The second Serbian Film Festival in Washington, D.C., was held over the weekend and turned into a celebration of our culture in the American capital.
Over the three days it lasted, several excellent films were screened, and after the projections, viewers had the opportunity to enjoy discussions with famous actors and directors who were guests of the festival.
GREAT INTEREST: Otvaranje Srpskog filmskog festivala u Vašingtonu (Opening of the Serbian Film Festival in Washington)
The main star was certainly Sergej Trifunović, who, along with his colleague Igor Benčina, deservedly collected the laurels for the film “A Son’s Will” (Volja sinovljeva), which was declared the winner of the festival.
GIVE ME FIVE, SERGEJ! Susret glumaca sa najmlađim fanovima (Meeting of the actors with the youngest fans)
Benčina’s role also contributed to “Videoteka,” a film by director Luka Bursać, who was also a guest at the festival, receiving the second prize. The third prize went to “Among the Gods” (Među bogovima) directed by Vuk Ršumović.
PLEASANT FILM TALKS: Luka Bursać i Igor Benčina posle premijere „Videoteke“ (Luka Bursać and Igor Benčina after the premiere of “Videoteka”)
“I haven’t met so many interesting people in one place in a long time. Thank you to the organizers who gathered us all in one place and made an effort for these people to see what new is happening in Serbian film, and I truly believe we have something to show the world.
POSITIVE VIBES: Festival je okupio srpsku zajednicu u Vašingtonu, ali i šire (The festival gathered the Serbian community in Washington, but also wider)
“This is my first time here and my first award, and I promise to come next year, and the year after that…”, Sergej Trifunović told the Serbian Times, who used the opportunity while accepting the award to greet his wife Isidora in the audience, who came to the festival in her fourth month of pregnancy.
Serbian diplomats, Ambassador of Serbia Dragan Šutanovac and Director of the Office of the Republic of Srpska in Washington Drina Rajić, also appeared at the grand opening.
DIPLOMACY & ART: Dragan Šutanovac sa saradnicama i Drina Rajić sa sinom (Dragan Šutanovac with colleagues and Drina Rajić with her son)
The director of the festival, Marija Matejić, was satisfied with the audience’s reactions and the atmosphere that accompanied the Serbian Film Festival:
ORGANIZATION FOR A “TEN”: Marija Matejić sa suprugom, sinom i Igorom Benčinom (Marija Matejić with her husband, son and Igor Benčina)
“It was shown once again that our people in the diaspora, including here in Washington and the surrounding area, are hungry for Serbian culture, that they love films, that they can’t wait for something to happen, maybe also because we have fewer events here than in some other, larger cities, such as Chicago or New York,” she pointed out, finally thanking the sponsors who made the festival possible.
One of them, Goran Petković, a Serbian businessman originally from Topola, who has lived in America for 41 years and has a successful business in Detroit, emphasizes that it was an honor for him to support such an event:
SUPPORT FOR CULTURE: Goran Petković i njegova ćerka su pomogli Srpski filmski festival (Goran Petković and his daughter helped the Serbian Film Festival)
“I feel a duty to support all projects that promote our talent and that show us here, in America, as a nation with great cultural achievements, which we are. After all, it is no coincidence that the only flag, besides the American one, that flew on the flagpole next to the White House, was the Serbian one,” concludes Petković, the owner of Gemini Transport company, the main sponsor of the festival.
In addition to Gemini Transport, the sponsors were also the companies Denver Cargo from Chicago and Copt Defense Properties from Washington, the organization was supported by the “Ambar” restaurant, Bloom&Balloon, the festival program was made possible in cooperation with Telekom Srbija and the Film Center of Serbia, and the institutions that helped the Serbian Film Fest in Washington were the Office of the Republic of Srpska, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The festival program was hosted by Ivana Pitarević, and numerous volunteers from the local Serbian community also helped with the organization, and the fact that the informal gatherings continued long into the night after every festival evening is the best indicator of how satisfied the visitors were.
The organizers finally invited everyone to join them in the new adventure that began the very next day, and which should end next year at this time, with the raising of the curtain on the next, third Serbian Film Festival in Washington.
Author: Antonije Kovačević Photo/Video: Antonije Kovačević, Julia Keane