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28th European Film Festival Palić starts tomorrow

16.07.2021.

This year's, twenty-eighth edition of the Palić European Film Festival, starts tomorrow, on July 17, and will last until July 23 in Palić and Subotica, organized by the Open University Subotica. This year, the Festival is held at several locations, including the unique Summer Stage in Palić, as well as the Eurocinema, Abazija and Lifka cinema theaters.

The Main Competition program of the European Film Festival Palić starts with The Mauritanian directed by Kevin McDonald, with double Oscar winner Jodie Foster. The celebrated actress is in the role of Nancy Hollander, a lawyer who takes over the case of Mohamed Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim), a Mauritanian accused of hiring terrorists who crashed planes into the World Trade Center towers on September 11. The script is the adaptation of Slahi's Guantanamo Diary, published in 2015.

A world premiere of Bad Blood by Milutin Petrović takes palce on the Summer Stage of the Palić European Film Festival, on July 22. This work is in the Main Competition program of the Festival, competing for the Golden Tower for best film, the Palić Tower for best director and Special Jury Award. The film follows the story of Hadži Trifun, a prominent Serbian merchant, who tries to keep the peace with Turkish authorities, but also maintain his reputation and influence in Vranje, an important Turkish town near the border with liberated Serbia.

During the central part of the event, audience will be presented with more than 100 films from all over the Europe, in 11 different sections and program units. Many of the films will have their Serbian and regional premiere here in Palić. In addition to a rich film program, the audience will be able to enjoy numerous dynamic accompanying contents - concerts, exhibitions, promotions, workshops and master classes.

The winners of this year's Aleksandar Lifka Award for their outstanding contribution to European cinema are actor Aleksandar Berček in the category of domestic artists and director Christian Petzold in the category of foreign authors. Slovenian actress Milena Zupančič is the first laureate of the Honorary Lifka for her contribution to the regional cinema, and the laureate of the Underground Spirit Award is a Romanian producer Ada Solomon.

This year, for the first time, a workshop of the festival network MIOB (Moving Images Open Borders) for bloggers, vloggers and influencers takes place in Palić. This way, EFF follows the modern trends in the media coverage of the Festival, simultaneously addressing new and young audience, which is just getting acquainted with the richness of European auteur film. The film critics’ workshop is led by Neil Young, programmer of Parallels and Encounters and Young Spirit of Europe, and Bora Anđelić, Serbian film critics doyen and former FEST art director.

When it comes to the Festival film program, the competitive film sections this year bring the most current European titles in the Main Competition Program, as well as the most engaged Eastern European films in Parallels and Encounters section.

New European Documentaries, program which brings the best documentaries, a film form that is attracting more and more attention of public and critics, was introduced last year with great success.

As always, New Hungarian Film section brings the latest production from the neighboring country, while the Young Spirit of Europe selection is intended for short and experimental film forms. Every year, within Cinema in Focus program, EFF Palić presents cinema of one European country, showing films of the most interesting authors from that country - this year's selection consists of films from Slovenia.

Also, there is homage program to the laureate of the Underground Spirit Award, assigned by the Festival for the contribution to independent film. A decade-long program - Eco Dox, is based on documentaries dealing with the challenges of environmental protection.

A selection of films from the Zsigmond Vilmos Festival in Szeged will be screened during the Festival, as well as a selection of EFA Shorts consisting of short films nominated for the European Film Academy Award.

The accompanying program of EFF Palić is an inseparable part of the festival experience, which shows the audience and guest-artists the unique spirit of the Festival that sets it apart from similar events in Europe. During its 28th edition, in addition to exhibitions, book promotions, panel discussions and music program, EFF organize numerous educational activities in the Abazija cinema garden, continuing its mission by creating a stimulating space for young people dealing with the seventh art.