December 13, 2018 - Within the IX Film Festival of Human Rights-Fast Forward 2018, which began in Podgorica on Monday, the NGO Centre for Civic Education organizes an accompanying two-day edition in Kotor, which opens this evening with a solemn opening and projections of two films from this year's festival selection, which includes a total of 15 films.
The opening ceremony of Fast Forward 2018 in Kotor will be addressed by Marija Bernard, the executive director of Cultural Center “Nikola Đurković” Kotor, Daliborka Uljarević - Executive Director of the Center for Civic Education (NGO CCE) and Vladimir Jokić - President of the Kotor Municipality.
IX Festival's slogan is "Watch and remember!" With Miloš Knežević from NGO CCE, we discussed what we can see and what to remember from this year's festival in Kotor. It was also an opportunity to talk about the situation in Montenegrin society regarding the respect for human rights.
"The mission of the Fast Forward festival is to emphasize the importance and the necessity of working together, as a society in Montenegro, to establish a culture of respect for human rights. We see the violation of human rights in our country day by day, and our common responsibility is to fight against it," points out Festival PR, Miloš Knežević.
Film as media is well-versed in promoting the necessity of putting human rights into practice, explains Knežević: "Creatively and interestingly, through the stories of victims of human rights violations and violations of the rights of people around them, the film helps us to see the reality, now we may not have noticed. By encouraging us to empathize, stories of the protagonists of films help us to address the issue of respect for human rights more seriously and responsibly."
TMN: CCE has organized the Fast Forward Festival for almost a decade. What are the noticeable changes in the Montenegrin society over that period, if we are talking about the protection of fundamental human rights?
Miloš Knežević: "We started nine years ago with the festival as an initiative, with an appeal, uncertain whether it will ever happen again. So here we are with its ninth edition. I can say things are moving to become better. These are not the results we can boast about, but things change for the better. On the other hand, what we have to do is work on the process of education in the culture of human rights. In that sense, we are still not at the level that we should be. I sincerely hope that through such projects and similar programs we implement in the Civic Education Center and through similar programs implemented by our colleagues from other non-governmental organizations, we will be able to bring the level of awareness of the Montenegrin society on the necessity of respect for human rights."
TMN: The concept of the festival completed the rewarding segment - emphasizing the organization of civil society and individuals, highlighted in the previous year in the field of civic activism and promotion of respect for human rights.
Miloš Knežević: "Given the bad situation in the country, when we talk about the degree of development of civil society, in one way we wanted to show to the Montenegrin public that there are people who are aware and brave, who are not afraid to express their attitude regarding human rights. Some people are struggling to respect the rights of those who cannot do it alone. Through the awarding for affirmation of human rights and civic activism, we want to encourage other civil society organizations and individuals to deal more actively and proactively with these issues."
Accompanying segments of the festival - editions in Kotor and Berane are being organized for the fifth time. What have you prepared for the audience in Kotor within Fast Forward 2018?
Miloš Knežević: "We are in Kotor this year on the 13 and 14 December in Kino Boka, where we will show four films. The first evening we will show the film "Grandson" of the director Aleksandar Reljic and the film "Captured" by Hungarian director Bernadette Tuza-Ritter. Also, tomorrow we also have two films - "Our New President" directed by Max Pozdorovkin and "Raft" by Marcus Linden."
The audience in Kotor will be on the spot today to talk with the director of "Grandson" Aleksandar Reljic, as well as the main protagonist of the film, Rainer Hess, the grandson of Rudolf Hess, the commander of the notorious Auschwitz camp.
Miloš Knežević: "Aleksandar Reljic came up with the idea of making a documentary about the family past of Rainer Hess, but also his present work, which is exactly the opposite of it. Hess is today one of the strongest and most prominent advocates in the fight against racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia. It is my pleasure to point out that Aleksandar Reljic and the protagonist of the film, Rainer Hess, will be our guests tonight in Kotor. After the film, they will have their talk with the audience, which will be moderated by historian Miloš Vukanović."
The slogan of Fast Forward 2018 is "Look at Remember!"
Miloš Knežević: "Look and remember, that's right. I invite the audience to join us in Kotor and watch the films. I'm sure they will see and remember a lot from these documentaries, and they will be forced to act when they personally, or people around them, are in a situation of violation of their human rights. The goal is to make us, as a society, to be encouraged to work differently and to advocate for respect for human rights, both in our environment and in Montenegro at all."
As with all the programs of the Festival, and the entrance to the screenings of films in Cinema Boka in Kotor is free.
