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Press Conference July 22nd, 2026

22.07.2026.

33rd European Film Festival Palić – Report from the Press Conference on Day 5 of the Festival

Radoš Bajić: I Hope I Am Worthy of the Aleksandar Lifka Award

Actor, director, and screenwriter Radoš Bajić, recipient of the Aleksandar Lifka Award in the category of domestic filmmakers; Penelope Tsilika, actress from "Elena's Shift"; the "Echoes of Saint George" team – director Jelena Bajić Jočić, actor Radoš Bajić, and actress Miona Marković; "Chica Checa" director Šimon Holý; representatives of the Skopje Film Festival, Tomi Salkovski and Igor Ivanov; members of the International Jury – Maja Herman Sekulić, Monika Goti, and Ioana Flora; members of the Parallels and Encounters International Jury – Izabela Igel, Maksym Nakonechnyi, and Marko Mak Pantelić; the FIPRESCI Jury, composed of Božidar Zečević, Jana Bébarová, and Michael Phillips; and Nikolaj Nikitin, programmer of the Official Selection, spoke at the press conference held at the Grand Terrace on the final day of the 33rd European Film Festival Palić, Wednesday, July 22.

Radoš Bajić, actor, director, and screenwriter, and this year’s recipient of the Aleksandar Lifka Award in the category of domestic filmmakers, said of the recognition: " Hearing that I had received the Aleksandar Lifka Award brought back the same feeling I had when I was informed that I had won the Pavle Vuisić Award for lifetime achievement. Over the course of my fifty-year career, I have received many awards, but some of them stand out as milestones that define one’s professional journey. The Aleksandar Lifka Award is certainly one of them, and I would like to sincerely thank the festival for bestowing it upon me. I hope I am worthy of it. The European Film Festival Palić has managed to preserve its autonomy and remain true to what film festivals should be about –creativity, filmmakers, authors, producers, and all those who love cinema. Above all, it is about the audience, who come here to meet the people whose work they admire. I still feel that atmosphere here today."

Penelope Tsilika, actress in "Elena's Shift," screened in the Official Selection, spoke about her role: "For me, it was very interesting to explore how someone can genuinely want to help another person while also being honest they fail to fulfil that promise, when they let that person down. I found that very intriguing. It was fascinating to build Yota's character and follow her journey – from openness, through betrayal, to transformation in the end."

Jelena Bajić Jočić, director of "Echoes of Saint George," expressed her satisfaction that the film would premiere at the European Film Festival Palić before a local audience. "It is important to emphasize that the film was inspired by true events. We follow the struggle of an ordinary man, Stanoje Reljić, and his fight to preserve his home, his freedom, his honor, and his dignity. We ask whether it is still possible today to win freedom through perseverance and defiance, how much a human life is truly worth, and how an honorable and virtuous person can survive in a modern society filled with hypocrisy. We believe these are important questions."

Actress Miona Marković said of the film: "This is a beautiful and moving film, but one that also carries a sense of optimism. My impression is that, both as individuals and as a society, we often choose to look away from people like Stanoje Reljić because their stories are difficult and we do not know how to address the problems they face. We do not have easy solutions. I believe this film offers hope that there may be answers even for such destinies. I am very proud to be part of it."

Radoš Bajić also spoke about his involvement in the film’s creation: "A journalist once asked me how I managed to distance myself from the project as someone who directs, and focus solely on being an actor. I replied that I did so by having to listen to my daughter. I must say that was invaluable for this project. Had I directed the film, as was originally planned, I do not think it would have been as good. We made a virtuous, honest, and authentic film, centred on human destiny. It is a dramatic story with a powerful cautionary emotion."

Šimon Holý, director of "Chica Checa," screened in the Parallels and Encounters competition program, reflected on the film’s title, emphasizing its multiple layers of meaning. "It is the stage name of the main character, but 'Chica Checa' also means 'Czech girl.' In a way, there are many Czech girls in this film – not only the son’s drag persona, but also the mother. They all embody something of that idea. That Czech woman is brave, she is not afraid to be different or unique, and she possesses an inner strength that she may not always show openly, but it is there.”

The European Film Festival Palić is 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 more than two decades, Gorki List has been a valued partner of the European Film Festival Palić, serving both as an integral part of its visual identity and as the sponsor of the Gorki List Audience Award, which encourages audiences to engage more deeply with the films presented at the festival.