Ahead of the 11th edition of the International Debut Fiction Film Festival Džada Film Fest, which will take place on the streets of Podgorica from 31 August to 6 September, a press conference was held to present this year’s festival programme. Dedicated to new cinematic voices and debut films, Džada Film Fest once again brings together diverse film poetics, filmmakers and audiences. Over more than a decade of its existence, the festival has established itself as one of the distinctive film events in Podgorica’s cultural life, the organisers and festival partners said.
Nina LončarFestival Director: “Over the seven days of the festival, audiences will have the opportunity to see 31 films.”.”
Nemanja BečanovićSelector of the Debut Feature Fiction Competition: “The programme confirms the festival’s core idea: that debut and early-career auteur cinema is not merely the beginning of a career, but a space of greatest risk, purer intuition, and a more immediate encounter with the contemporary world.”
Bojan Stijović, Selector of the Debut Short Fiction Competition: “This year, Džada offers films from all parts of the world, from Peru to South Korea, demonstrating just how inclusive the art of cinema truly is. The fact is that film is constantly seeking new and fresh ideas, and that new authors need to be approached with a fresh perspective. The films are diverse in genre and come from cultures that are very distant from our own, which makes them all the more interesting to watch.”
On behalf of the festival’s general sponsor, Adriatic Bank, Vanja Krstajić: said: “For us, supporting culture is a matter of values that we want to support, values that we ourselves nurture and by which we want to be recognised. We believe that Džada Film Fest is precisely such an event — open, creative, authentic and people-oriented; an event that makes Podgorica a more vibrant and enriching place for all its citizens.”
Ognjen Damjanović , on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Media: “Over its eleven years of existence, DžFF has established itself as an important film event, continuously contributing to the promotion of the art of cinema and the development of film audiences, with a particular focus on presenting new authors and contemporary cinematic works.”
Assistant Secretary at the Secretariat for Culture of the Capital City, Seada Krnić highlighted that Džada has been bringing people together around film for 11 years, providing space for young authors and, most importantly, building an audience — without which no festival can thrive. She added that it is important to support projects that have their own idea, audience and character, and that Džada certainly has all three.
Deputy Ambassador of France: Jonathan Cordier“French cinema has traditionally held a special place in the DžFF programme, and our long-standing cooperation with the festival is a valuable example of cultural exchange and of connecting France and Montenegro through cinema.”
Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Poland: Bartosz Marcinkowski: “Poland is proud to join the circle of DžFF partners for the first time, supporting this exceptional celebration of film and culture. We are particularly pleased that this year’s festival jury will include a female director from Poland, representing another important step in strengthening cultural cooperation between our two countries.”
Jelena Đurović on behalf of Universal Capital Bank: “Our partnership has long been more than a traditional business collaboration. Over the years, Džada has become part of our shared rhythm, a tradition we genuinely look forward to and a story we have truly believed in from day one. We are especially pleased to see the festival growing year after year, becoming more established and attracting an ever-larger audience. I can definitely say that it has become a cultural brand of Podgorica.”
