Numerous films, plays and books by Boro Drašković have been awarded in the country and abroad. In 1969 in Yugoslav Drama Theater, he directed the famous play "When the Pumpkins Blossomed" based on the novel by Dragoslav Mihailović, which according to many marked a turning point in the development of our theater art in the second half of the 20th century, Bitef director Miloš Latinović said at today's press conference.
Apart from the first Bitef, performances in the main programme were evaluated by Boro Drašković four more times: in 1974, 1980, 1990 and 1996.
BITEF AS A GREAT EUROPEAN STAGE
The co-selectors of the programme, producer Ksenija Đurović and playwright Tijana Grumić, presented the main programme, which consists of award-winning European productions and brave domestic plays.
It is precisely because of such a designed programme, which takes place from October 3 to 10 under the slogan "Strength, Don’t Let Yourself Be Anyone’s", that Bitef attracted a lot of attention from the whole Europe. The authors of all the plays selected for the main programme are coming to the festival, as well as guests from numerous theater cities, and this year's Bitef will be covered by dozens of foreign journalists and critics from prestigious regional and European media.
Prof. Dr. Ana Vujanović, PhD (cultural worker and professor at HZT, University of the Arts in Berlin; SNDO, Academy of Theater and Dance, University of the Arts in Amsterdam) will preside the jury which will consist of Joris Lacoste, playwright and theater director, artistic director of the "Encyclopedia of Words" , Nataša Barbara Gračner, actress and professor of acting at the Academy of Theater, Radio, Film and Television of the University of Ljubljana, Siniša Ilić, visual and performance artist, stage designer and curator and Iris Rafetzider, playwright of the Wiener Festwochen festival.
57BITEF23 WARM UP
The warm-up for the upcoming Bitef, along with an arm wrestling and pixelata-making competition, will be held on September 30 from 3 to 8 p.m. on the plateau in front of the Rajićeva Shopping Center.
At 3 pm already, large pixelate - a kind of mural made of used cans, the surface of which is as much as twelve square meters - will be installed on the plateau in the heart of the city. The programme "Every Can Counts" is responsible for the installation of the pixelata made of cans that the festival team diligently collected during the previous months.
After that, from 5:00 p.m. a competition in arm wrestling will begin on the plateau, during which the members of the festival team will compete with the visitors of Rajićeva, as well as random passers-by to introduce them to the festival in a slightly different way. In addition, all those interested will be able to buy tickets for the upcoming edition of the festival on the spot. More about the event can be found here.
STRENGTH, DON’T LET YOURSELF BE ANYONE’S
At the press conference, the attendees were addressed by friends of the festival, with whose support Bitef manages to grow and conquer new freedoms.
"Erste Bank has been supporting Bitef for the third year in a row. We started cooperation in the year of the pandemic, when it was difficult for all of us, and maintaining cultural content was a big challenge. With joint efforts, we overcame all obstacles and preserved what is important - nurturing culture and art," said Tamara Simović, specialist for internal communications and socially responsible business at Erste Bank a.d. Novi Sad. "With our joint forces, which do not agree to be anyone’s but ours, we are desperately holding a cultural scene rich in Bitef content. It is important for us to support the event that has existed for 57 years, which brings world artists, performances, stories to our stage, but also promotes our domestic theater artists."
Dušan Lalić, associate member of the Executive Board of Generali Insurance Serbia, added that everyone in that company is satisfied that they are with Bitef again this year: "We are very happy and proud to be a part of a festival that nurtures the history of contemporary theater." Our cooperation is already growing into a tradition, and I look forward to seeing what the future will bring. We see this partnership as a combination of heritage and commitment to the same values. We are always ready to support the brave and daring ones who experiment and listen to the needs of the public."
The festival has traditionally been supported by the Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, the Goethe Institute, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Embassy of Greece. New Moment New Ideas Company, the festival's creative agency, is a partner and friend of Bitef. Festival partners this year are Generali Insurance Serbia, Erste Bank a.d. Novi Sad, as well as the friends of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Serbia festival, 1664 Blanc and Somersby, Rajićeva Shopping Center, Alma Quattro, Info media group, Acibadem Bel medic, the "Every Can Counts" programme, Ekostar pak, Vulkan publishing, as well as Halo Creative team.
