Postponing the Fest: Stacking the Personnel Dice

This February will pass without Fest, because it is his Board moved to September.

And that's good news, even though it doesn't seem like it, because September is already overcrowded, it includes, first of all, another film festival "Seven Magnificent", then Bitef, the October Salon, there is also the beginning of the season of all cultural scenes, and Bemus and the Book Fair are approaching in October. Also, the Fest has bigger problems than the deadline: there is neither a selector nor an artistic director because it is Jugoslav Pantelić which was both expired mandate with the last Fest, so it would have been more logical if the Festival Board appointed them first - because what is the scheduled time if there is no one to choose the films and create the program, what will they show?

But, considering that there have been rumors that the Fest will be shut down, the new date for its holding, whenever it will be, is still good news.

The secondary is the main one.

Actually, it all started with students and their noise around the city and the country.

First, the President of the Committee and City Secretary for Culture Nataša Mihailović Vacić announced, although it was not discussed at the Committee, that due to security reasons the Fest will be postponed, it is not known when, maybe until March. Then the Board met on Friday and decided that the Fest this year will be from September 12 to 23.

This is where one begins to sense why they started from a secondary problem and not from the main problem.

After three years, Karl again

The Fest in September is an idea that was first popularized by Ivan Karl in 2022, at a time when he had nothing to do with the Fest, when he became the director of the Film Center of Serbia. On Friday, half a day before the Board will make a decision on the new term, look at the coincidence, Ivan Karl, through Tanjug, explained in detail why that idea was good.

One of the reasons, he says, is the domestic film. The beginning of autumn is the time when most Serbian films begin their theatrical distribution, so it would be convenient to start with the label of the international festival at the peak. Karl wanted to show that he cares about the national film and that he has a plan to use the Fest, an international and Serbian festival, in order to affirm the domestic film and its ideas.

Apart from the September term, Karl also talked about other plans for the Fest as if he were talking about someone who is in the leadership position of that festival or is about to become one - for example, about the program that the Fest would make present throughout the year.

That same day, Darja Bajić Božović, a member of the Festival Board, spoke about it. "Danasu" stated the need to establish "a special, independent institution that, like the former Fest Directorate, would have the ability and support to deal with this event throughout the year with the aim of its further development."

It seems that this coincidence is not without reason.

Empty seats

Especially since Tanjug's text ends with data from Karl's biography related to his film activity and management, which is not usually done, unless there is a certain need for it.

The position of artistic director is vacant at the Fest, and it will be necessary to appoint the first person of the announced "independent" Fest. Both positions are decided by the City Assembly.

Ivan Karl was the city's secretary of culture until August 2022, when he resigned "respecting the request for personnel changes implemented by the new city administration", but before that he unequivocally proved that he performed the tasks entrusted to him well. As for the last year and a half, as the director of the Film Center of Serbia, which makes plans regarding the Fest. I'm not insinuating anything, I'm just putting the dice together.