News

Press Conference July 20th 2025

20.07.2025.

32nd European Film Festival Palić – Report from the Press Conference on Day 2 of the Festival Sergei Loznitsa: The Past Reveals Our Present-Day Problems Members of the festival team – executive producer Ilija Tatić, festival director Radoslav Zelenović, program director Miroslav Mogorović, programmer of the Official Selection Nikolaj Nikitin, programmer of the Parallels and Encounters competition program – Julia Sinkevych, programmer of the documentary sections Igor Toholj, this year's Aleksandar Lifka Award laureate in the category of foreign creators director Sergei Loznitsa, the Underground Spirit Award laureate Peter Tscherkassky, and the film crew of “Pearlescent Fog” – screenwriter Dragoljub Stojković and actresses Jana Ivanović and Mariana Aranđelović – spoke at the press conference at the Grand Terrace on the second day of the 32nd European Film Festival Palić, Sunday, July 20.

Ilija Tatić, the festival’s executive producer, stated: "When you see the audience leaving satisfied after a screening, and when the guests who came to Palić speak with such appreciation and respect for the festival, recognizing that a small town like this is part of the cultural map of Europe, that, for me, is the most important impression and the very reason we are do this festival. That’s why we are ready to give our best – to bring together the media, audiences, and important filmmakers, and to make a real impact on the cultural scene of Serbia and Europe."

Festival director Radoslav Zelenović said at the press conference: "For me, last night's fully packed Summer Stage, and today’s event with so many colleagues and friends who have been following this festival for years, mark a strong start." Zelenović added that despite the fact this year’s edition is shorter, the film program remains as extensive and complete as ever.

Program director Miroslav Mogorović stated that within the Creative Europe MEDIA program funded by the European Union, the festival meets the standard of screening over 100 films, but stressed the importance of maintaining the full scope of the films shown in both competition programs. He especially highlighted "Echoes of the Plains", included in the Official Selection out of competition: "This is a film that is territorially, spiritually, and culturally connected to this region, so it is only natural that it should be screened on the Summer Stage."

Nikolaj Nikitin, programmer of the Official Selection, invited attendees to observe a minute of silence for Milorad Milinković, the recently deceased director of "Pearlescent Fog", which opened the festival. Regarding this year's selection in the context of the crisis that Europe has fallen into, he pointed out: "One of the possible ways of responding to crisis is humor. One should not fall into a major depression, but instead one should simply – laugh. My very conscious decision as a programmer was to make you laugh through the selection of films."

Julia Sinkevych, programmer of the Parallels and Encounters competition program, reflected on her selection: "In these cruel and absurd times, many films tackle difficult and complex topics in a very absurdist way, with a lot of satire. It is a reflection of the directors who are processing what is happening in today's world; it is their act of resistance, expression, but also a record of time. I am happy that we’ve included films from a wide range of countries, and I think audiences will discover many fresh voices, as the lineup features several debut filmmakers.”

Igor Toholj, programmer of Eco Dox and New European Documentary Film, commented on his film selections: "In different ways, all the films in these selections address topics that, until recently, were rarely in focus, but are now central to our survival and endurance – whether they are phenomena that are reflected through the personal destinies of individual actors told in an introspective narrative style, or universal themes."

Sergei Loznitsa expressed gratitude for receiving the Aleksandar Lifka Award, emphasizing how welcomed he felt at the festival’s opening ceremony. Reflecting on his work, he particularly emphasized his relationship to historical events, in general and especially in the former Soviet Union. " The past reveals our present-day problems – unresolved issues that we are still facing. In the Soviet Union, history wasn’t written right away, it was turned into mythology. That means we do not know history. And if we do not know history, we do not know where we are now, in this life. After my film “Two Prosecutors” screened in Cannes, I was surprised to read an article stating that events from 1937, during Stalin's terror, should be taken as a warning for today’s United States," said Loznitsa.

Peter Tscherkassky, laureate of the Underground Spirit Award for outstanding independent filmmaking, explained his distinctive working method at the press conference: "I don't shoot my films but work with found footage – ready-made materials that I carefully select, study, and finally memorize. I watch them repeatedly, until the narrative begins to dissolve and disappear. When you’ve watched a film a hundred times, you no longer see the story. Instead, you see and remember fragments, isolated moments of the original film. Those parts become the foundation of my film vocabulary and visual expression."

Dragoljub Stojković, screenwriter of "Pearlescent Fog" which opened the festival, is also the author of the book on which the film and the series were based. "For these needs, we corresponded and expanded the novel", stated Stojković, and explained that "Pearlescent Fog" is also the title of a song featured in the film, for which he wrote the lyrics.

On the third day of the festival, Monday, July 21, at the Summer Stage in Palić, "100 Liters of Gold" by Teemu Nikki will be screened in the Official Selection at 9 p.m., followed by "Mirrors No. 3" by Christian Petzold at 11 p.m. In the Parallels and Encounters program at the Abazija cinema, "Comatogen" by Igor Cobileanski will be shown at 6 p.m., followed by “Thus Spoke the Wind” by Maria Rigel at 8 p.m.

The European Film Festival Palić has been supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, the City of Subotica, the European Union through the Creative Europe MEDIA program, as well as numerous partners and media sponsors.

For 29 years, Gorki List has proudly stood alongside the European Film Festival Palić as a long-term partner and supporter of film art that inspires and connects. Believing in the power of authentic expression and meaningful dialogue with audiences, Gorki List will once again, in keeping with tradition, present the Audience Award for Best Film. By listening to the voices of the viewers, Gorki List affirms their role as essential allies of art, which lives on through those who truly appreciate and understand it.