Network of Festivals in the Adriatic region

The Winter Edition of the Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region will take place between 22 January and 5 February, offering audiences in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia the opportunity to watch a selection of award-winning regional films for free – in cinemas and as video-on-demand.

The following award-winning regional films will be on view: Forever Hold Your Peace (Živi i zdravi by Ivan Marinović), Family Therapy (Odrešitev za začetnike, by Sonja Prosenc), Mother Mara (Majka Mara, by Mirjana Karanović), My Late Summer (Nakon ljeta, by Danis Tanović) and Planet 7693 (Planeta 7693, by Gojko Berkuljan).

The programme begins on 22 January with free cinema screenings in Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Herceg Novi, and Skopje, while from 23 January all films will also be available for streaming on the platform ondemand.kinomeetingpoint.ba.

On 22 January at 19.00, as part of the opening of the Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region Winter Edition, the film Forever Hold Your Peace (Živi i zdravi) by Ivan Marinović will be screened free of charge in Cankarjev dom's Kosovel Hall. Marinović's film is a bitterly comic story about a wedding that takes place despite the bride’s decision to give up on marriage. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director Ivan Marinović.

My Late Summer (Nakon ljeta, by Danis Tanović) is a comedy-drama about a young woman who comes to an island to claim her inheritance, only to be confronted with her own past, family secrets, and identity issues. Mother Mara (Majka Mara, by Mirjana Karanović) is an intimate drama about loss, grief, and the unexpected bond that develops between a mother and her deceased son's friend. Planet 7693 (Planeta 7693, by Gojko Berkuljan) is a warm family story about a boy who, with the help of an unusual friend, tries to repair his family’s damaged relationships. Family Therapy (Odrešitev za začetnike, by Sonja Prosenc) follows a seemingly perfect family whose idyllic existence is shattered by the arrival of a young stranger. His presence exposes their internal issues, fears, and dysfunctional relationships

The Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region Winter Edition brings together the region’s leading film festivals, including the Ljubljana International Film Festival – Liffe, the Zagreb Film Festival, the Auteur Film Festival Belgrade, the Sarajevo Film Festival, the Herceg Novi Film Festival and the Manaki Brothers festival from North Macedonia. 

Running for the fourth consecutive year, the Winter Edition of the Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region has been designed with the aim of increasing the visibility, accessibility, and promotion of outstanding European films across the Adriatic region.

The Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region is supported by the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe.

Officially presented at the 31st Auteur Film Festival

Fabrice du Welz’s film Maldoror has won the Audience Award for Best Film of the Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region – the Adriatic Audience Award, which was officially presented at the 31st Auteur Film Festival in Belgrade. The aim of the Adriatic Audience Award, presented by the Adriatic Region Festival Network, is to promote and increase the visibility of European film, and the award will also enable the film to be screened in cinemas across the region formerly known as Yugoslavia. Maldoror received the highest number of audience votes by combining results from all member festivals of the Adriatic Region Festival Network, including the Sarajevo Film Festival (BiH), the Herceg Novi Film Festival (Montenegro), the Ljubljana International Film Festival (Slovenia), the Auteur Film Festival (Belgrade), the Zagreb Film Festival (Croatia), and Manaki Brothers (North Macedonia). Maldoror is a fictionalized story inspired by real events that took place in Belgium in the mid-1990s. After two girls disappeared in 1995, young police officer Paul Chartier joins the secret unit “Maldoror,” tasked with monitoring the main suspect. When the operation fails, Paul – disillusioned with the system – embarks on an independent investigation that grows into an obsession.

The film focuses on a realistic portrayal of the struggle against deeply rooted evil and a society that fails its most vulnerable members. Maldoror is the first part of Fabrice du Welz’s planned trilogy about the dark side of Belgian history, power, and justice. The film received its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The author of the visual design of the Adriatic Audience Award is Srđan Stefanović (1985), an academic sculptor and painter.

The Adriatic Region Festival Network is supported by the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe.