FILM FESTIVALS

DOMESTIC FILM FESTIVALS The oldest national film festival was the Yugoslav Feature Film Festival, which was established in Pula (in Croatia now) in 1954, as a review in which only the audience prize was awarded. As from the next year, a professional jury awarded prizes for the total art contribution, as well as for individual artistic accomplishments. Documentaries were also shown in Pula until 1959, but as of the next year, they competed at the Yugoslav Documentary and Short Film Festival in Belgrade, the chief purpose of which was to encourage further expansion of the documentary film production. Practically the whole Yugoslav annual production was shown at these two festivals, with prior selection for official and informative programmes. The both festivals were managed by the Yugoslav Film Festival. Later on, the Documentary Film Festival was taken over by the City of Belgrade, Sava Centre and as of the nineties, Yugoslavia Film.

The following feature film festivals are staged in Yugoslavia at present:

- Festival of Actors Accomplishments in Nis (staged since 1966), where actors compete for prestigious prizes: Emperor Constantine for the chief male role, Empress Theodora for the chief female role and the Festival Grand Prix (Skull-tower formerly, Naisa now). A prize is also awarded each year to an actor or actress for his/her lifework. This prize was called Slavica initially, and in 1991, its name was changed to Pavle Vujisic, the name of a well-known domestic actor;

- Screenplay Festival in Vrnjacka Banja (staged since 1976) where three prizes are awarded for the best screenplay, regardless of whether it is original or made according to works of literature;

- Yugoslav Film Festival in Herceg Novi (from 1987 to 1991, it was the Festival of Film Direction at which the Golden, Silver and Bronze Mimosas were awarded). In 1992, it became the national film festival instead of the Pula one formerly and the chief prize awarded at it is the Golden Mimosa in all film categories;

- Yugoslav Film Festival - Novi Sad Arena staged in Novi Sad since 1992, where films are appraised as a whole and three prizes are awarded (Golden, Silver and Bronze Arenas);

- Cartoon Festival staged in Cacak. It is a biennial event in view of the small number of cartoons produced in Yugoslavia. It was staged in Podgorica at first and was moved to Cacak subsequently, where it has been staged six times so far.

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS IN YUGOSLAVIA Several international film festivals are staged in Yugoslavia.
     The oldest of these festivals is the International Festival of Scientific and Technological Films, which was established in Belgrade in 1958 and it is staged at two year intervals. It has not been staged in the last few years because of certain difficulties.
     The most popular international film festival, FEST - The Best Films in the world, was established in Belgrade in 1970 and it is not of the competition type. Since it was intended for the showing of films awarded prizes at the most important film festivals in the world, FEST had a remarkably good role in the promotion of film art and improvement of the cinema repertoire in Yugoslavia.
     The International War Film Festival was established in Sopot in 1971. Later on, its name was changed to the Freedom-lovers Film Festivities and as of late, it is known as the Sopot Film Festival, where domestic and foreign films are shown together.
     The youngest of these festivals is the Palic Film Festival which has been staged in Palic near Subotica since 1993. Domestic and foreign films compete there separately and the Aleksandar Lifka Prize is awarded in the both categories. The prize is named after one of the Yugoslav film industry pioneers from Subotica.
     The Author Film Festival - A Look at the World was established in Belgrade, also in 1993, by Yugoslavia Film and the prize awarded at it is named after Aleksandar-Sasa Petrovic, a well-known Yugoslav film director.
     A specialised festival, The Ethnographic Film Festival, has been staged since 1992 in the Prohor Pcinjski Monastery. The International Festival of Sport Tourist and Ecological Films has been staged on the Zlatibor Mountain since 1993. The Golden, Silver and Bronze Pine prizes are awarded in all three film categories.

PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS Yugoslav films have been participating in international film festivals since 1947. Until 1990, all invitations to take part international film festivals came through Yugoslavia Film. Only a few were sent to the producers or authors directly. Yugoslav films have won a large number of prizes, diplomas and other acknowledgements, among which stand out the two Silver Bears awarded in Berlin for the films The Rats Wake Up (Budenje pacova), 1968,
     by Zivojin Pavlovic and Early Works (Rani radovi), 1970, by Aleksandar Popovic, and the Special Prize and FIPRESCI Prize awarded in Cannes for the film I Met Some Happy Gypsies Too (Skupljaci perja), 1967, by Aleksandar Petrovic.
     The documentary films competed in far greater numbers, and were also awarded a large number of first prizes at well-known festivals, such as those in Oberhausen, Leipzig, Bilbao, Krakow, etc.

After 1990, the Yugoslav film industry was also awarded one of the Felix prizes for the supporting female role, which went to Marta Keler for her role in the film Virgina (Virdiina), 1991, by Srdan Karanovic. From 1993 to 1995, the Yugoslav film industry was unable to participate in international film festivals because of sanctions which also applied to cultural activities. However, following the lifting of sanctions and the Golden Palm awarded to the film Underground in Cannes (1995), invitations are being sent to producers or authors directly. Prizes and acknowledgements were also won by the following Yugoslav films in this period: Somebody Else's America (Cannes 1995, Valladolid 1995), Premeditated Murder (Berlin 1996, Valencia 1996, Goteburg 1996, etc.), Pretty Village, Pretty Flame (Sao Paolo 1996, Stockholm 1996, Angers 1997, etc.) and the documentary I don't Know 8%ere, @%en or How (San Francisco 1995, New York 1996, Columbus 1997, etc.).

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