December 6, 2018 - UBRZAJ 2018 (Fast Forward 2018) IX Human Rights Film Festival will be held from 10-14 December 2018. According to the practice of the traditional December festival organized by the NGO Centre for Civic Education, the program will be held in three addresses – in Podgorica, Berane, and Kotor.

Human Rights Film Festival UBRZAJ, the first and only one of its kind in Montenegro, aims to contribute to raising the awareness of the importance of human rights and their protection and improvement, as well as a value framework that promotes harmonious relationships on any ground. UBRZAJ 2018 brings an excellent selection of 15 film achievements to be premiered in Montenegro and "movies that do not fear, who carry out the imaginative vivisection of social injustice, ironize powerfully and dream loud." That is why the motto of this year's festival is GLEDAJ I PAMTI! (WATCH AND REMEMBER!)

“The talk of human rights, whether in politics, science, or arts, sometimes comes across as a moving tale that the humankind tells while tucking itself to sleep, murmuring it almost by heart, terrifying and inspiring itself in turns by the wickedness of monsters and the revolts of the brave. Lulling itself, every time, by the certainty of the happy end and the inevitability of progress. And yet if we had learned anything on our laborious trudge towards full awareness of the inalienability of human dignity, it is that there is nothing certain or inevitable about this path and that falling behind is much easier than forging ahead. Have we watched carefully enough, do we remember enough of those times when we traded the humanity of others for our comfort when we surrendered the victims instead of sheltering them when we choose not to see the camps and not to remember places of suffering? How did we understand humanity then? Who counted as human and who did not? And what were we playing, refusing responsibility? We would like to have left far behind the obstinate ghosts of fascism, slavery, poverty, exploitation, disease, and war. Maybe would have done so, but we did not. They are our present too, and our reality. This is what the films of the ninth selection of the FAST FORWARD 2018 Human Rights Film Festival are telling us, each in its way. These films are not afraid: with courage and imagination, they cut to the quick of social injustices, mock the powerful and dream aloud. Films that fight and in which people fight. Is it enough to just watch and remember? Of course not, but this minimal entreaty already lifts the thin alibi of ignorance and represents, perhaps, the first step towards accountability," explains this year’s edition motto Paula Petricevic, philosopher.

UBRZAJ 2018 is realized in cooperation with KIC Budo Tomovic, Beldocs - International Documentary Film Festival, SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL, Cultural Center "Nikola Djurkovic" Kotor, Municipality of Kotor, Municipality of Berane, Center for Culture Berane and Gymnasium "Panto Mališić" Berane. The European Union supports UBRZAJ 2018 in Montenegro, as well as the Commission for the allocation of part of the incomes of the Games of Chance of the Montenegrin Government and the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro. Media Sponsors of UBRZAJ 2018 are RTCG, Television Vijesti, and daily newspaper Vijesti. Friends of UBRZAJ 2018 are also Metropolis, PG TAXI 19704 and Compania de Vinos Montenegro.

More information on projections and films can be found at the festival site: http://ubrzaj.me/

December 6, 2018 - In the shopping mall "Delta City" in Podgorica, a three-day event titled "Be a part of us" organized by the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Montenegro was held to affirm military jobs.

"Numerous visitors got to know the activities and projects of the Ministry of Defense intended for youth: employment in the Montenegrin Army (VCG) and volunteering in military service, education at foreign military academies, scholarships for faculties in Montenegro, promotion of gender equality in the army, and the Summer Military Camp for youth," said the department.

Also, like last year, some military skills, such as fighting and climbing were demonstrated.

"On the plateau in the ground floor of Delta, a tent with facilities was installed, as well as counters with EOD equipment (for the removal of explosive devices) and diving equipment, EOD equipment of the Engineering squad, and alpine and ski equipment for training in rapid waters. Particular attention was paid to the youngest. In a corner arranged for them, they put together a puzzle with military motives and they drew them as well," said the Ministry.

For this occasion, the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Montenegro have also prepared significant quantities of promotional and informative material, as well as gifts with military motives, such as caps, notebooks, and pens.

After the manifestation, at 8 p.m. in the hall No. 5 of the Cineplex, the presentation of documentary-educational film "Our Force, Army of Montenegro" was held.

Text by CdM, on December 5th, 2018, read more at CdM

December 5, 2018 - Johnny Depp will stay in Tivat in March of next year to film material for his new movie, announced the Municipality of Tivat Information Services.

President of the Tivat Municipality, Dr. Siniša Kusovac and his associates, held a meeting with Aleksandar Tadic, the Work in Progress / WIP Production director, about the possibility of shooting a new Johnny Depp movie at several locations in Tivat next year, the municipality said.

Johnny Depp will play a leading role in the film "Minamata." The primary production begins in Japan and will be filmed in January in Serbia. At the end of February, in early March, a film crew, including Johnny Depp, will shoot for two weeks in Tivat.

President Kusovac said that the interest of productions behind big film achievements is a significant opportunity for the global promotion of Tivat.

"We are interested in filming in Tivat, and so far it has been a practice to assist in administrative and booking and location arrangements. In that respect, we will provide maximum support," the Mayor said.

"We are looking for locations to film the American movie Minamata, in which Hollywood star Johnny Depp interprets the main role, and we are interested in taking part of the filming to the Ostrvo Cvijeća and the park of Zupa. We are ready to talk to all interested parties so that we can fully acknowledge it. We also want the Municipality of Tivat to be informed about it and to help us provide any license for filming. Tivat is fantastic, and even more interesting is its ambiance and nature. That is why we want some of the scenes meant to represent Japan to be filmed here," Tadic said.

Producer House WIP has worked on the films "November Man," "The Last Panthers," "The Raven," "Papillion" and many others in the previous years.

Johnny Depp plays the first war photographer of the newer era, Eugene Smith. After the Second World War, Smith begins working for Life magazine and reveals the poisoning of people from the Minamata factory in Japan. The director of the film is Andrew Levitas. Minamata is based on a joint book by Aileen Mioko Smith and Eugene Smith in the adaptation by David K. Kessler.

The celebrated days of the Second World War are far from Smith when his old friend, Life's editor Ralph Graves, is convinced to return to Japan to find a great story: devastating destruction of the coastal community by poisoning.

December 5, 2018 - Great names of the local and regional rock scene - Damir Urban, Darko Rundek & Ekipa, Bombaj Stampa, Psihomodo Pop, Galija, Four Blues Drivers, Autogeni trening and M.O.R.T. will perform in Kotor during the New Year's holidays.

Kotor was the first town in Montenegro to organize an outdoor New Year’s concert in 1997, and for the second year in a row, the celebration takes place as the event called Rock New Year.

The festive rock spectacle at the Main Square in Kotor will open with a rock band from Sarajevo, founded in 1982, Bombaj stampa, led by Branko Djuric-Djuro, with the recognizable hits „Bolje letim sam“, „Uzalud me podsjećaš“, „Mrak i ja“ and many others.

From Zagreb and remembered on the Yugoslav scene as one of the founders of the band "Haustor" from the late seventies, Darko Rundek and his Ekipa band will perform a multi-instrumental spectacle with a repertoire four decades long, reminding the audience of the hits Šal od svile“, „Šejn“, „Ena“, „Bi’ mog’o da mogu“, "Makedo”, „Apokalipso“ and many others that are remembered by all generations.

From Rijeka, Damir Urban will perform in the first hours of 2019. His specific vocals have permeated into the regional music scene for three decades, from the first published album in 1993, through cooperation with the great names of alternative rock, to independent and especially appreciated recordings of concert performances.

Rock band M.O.R.T. whose performances are characterized by fierce sounds and melodicism, was founded 15 years ago in Sinj, and since then has published three studio albums. They began to gain popularity among regional audiences, thanks to numerous festivals, thanks to songs „Meni se skače“, „Tango“, „Olovni vojnici“, „Nina“, and „Buka u glavi“.

New Year’s Kotor – photo Boka News

The second musical evening will also have four concerts, the first of which will be the performance of the blues group Four Blues Drivers, bringing powerful performances that are the synthesis of the best and can be extracted from classic rock by the best music and standards.

For more than four decades, the band Galija, characterized by a specific progressive rock sound, has made their songs known to all generations in this region. With 14 studio albums and a series of compilations and major studio and concert performances, they are known by hits „Stare trube“, „Još uvek sanjam“, „Da me nisi“, „Skadarska“, „Uzalud se trudiš“, and tone dedicated to the town where they perform this time - "Kotor". 

The 35-year-long existence of the Croatian rock band Psihomodo Pop, one of the most recognizable ex-Yu pop punk bands, is accompanied by an uncompromising sound and specific stage performances. The audience always sings the unforgettable "Frida", "Ramona", „Ja volim samo sebe“, led by Davor Gobac, a painter who is also remembered by numerous television and film roles.

The ending of the concert performances belongs to the Montenegrin band Autogeni trening, which has been resisting the challenges of the domestic scene for 18 years, uncompromisingly maintaining the sound quality and sharpness of texts with powerful messages through "Mulj", “Raskrsnica“, „Ljubav i izgaranje and many others that describe problems and challenges of the people today. The organizer of the program is the Tourist Organization of Kotor.

Text by Boka news, on December 5th, 2018, read more at Boka news

04 December 2018 - A protocol on cooperation between Tourist Organization Herceg Novi and Tourist Organization Saint Petersburg was officially signed by the TOs directors Pavle Obradović and Nadezhda Petrovna Vitalevna. This protocol is based on tourist promotion, exchange of cultural and artistic groups and societies.

The conference was opened by the Saint Petersburg Regional Commissioner for Culture Konstantin Zuardovich Suchenko, who appointed Svetlana Lavrecova to be an ambassador of cultural and artistic cooperation between Saint Petersburg and Herceg Novi. She is also an artistic director of the Days of Russian Culture in Herceg Novi.

"They appointed the budget for daily allowances and air tickets for artists who will come to Herceg Novi, and we have provided accommodation, trips, and stages for those. If this pilot project turned out to be successful, it is planned to upgrade it to even higher levels of cooperation. We hope that it is because we plan for Herceg Novi to become capital of culture in a region such as Saint Petersburg is in Russia," said Pavle Obradović, director of Tourist Organization Herceg Novi.

At the conference in Saint Petersburg was also the Vice President of the Municipality of Herceg Novi Miloš Konjević, representatives of Herceg Novi's hotels Lazura, Perla, Simo Milošević Institute, Trend Travel Agency, Montenegrin Holiday DMC Agency, as well as the representatives of Tourist Organization Budva and Tourist Organization Kotor, Montenegro Airlines and the Ambassador of Montenegro to Russia, Ramiz Bašić.

"We had an extremely successful conference with 32 tour operators from the Saint Petersburg region and 17 media companies," Obradović pointed out.

He added that the Days of Saint Petersburg and Russia would be held in Herceg Novi in June during the next summer season.

"They are interested in coming here in September, so there is great potential for this cooperation to work, since in that period, when the city is not filled and when there are plenty of free capacities, we can bring many different cultural art societies, theater, and dance groups. We try, by doing this, to attract the Russians and the local population from the region," concluded Pavle Obradović.

04 December 2018 - The first New Year's decoration in the old town of Kotor announcing the upcoming holidays appeared all around town on December 4. The town started preparing decorations and the job was much more relaxed this year since many decorations have already been bought, preserved and neatly organized during the last year.

Traditionally, first of all, the streets will be decorated above which is a green wreath from the branches.

"Firefighters of Kotor, who are always there to help in any situation in order to make the city more beautiful in the holiday's spirit, are doing a great job and this part of the work will be finished in no time," said Milana Andric, architect at the Directorate for the Construction and Development of Kotor.

She added that the city would be decorated in the same style as it was during last New Year, with a few minor changes, due to the satisfaction of citizens who had positive comments for the 2018 New Year's Eve.

As for the bright lights decoration, this programme will be even more vibrant. There will be more light curtains all around the city, and all the arches will be illuminated with lamps as well. The space in front of the old town will also be revived with a new figure.

In this spirit, on the behalf of the organization of "Vida Matjan" Music School and KotorArt "Don Branko's Days of Music" on Thursday, December 6, 2018, starting at 8PM in the Concert Hall - Saint Spirit Church, the Concert of the opening ceremony of the Kotor concert season 2018/19 will be held.

On this occasion, performers such as Dimitrij Prokofiev, playing the cello and Ratimir Martinović, playing the piano will present their performances to the audience.

01 December 2018 - The 10th international, diplomatic Christmas charity fair took place on the December 1 in the shopping mall ‘Delta City’, Podgorica, from 10 AM to 6 PM, and public administration minister of Montenegro, Suzana Pribilović opened it. This year’s charity fair will gather 21 embassies, while the main organizer of this beautiful event is the International Women’s Club of Montenegro.

“There will be plenty of locally made food, scarfs, and souvenirs from Cappadocia, dolls, and, of course, Baklava,” announced Aylin Galip, the president of the International Women’s Club of Montenegro, who has been performing this function for 2 years already.

The Fair will gather the representatives of Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Kosovo, Slovakia, South Korea, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, Hungary, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine (participates for the first time), and France as well.

The aim of the event is to collect money for humanitarian purposes by selling locally made crafts, while the participants will also be able to present the countries they come from. ,

Collected funds will go to the Children’s Home “Mladost” in Bijela, the Day Care Center for children with developmental difficulties in Stari Aerodrom (Podgorica), while part of the money will be used for buying didactic necessities for primary schools “Radojica Perović” and ”Oktoih”, as well as the kindergarten ”Sunce”.

For more information and photographs, read at Cafe del Montenegro.