PRESS FILM FESTIVAL OF SERBIA July 3rd – 8th 2007 Novi Sad About the festival The first Film Festival of Serbia will be held from July 3rd to 8th 2007 in Novi Sad, in the production of Film Center Serbia and State of Exit. The idea of founding the Film Festival of Serbia came out from a need for a manifestation of a national significance, which would establish quality criteria as  well as promote the acknowledged film authors and their works in the context of national Cinema. As Serbia has not yet had a representative film festival, the Film Festival of Serbia is set up as the most important promotional event of domestic Cinema, whose main goal is to be a meeting point of the highest standards of international and local film production and culture. The domestic film industry and culture will get a chance to develop new relationships between culture and economy, and the festival also creates an atmosphere of urban regeneration which is so necessary for our cities in transition. The first Film Festival of Serbia has the ambition to establish itself over the course of the next few years as one of the most influential national film festivals in this part of the world.  Cinema City The festival promotes a new program concept of Cinema City - city as a movie theater. The central area of Novi Sad will be transformed into a festival arena, as the festival programs will be presented on several locations throughout the city, such as Serbian National Theater, Arena cinema, open stage of Katolička Porta, Trg Slobode, Miletićeva Street, Zmaj Jovina Street, Laze Telečkog Street, as well as many others. Over the course of the festival, the city will be marked by festival gates, info points, concert stages and open-air projections.  Danubius Film Fund The Festival will host many guests who can contribute to the development of the supply and demand for Serbian film: representatives of various film funds, producers, distributors, selectors of significant international festivals, experts who can contribute to the advancement of the productional, distributional and representational national networks. One of the most important effects of these meetings is the Danubius Film Fund through which Serbia, for the first time, becomes the initiator of an important instrument of developing cinemas in the Danube countries. The aim of the Fund is to gather representatives of all important film funds and centers of Danube countries, specially the ones from Austria and Germany. Beside a rich prize fund, the festival has the aim to animate and host anyone who can contribute to the development, supply and demand for domestic film (representatives of various film funds, producers, distributors, selectors of significant international festivals, experts who can contribute to the advancement of the productional, distributional and representational national networks), thus becoming a place for strengthening cooperation of Serbian Cinema with regional, European and global film community.  Through the direct promotion of domestic film, Film Festival of Serbia takes part in the creation of a positive view of Serbia, and also becomes one of the main developers of the overall creative industries in the country. The Film Festival of Serbia is an event of general public significance, and as such is supported by the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Serbia, Executive Council of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and City Council of Novi Sad, as well numerous sponsors. The Postproduction fund This fund has been initiated in collaboration with National Broadcasting Service (RTS). It is directed at movies which are in the phase of postproduction, and which are lacking the financial assets for completion. All the movies which receive support from this fund must not be in theater distribution prior to the premiere at the Film Festival of Serbia. Therefore, all four movies which had been supported by the Postproduction fund - "Huddersfield" by Ivan Živković, "Agi and Emma" by Milutin Petrović, "S.O.S. - Save Our Souls" by Slobodan Šijan and the latest work from Želimir Žilnik, "Kenedi is Getting Married" - will be presented in the competition selection of FFS.  Competition program and festival prizes National Class National Class is the main competition selection of the festival, which will present works finished in the period between the two editions of the festival. This program will cover all film genres, and is of competitive character. The movies from this selection will be premiered at the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, while the reprises will be screened at the open-air cinema of Katolička Porta and Arena movie theater. IBIS - Festival prize The festival prize is entitled "Ibis" and is awarded in 14 competition categories, among them the Festival Grand Prix. The Ibis prize was named by the bird whose natural habitat is in the Danube area, not far from the festival site itself. By folklore legends, ibis is the last representative of wild nature which seeks shelter from foul weather conditions, and the first one to re-appear after the threat is gone. Accordingly, the Film Festival of Serbia in its first year announces new, better times for Serbian Cinema. A jury consisting of five members, two from foreign countries, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson and Carlo Varini, one from the region, Nenad Polimac, and two from Serbia, Dušica Žegarac and Boro Drašković, will award films from the competitive selection in the following categories: • Best Movie - Festival Grand Prix • Best Director • Best Screenplay • Best Photography • Best Music Score • Best Actor • Best Actress • Best Male Support Act • Best Female Support Act • Best Editing • Best Sound Design • Best Scenography • Best Costume • Best Mask Beside the awards in the competition selection, the following will be awarded outside of the competition: • Life Achievement Award • Section Serbe de la FIPRESCI gave the Award for the engagement in the Serbian contemporary film Jury: Nenad Dukić, Dragan Jovićević, Milorad Đokić • Yugoslav Branch of FIPRESCI gave the Award for the best Serbian film in general Jury: Vladimir Crnjanski, Milan D. Špiček Dušan Vukić • Magazine "Film" will give 2 awards: Award for the best young actress Award for the best young actor Jury: Tijana Maksimović, Goran Vukčević i Nebojša Bošnjak Aside from 15 "Ibis" awards (including the Life Achivement Award) for the first time in the history of Eurimages, the best film in that selection will be awarded with the Grand Prix. Three member jury consists of Gorčin Stojanović, Otto Reiter and Jasmin Duraković Festival program Beside presenting the complete annual cycle of production of domestic feature film and distributing a rich fund of awards within the competition program National Class, the Festival will also have accompanying program selections. Among many of them, we draw attention to the selection of Euroimages, dedicated to the latest European film co-productions. Beside the aforementioned program units, the audience will have a chance to see a cycle of films dedicated to some of the members of the jury, as well as the retrospective of movies of Emir Kuturica, as part of the program unit entitled Tribute to Kusturica.  As the FFS is mostly addressing the national film heritage with its first edition, we are specially recommending the selection of the most significant Serbian movies from the past in the selection Serbian Film Classics. Besides the film program, the festival will try to animate the audience by numerous workshops, seminars and film promotions, by presenting distribution companies and cultural centers, of course - all this in relation to film. The festival will also be followed by the Fair of movie publications, where many publishing projects from Serbia and the region will be presented, giving the visitors a chance to glance at their CD, DVD or literary publications related to cinema topics. The festival will also offer a rich music program, through numerous performances of various artists. The music program will be stylistically diverse, and will mostly follow the movie atmosphere of the festival. We also expect the inclusion of some of the movie authors with their music projects in this program. Through its diversity and innovative program conception, rich program and guests and visitors of all generations and affinities, Film Festival of Serbia will, as an event of national importance, try to metaphorically bring back the ibis bird, together with better times for Serbian Cinema.