Man
Who Could Not Remain Silent”, (dir. Nebojša Slijepčević, Croatia, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia).
Jury’s explanation: The actor masterfully built the character from the inside, relying on his gaze, breathing and inner tension that becomes the center of the film. His acting becomes a testimony to the silence that speaks the loudest and resonates a lot in it.
SPECIAL AWARDS:
Through the form of a meditative Western, the author creates a powerful metaphor for the human struggle against the cruelty that surrounds us – when safety replaces cruelty, in a world that is burning, where life and death are constantly intertwined, the film shows that even when every rebellion seems futile, there is a glimmer of hope. Hope in human nature to resist even when it seems to us that the jaguars are winning. Special Award for the film “My Mother is a Cow” by director Moara Passoni (Brazil).
In this year’s competition, the dominance of female characters was so strong and superior that we decided to award two special awards for strong, emotional and courageous performances that were confidently presented by young actresses. One is Anđelka Petrović for the character of Ema in the film “Smell of Fresh Paing” by director Nađa Petrović (Serbia). The second special award goes to Dana Poletan for the character of Nina in the film “Bullet in the Rifle” by Karmen Obrdalj (Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina).
The jury, composed of: director of photography Marko Cile Mladenović, awarded:
Golden Visualization (the Best Camera) to the director of photography Tin Ostrošić for the film “Yogurt, Juice, Cigarettes” (dir. Josip Lukić, Croatia).
Jury explanation: Tin, through a simple, unobtrusive, but very precise approach to the image, managed to create an authentic visual tone of the film.
This award was established and awarded for the first time in 2016 with the support of the Cineplanet Rental.
The youth jury, composed of high school students, Pavle Živanović, Jovana Đurić, Katarina Purković, Anđela Živanović, and Ivana Lukić, awarded two awards:
Youth Jury Award (the Best Film): “Wounded” (dir. Miloš Živanović, Serbia).
Jury’s explanation: We didn’t have to think much about awarding the best film. From the beginning of the film, we knew it was the voice of youth, and it kept pace with our generation, representing it faithfully. Unfortunately, we are witnessing the fact that young people ignore critical opinions, not understanding their value. For these reasons, this film convincingly won the hearts of the young jury.
Special Youth Jury Award: Ivana Vuković for her roles in the film “Morocco” (dir. Staša Bajac, Serbia)
Jury’s explanation: This acting achievement left a strong impression on us. Ivana Vuković flawlessly performed demanding roles in the film, playing two roles at the same time.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME
Mentor Mina Đukić, the director, worked with the Youth Jury, which consisted of five high school students from Bajina Bašta, discussed the films, and helped them make their decision about the best film.
BAŠTA PITCH
As part of the twelfth Bašta Fest, with the support of the Culture for Democracy program and the Film Center of Serbia, Bašta Pitch was held for the sixth time as part of the Balkan Short Film Network. Bašta Pitch is a free project presentation workshop intended for young filmmakers from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia. From the applicants, mentors Raško Miljković and Milan Stojanović selected five projects, and the directors and producers worked with director Raško Miljković and producer Martina Krivokapić for several days to prepare for the final pitch (presentation) on the last day of the festival, when the jury selected the winner.
The winner of the sixth Bašta Pitch is the project “Sisters”, directed by Sara Ećimović and producer Marija Đokić, from Serbia, who received a cash prize of €1,000 to start working on their project. The film crew redirected the monetary prize of this award to the project “Ways of Returning Home” by director Vanja Vujin and producer Mina Adamović. The jury included producer Zoran Galić and director Mina Đukić, as well as Bašta Fest programmer Maja Šuša.
Jury’s explanation: For a deeply moving and intimate piece, which directly conveys to us the poignancy and importance of the topic the author has chosen to address and conveys the idea that some wounds can perhaps only be healed through film.
The participants of the sixth Bašta Pitch were:
“Heart in Your Throat” – director Petar Lakić, producer Danilo Mladenović (Serbia)
“Till the cake do us part” – director Lana Pavkov, producer Milena Božić (Serbia)
“Sisters” – director Sara Ećimović, producer Marija Đokić (Serbia)
“Entrance” – director Tina Velicković, producer Barbara Petrulovska (North Macedonia)
“Ways of Going Home” – director Vanja Vujin, producer Mina Adamović (Serbia)
Two masterclasses were also held as part of this year’s educational programme: Intimacy Coordinators – A New Stage of Responsibility by SAG-AFTRA certified intimacy coordinator and producer Kristina Marković, and Alternative Methods of Financing Film Projects by Zoran Galić, a producer from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BAŠTA FEST TEAM
Jovan Jelisavčić – Founder and Festival Director
Maja Šuša – Founder, Artistic Director and Programmer
Milica Milosavljević – Author of Visual Identity and Designer
Nemanja Veselinović – Film Program Coordinator
Mila Jovanović – Guest Services Manager
Miljana Milojković – Bašta Pitch Coordinator
Branko Mijanović – Technical Sector
Mina Đukić – Youth Jury Mentor
Nikola Pavlović – Bašta Interviews
Photo Video Team:
Tanja Drobnjak – Photographer
Filip Olćan – Videographer
Volunteer Team:
Ana Jovanović
Tamara Gačević
Marta Jovanović
Milica Nikolić