08 September 2019 - Establishing a Film Commission, as well as strengthening legislation and other infrastructure in the field of film industry, will give Montenegro a new chance to develop, promote and valorize our undisputed potentials, Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković said at a meeting with the famous Italian actor Gabriel Garko.

"We want to improve the film industry, to enrich Montenegro with film content. Therefore, it is important to us that, through your membership in the Film Commission, experience and image, you help us achieve these goals," Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković said and added that he hoped to intensify cooperation with the Italian film sector.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković considered the provision of long-term sources for financing the cinematography particularly important. He recalled that for the first time in the history of our cinematography, new Montenegrin films were part of the official selections of world festivals in Montreal, Cannes and Venice, and our young directors were granted with significant international accolades, as stated in the report of the Office of the Prime Minister of Montenegro.

Garko thanked for the confidence and the opportunity to contribute to the development of Montenegrin cinematography. He pointed out that Montenegro, because of its natural beauty and the overwhelming proximity of the mountains to the sea is interesting to everyone in the cinematography.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Culture of Montenegro Aleksandar Bogdanović, who presented projects through which the Government wants to encourage producers and co-producers to come to Montenegro and invest in this sector in Montenegro.

Garko is paying working visit to Montenegro, during which he will be presented with the country's capacities in the film industry, potential for foreign filming and incentive measures for foreign producers.

Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

September 8, 2019 - The 52nd Balkan Sailing Championship continues. After a rainy morning with no wind, the weather changed over the day in favor of sailors and organizers. The second day of the competition brought a lot of excitement. Three regattas in all classes were sailed.

08 September 2019 - On September 09, Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović will host Matthew Palmer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and the newly appointed Western Balkans Representative for the United States State Department, who will be in an official visit to Montenegro.

Following the meeting between President Đukanović and US Assistant Secretary of State Palmer, the PR Office of the President will issue a press release.

This September, the US Secretary of State has appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Palmer as his Special Representative for the Western Balkans.  In this role, Palmer will lead US efforts to strengthen their diplomatic engagement in support of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and focus on the integration of the Western Balkan countries into Western institutions.

As Special Representative, Palmer will attend meetings in Vienna and Podgorica, September 4-10. Palmer is expected to meet with Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović, according to the statement of the PR Office of the President.

Đukanović also recently (04.09) hosted a delegation from the United States Congress, led by Senator Lindsey Graham, who was visiting Montenegro. On this occasion, The President showed his appreciation for the attention the United States and Congress paid to Montenegro, as well as Washington's continued support, which he said contributed significantly to maintaining peace, consolidating multi-ethnic harmony, strengthening democracy and implementing social reforms.

The US Congressional delegation also included the wife of Senator McCain, who, in front of the McCain Institute recently hosted by President Đukanović, praised Montenegro's consistency in the fight for human rights, anti-trafficking, and offered expert and other co-operation in order to improve further Montenegro's rating, which was gladly accepted.

07 September 2019 - Enlargement policy should be expression of common and honest commitment of the European Union and the Western Balkans, said the President of the Committee on International relations and Emigrants, Andrija Nikolić, at the Inter-parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), which was held in Helsinki as part of Finland’s EU presidency.

In a panel dedicated to current political developments in the Western Balkans region and the EU integration process, Nikolić said that Brussels should demonstrate a more decisive approach in pursuing enlargement policy, with a clearer policy towards the Western Balkans. He also stressed that he believes that EU session in October will be a signal for opening negotiation s with North Macedonia and Albania, as well as for opening last negotiating chapter with Montenegro. “That would restore optimism of candidate countries”, reads the statement of the Parliament of Montenegro.

In addition to MP Nikolic, the delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro was composed of members of the Security and Defence Committee, Luiđ Škrelja and Boris Mugoša, and a member of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants, Ervin Ibrahimović.

The Inter-parliamentary Conference was opened by the Speakers of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence of the Parliament of Finland, Mika Niikko and Ilkka Kanerva, and the introductory part was addressed by: Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament David McAllister and The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.

The conference was dedicated to various topics: “Stronger Europe for European future”, “Renewal of Trans-Atlantic unity in global relations”, “Exchange of views on EU priorities in CFSP-CSDP”  and “Where is the EU defence going: Strength for peace or Military strength?”

07 September 2019 - The Ministry of Culture fully supports the initiative for building the monument in the memory of Queen Jelena in Podgorica, having in mind the fact she is remembered in Montenegro and Italy for so many good deeds and has played a significant role in the history of both countries, said the Montenegrin Minister of Culture, Aleksandar Bogdanović, during the meeting with Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy.

Culture Minister Bogdanović hosted Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, who is in an official visit to Montenegro, on September 7th. The meeting tackled many topics in relations to culture, possible ways of cooperation as well as joint activities that would affirm deeds of Queen Jelena of Savoy, the Ministry said in a statement.

Maintained through numerous historical moments, the exceptional relations between Montenegro and Italy, among which the relations between their royal dynasties should definitely be highlighted, make good grounds for future cooperation, concluded Bogdanović and Filiberto.

Mr Bogdanović reflected on the current joint activities of Italy and Montenegro, emphasizing that an exhibition dedicated to the Montenegrin Princess is planned for the next year.

“In addition, the meeting tackled the activities of the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of 140 years of establishing diplomatic relations between Montenegro and Italy,” said the Ministry in their official statement.

Minister Bogdanović and Prince Emanuele also discussed ways of possible cooperation and artistic exchange between the two countries.

Prince Emanuele said that he was pleased that he had encountered a number of constructive conversations during his stay in Montenegro, and that culture was a field for which he, as a writer, was particularly interested. In this context, he particularly emphasized the fact that Italian artists are actively engaged in supporting Montenegrin culture and creativity.

The Prince also expressed special appreciation for the initiatives concerning Queen Jelena, pointing out that the Italian people especially appreciated her historic role and her many benevolences. Prince Emanuele highlighted that he was ready to support all future joint projects of Montenegro and Italiy and that he would be happy to return to Montenegro.

07 September 2019 - Works on the Bar-Boljare motorway are all going according to plan, and the first layer of asphalt surfacing was laid on September 6th on the 500 metres section of Moračica Bridge, stated the Public Relations Service of The Government of Montenegro.

According to the official data provided by the Government, each construction segment is done in accordance with the planned design and modern execution procedures. The motorway construction works are overseen by Monteput, Ingerop, DKTP and competent laboratories.

In terms of the first layer of asphalt surfacing, which was laid a few days ago, the work was complete in three layers 7+7+4 cm thick and is made of polymer modified bitumen. The first BNS layer was completed on September 7th, when 950 tons were installed.

The construction of the motorway will significantly reduce travel time, since people will travel 30-40 minutes from Podgorica to Kolašin instead of an hour and a half as they do now. Also, high-quality and secure roads can bolster road safety even though this issue has been quite complex in terms of factors that affect the level of safety. “Having in mind that the priority Smokovac–Mateševo section represents an alternative to the route from Podgorica to Kolašin (the canyon Platije), the need for its construction is even greater,” said Veselin Salamadija, a specialist in traffic engineering and president of the Group for the transport of passengers and goods by road in the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, in a recent interview for CdM.

As TMN previously reported, the most expensive bridge on the highway priority section, Smokovac-Mateševo, is the Moračica bridge, and the construction cost is estimated at around 74,5 million EUR, said the representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro. When complete, Moračica will be 360 metres long and 23,4 metres wide. Five pillars will support it. The range from the bottom of the Morača riverbed to carriageway construction will amount to more than 200 meters. 

First highway section is expected to be finished in the middle of 2020.

07 September 2019 - The Android and iOS mobile application Klik Podgorica enables citizens and tourists to get information on city and rail traffic, cycling, catering, sports facilities, health care facilities, culture and history of the capital of Montenegro in a faster and simpler way.

The application facilitates mobility, and the project corresponds with the Capital's efforts to digitize urban transport and other amenities.

“We are witnesses that every day that we all increasingly rely on the opportunities offered by modern technologies. By affirming these ideas and projects, we believe that we are responding to the needs of citizens to have all the necessary information on city traffic, cycling, history and culture of the capital, catering, parks and picnic areas, sports facilities, health care facilities and rail transport,” says the statement of the PR Office of the Capital.

The information provided by the Application is also of great importance for tourists, whose number is increasing each year in Podgorica. “Therefore, we can speak about the tourist valorisation of this project and give it the epithet of a digital guide through the Capital. Also, what is most significant is that such projects are convenient for citizens for they contribute to the citizens’ comfort by affecting better quality of traffic and the overall mobility,” explain the representatives of the PR Office of Podgorica.

In Montenegro, over 70 per cent of the population owns a smartphone. This means that they have the ability to carry the information offered within the application with them in their pocket. According to the the office of the Mayer of Podgorica, Ivan Vuković, this aspect is extremely important because in that way, the platform of the application can be built in accordance with what is important to the citizens of this city, but also to tourists.

The map includes all bus stops within the city, as well as 900 kilometres of bus lines on an electronic map.

The application contains a relevant database of catering facilities. It is possible to select a catering facility by category. It is also possible to search which catering establishments allow pets, which have access for people with disabilities, where it is possible to make a card payment. The app features rich cultural, historical and religious content. All these information can be found within the application itself, through 80 facilities and the option to do further research and even enter the data for new facilities.

A special attention was dedicated to cycling, and the developers outlined all the cycle paths within the Capital. Sports facilities marked within the application are searchable by sports, and it is also possible to search whether you are interested in indoor or outdoor playgrounds. The rich content of parks and picnics is an interesting category and individuals can search them by which parks and picnics have children's playgrounds, trim tracks, sports fields, and exercise equipment.

Health care facilities located in Podgorica, such as pharmacies, clinics, polyclinics, health centres, health offices, laboratories, emergency centres, can be searched in accordance with category they belong to. Individuals can easily get information on work hours of these institutions and their specialties. Both banks and ATMs can also be found easily by using the application.

The complete Application has been translated into English, which is a great benefit for tourists visiting Podgorica.

The mobile application and web platform presenting the most relevant information relevant to Podgorica citizens and tourists was created as a partnership project of NGO Mladiinfo Montenegro, Studio Lasso, Telenor Foundation and the Capital.

Read more information useful while travelling through Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

The “Njeguši Table”, a traditional tourist and gastronomic event held as part of the “Njeguši Cultural Summer” will take place on Sunday, 8th September in Njeguši. The event will be organised for the sixteenth time by the Njeguši Local Community Association and the Association of Manufacturers of Njeguši Specialities, with sponsorship from Old Royal Capital Cetinje and Cetinje Tourist Board.

Lazo Božović, representing the organisers, announced that famous Njeguši specialities have been prepared for visitors to taste at the event - prosciutto, cheese, sausages, pancetta and home-made bread.

“Singer Kiko Vujović and folk guitarist Stefan Marković will be providing the musical backdrop to the event, and there will also be a dramatic performance of “The Holy Mission of Cyril and Methodius”, written and directed by Ivana Đukić. The performance will take place in front of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Raićevići, at 11 o’clock. The “Njeguši Table” itself will begin at 12 o’clock,” states Božović.

06 September 2019 - Art exhibition Fragments of Light by artists Miloš Radunović and Igor Husag was opened last night at 8 PM by exhibition curator Maja Dedić in Gallery "Klub" within the Contemporary Art Centre of Montenegro. The exhibition will run until September 23.

The first night of the exhibition was visited by numerous guests and curator Maja Dedić used the opportunity to thank everyone and invited all interested parties to make sure to check out the exhibition by two young artists.

She also added that the generations of younger artists are starting to appear in the very dynamic Montenegrin contemporary art scene lately and that such artists are leaving the imposed frameworks derived from classic media. This type of approach shows greater readiness for experimentation and new research in the direction of extending the boundaries of artistic disciplines and media.

"At their first joint solo exhibition, symbolically titled "Fragments of Light", these two close in age artists - being versed in contemporary media - rely on the experiences of their own rhythms and give emphasis to light as a unifying element in their works. Partially or completely based on play and experimentation, Miloš and Igor elaborate this theme from different positions, by simultaneously exploring the boundaries of their spatial and visual experiences - from the light and shadow forms that are inseparable from the image and drawing, to the bright beams of light particle lasers, i.e. their extensions in photo and video works," said Dedić during the opening ceremony.

In his previous work from the series "Fragment, fluid", which includes two installations of drawings and digital prints, Miloš Radunović projects his vibrant and dynamic inner world, bursting with emotions and specific visual means. His artwork reveals that he's keen to experiment in the drawing and digital prints media. In his work, Miloš observes the movement of the color through matter and bases his research on the phenomenon of its transformation and structure. When asked about the other ways he uses to express his emotions, thoughts and imagination, Miloš points out that he is especially devoted to drawing. His work involves fitting smaller fragments of different formats into single units and using them in a series of drawing processes. Finally, when these small fragments are done, the artists proceed to use different techniques of digitization and format enlargement so his artwork can reach bigger formats and present matter that is invisible to the naked eye. His artworks often closely resemble the textures from nature and Miloš himself likes to describe his paintings with usually one word such as: sand, Moon, dirt, river etc.

"What you see in this circle is nature describing itself: electricity, gravity and magnetism together aligning tiny colored particles over paper submerged in water. This is what it looks like," said Miloš for one of his numerous paintings.

The second part of this exhibition is definitely devoted to issues of identity and existence of individuals who are lost in contemporary society. This is presented by Igor Husag and his work "Laser Boy".

"This work consists of a digital print installation and three video works in which the artists problematizes the influence of globalization on the positioning of a man in the modern consumer society. Using his body as the medium of expression, he sets up the work as an interactive installation that connects the author's body with technologies of light; it springs alive with the activation of a neon sensor and amazes with its combination of audio and visual effects," said curator Maja Dedić on the topic of Igor Husag's artwork.

She also added that in this way body structures with localized beam interference, together with the bar code associations, become part of a creative play that illustrates the world's automated and robotic everyday way of life. By expressing themselves by experimentation, play and light elements, Miloš and Igor create intriguing, interesting and creative artworks that resonate with the spirit and the perceptions of the times humanity live in right now.

Miloš Radunović is born in 1993 in Zrenjanin, Serbia and he finished basic and specialist studies on the Painting programme at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje in 2018. He participated in student group exhibitions of the Faculty of Fine Arts in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and he currently lives and works in Podgorica. Miloš is also famous for his "100 Drawings for 100 Trees" action, in which his drawings are being sold for 5 EUR, while the half of every transaction is dedicated to a plantation of a single tree.

Igor Husag is born in 1993 in Subotica, Serbia and he graduated at the Faculty of Visual Arts of the Mediterranean University in Podgorica. During his basic studies, he spent a year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, attending the classes. Since 2017 he lives and works in Asia, where he is also attending Master Design Studies Programme at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.