September 3, 2018 - The Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, in cooperation with the embassies of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Latvia, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the Montenegrin Cinémathèque, with the support of the EU Info Centre, is organising “European Film Days 2018” in Montenegro. Sixteen films of various genres, the latest European productions, will be shown in Petrovac, in “Spomen Dom Crvena komuna”, from September 4th to December 18th.
This year, the festival is part of the celebration of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, as proclaimed by the European Union. Moreover, following the slogan of the European Year of Cultural Heritage “Our heritage: where the past meets the future”, the festival will officially open with “The Beauty of Vice” (Ljepota poroka, 1986), the most famous film of the most important Montenegrin film director, Živko Nikolić.
Nikolić was a controversial and tragic figure, celebrated during his life, but also disputed, mostly by the political establishment who did not like his artistic vision of Montenegrin society and tradition. His uncompromising collision with the backwardness of the society and his precise dissection of societal change caused by modernisation were considered unpatriotic. Despite that, the public adored Nikolić’s films. His unique narrative/visual style became recognisable and popular, and quotes from his films became widely used in everyday speech. “The Beauty of Vice” is one of the most important films about the sexual liberation of women in Eastern European cinematography and at the time it was the most watched film in Israel.
During the festival, the audience can enjoy in various genres, from drama, dark humor, horror, mystery, romantic comedy to children's movies. Aside from Petrovac, audiences in the following 10 cities also have the opportunity to enjoy the films: Podgorica, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Kotor, Mojkovac, Nikšić, Petnjica, Pljevlja, Tivat and Ulcinj.
