The 17th Edition of Beldocs opened with May 22 with the regional premiere of Warm Film, directed by Dragan Jovićević. The film explores the representation of LGBTQI+ characters through the history of Yugoslav and later Serbian cinema, but also social circumstances that have resulted in different treatment of these characters.
The Beldocs 2024 program comprises 103 films, among which are 13 world, one European, 59 Regional and 24 Serbian premieres, as well as 23 developing projects at different phases of production. “The unique and daring films by both renowned and young authors from all over the world make this year’s selection powerful and nuanced,” the festival writes.
New York’s UnionDocs will be honoured with a programme titled Artistic Differences, while a special focus section in collaboration with the Ji.hlava IDFF will feature the best of contemporary Czech documentaries.
This year’s special section, guest curated by the philosopher Srećko Horvat, will have the theme of Survival Is Not Enough, and include panels, talks and lectures by participants such luminaries as Franco Berardi and Federico Campagna.
The non-competitive sections Fireworks, Meteors, Prime Time and Breeze will include latest works by Guillaume Cailleau, Ben Russell, James Benning, Frederick Wiseman, Steve McQueen, Ruth Beckermann, Mati Diop and Travis Wilkerson among others.
“Thanks to numerous partnerships with international and European film festivals as well as numerous international audiovisual industry contributors, Beldocs positions itself as the main audio-visual industry hub in this part of Europe, and its importance as a festival places it not only on the European but on the international festival map,” the festival writes.
Beldocs Industry Days
Beldocs Industry Days is dedicated to encouraging new contacts, collaborations, and co-productions among film professionals from Western Balkan countries, Baltic States, Post-Soviet Media, South Caucasus countries, and Western Europe in order to further the distribution of European audiovisual works.
Industry Days 2024 will feature training and project development workshops for young talents, public presentations of documentary film projects at the Beldocs Pitching Forum, panels, masterclasses, and matchmaking sessions, as well as the Beldocs Market video library.
At the Beldocs Pitching Forum 20 documentary film projects in various stages, from development to post-production, will be presented to a group of international industry representatives – TV channels, festivals, sales agents and distribution companies.
In addition to the Beldocs Pitching Forum, we hold the Producers Meet Producers networking event, Play.Docs serious video games program , as well as two workshops aimed at developing film projects – Beldocs XR Academy, which focuses on virtual reality and augmented reality projects, and Balkan Young Talents, which focuses on promising young filmmakers from the Western Balkans region.
“We offer a number of industry panels and masterclasses with an emphasis on independent movie theaters and documentary film curating as part of the Beldocs Market, which this year will bring together over 150 guests, both filmmakers and industry representatives,” write organisers. “Beldocs team considers diversity as one of the basic principles of society and aspires to allow access to screenings and accompanying events to everyone. Therefore, both the official festival website and program catalogue provide information about the program’s accessibility to sensitive groups.”
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
- Sundial by Liis Nimik. Estonia, 2023, 65′
- Once Upon a Family by Sead Šabotić. Montenegro, 2024, 67′
- La Reine by Nikola Klinger. Czech Republic, 2023, 60′
- In Silence and Clamour by Clément Roussier/Hadrien Mossaz. France, 2023, 58′
- Mud by Ilya Povolotsky. Russia, 2023, 51′
- Rising Up at Night by Nelson Makengo. Germany, Burkina Faso, Belgium, Qatar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2024, 96′
- Kumwa – Which Comes from Silence by Sarah Mallégol, France, 2023, 108′
- Tedious Days and Nights by Guo Zhenming. China, 2023, 110′
- Tzipora and Rachel Are Not Dead by Hadar Morag. Israel, 2023, 102′
- Dreaming Dogs by Elsa Kremser/Levin Peter. Austria, Germany, 2024, 77′
SERBIAN COMPETITION
- How To be Slobodan? by Nikola Polić. Serbia, 2024, 62′
- Prison Beauty Contest by Srđan Šarenac. Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, 2024, 80′
- The Garden Cadences by Dane Komljen. Germany, 2024, 62′
- The Tempest Of Neptun by Katarina Stankovic. Serbia, Croatia, Poland, 2024, 64′
- Novi Sad Remembrance by Aleksandar Reljić. Serbia, 2024, 77′
- Joymakers by Jelena Radenović. Serbia, 2024, 46‘
- When I Grow Up Again by Jovana Avramović. Serbia, 2024, 22′
- Minel by Tara Gajović. Serbia, 2024, 15’
- Heterotopia by Nikola Nikolić. Serbia, 2024, 7′
- Exit Through the Cuckoo’s Nest by Nikola Ilić. Switzerland, Serbia, 2024,19′
- Walks That Won’t Happen by Mina Simendić. Serbia, 2024, 7′
- Warm Film by Dragan Jovićević. Serbia, 2024, 92′
